when will this goddamn Republican Party start listening to the voters???
Delicious, ain’t it?
Their superhero has bragged from coast to coast that he is The One who killed Roe v Wade. Now they’re stuck between pleasing he-who-must-be-fellated and being responsive to the electorate. Looks like they’ve chosen door #1 and are suffering the consequences.
Unfortunately, time has shown that "being responsive to the electorate" is not going to win anytime soon. Cries of "we're not a democracy, we're a republic" will be used to justify further gerrymandering, voter suppression, voter intimidation, and illegal efforts to undermine the results of elections. Because the public face of their dilemma is Trump - a losing proposition - vs moderation, their ideological dilemma is between holding fast to their cherished beliefs (authoritarianism, Christian nationalism, a list of phobias - homo, xeno, etc.) and accepting the truth that most of the electorate is leaving these views in the rear window. I mean, the Cold War ended almost 35 years ago, and at every turn the right in this country is
still campaigning full-bore against "radical left wing socialists and communists."
No voter under the age of 35 remembers a time when "international communism" was the existential threat. Many of them were kids when Ellen first came out on TV, and it's not a big deal to them that Heather has two mommies or that Jacob identifies as non-binary and uses the pronouns "they/them." They want to light up a joint or wind down with a gummy, and don't bat an eye when one of their white girl friends introduces her new black boyfriend. This is all terrifying to "traditional conservative values" and expecting the Republicans to embrace change is unrealistic. They can't. Like with the abortion issue, their ideological stance cannot be bargained or reasoned away. They've been so intertwined with the religious right/pro-life movement for so long that they can't just say "welp, this isn't what voters want."
The voters - they figure - must be wrong, so they've got to jigger the districts and rewrite the rules so their outdated policies "win."
Finally (and I've gone on too long again), while these victories are heartening, they can't be taken as proof that "we're winning" so no worries. No, it needs to be emphasized over and over again over the next 12 months by Democrats that in order to win, you have to show up. For every rally Trump holds, have a voter registration drive. For every prayer breakfast, have a voter registration drive. For every bus that Abbott sends to NYC or California filled with immigrants, send a bus filled with voters to the polls. For all the millions they spend trying to overturn results, spend millions on email/social media explaining how mail in voting works. For dog's sake get a Tik Tok account or two and make videos...just make sure the people involved actually understand the audience. Right wingers whine about "participation trophies," but winning in 2024 would be a fantastic participation trophy. You've just gotta participate!
