[This diary brought to you by the Virginia Legislative Elections, just 10 days away.*]
This is my contribution to the responsive diaries yesterday and today about reaching certain Trump voters. Many can be reached without risking energizing the Democratic base.
Too often the matter is treated in a binary, generalized, straw man manner, where reaching these voters means:
- Wasting time because it’s impossible.
- Compromising Democratic ideals.
- Appeasing racists.
- Moving to the center.
None of these is necessary or true.
1. 46% voted for Trump, so even if the Trump base is as high as 40% (it’s probably lower), there are six percent others.
2. Tens of millions didn’t vote and can be reached.
3. Many non-base Trump voters believed his promises.
How do you reach the 5-10% non-hardcore Trump voters?
I. Remind them Trump Broke his Promises.
- Healthcare for everyone and cheaper?
No. He is still trying to kill it with ACA Repeal and Court Challenges.
No. He and the Republicans want to cut them. [Why doesn’t every voter even know this yet. Doesn’t anyone remember 2010?]
- Help manufacturing and farmers?
No. His tariffs and ignorance are ruining them
- Make America Great Again?
No. He is Putin’s puppet, abandoning our allies to aggression and death, and weakening our country.
II. Remind them what they owe to Democrats.
Ask:
Do you like?
- Weekends?
- The Minimum Wage?
- Overtime?
- Social Security?
- Medicare?
- Cleaner Air and Water?
- Protection of your savings (FDIC?)
- Protection for pre-existing conditions?
- College aid?
- Consumer Protection?
Who brought you every one of these?
Democrats
Who fought every one of them and is still trying to take them away?
Republicans
III. Push our progressive agenda
One of the things pissing me off most is the tired CW you hear repeated ad nauseum by the pundits: “If Democrats are going to appeal to those Trump voters in those diners and bars, they must “move to the center.”
No!
Believe it or not those 5-10% like protection of those with pre-existing conditions. They want protection from gouging drug prices. They want loan forgiveness and affordable college. They want expanded social security. They want to stop lethal climate change.1 You don’t have to compromise on policy or appeal to racism to peel off these voters The policies help all of us — the reachable Trump or non-voters and Democrats.
There’s no alienating the Democratic base in making this appeal.
Binary thinking about the “center” and the “base” rests on easily disprovable myths.
Democrats have the popular ideas. And Republicans have scary ideas.
1If they appreciate the danger.