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ABE WON’T BE SILENT - We all know that the Dems are the worst messengers, right? We spend an inordinate amount of time discussing critically important issues that truly matter to our unique, diverse electorate. Rights issues for LGBTQIA+, abortion access, climate change, antisemitism, racism, Asian hate, and sensible gun legislation consume our social media posts, inboxes, and fundraising efforts. All for good reason. We’re Democrats; we are the ones with hearts. But, unfortunately, those cruel GOP meanies manipulate the conversation and somehow make what we talk about seem frivolous while they (hypocritically) speak about the economy, protecting children, saying how much they support the military, and back the blue. Yet, nothing in what I just said that they say has any truth to it. They are just good marketers, whereas we suck.
But when push comes to shove, we always hear, “It’s the economy, stupid.” Those pearls that James Carville spewed helped secure Bill Clinton’s presidential win against George H.W. Bush in 1992. Yes, we talk about everything but the economy because we are so obsessed with the issues that emotionally matter (and trigger) us. This leaves the idiotic GOP to do a bank shot with the economy as their point of pride. Even today, I saw that wildebeest, Ted Cruz, saying that the Republicans are looking for a grand bargain on the debt ceiling and that Joe Biden is too feeble to know the importance of the moment. The GOP can grandstand like that, knowing full well what bullshit that is. It’s mind-boggling. But worse is the little, if any, blowback from Democrats. That is astonishing. Not only does Ted Cruz need to be bitch slapped, but when Republicans lie, they somehow come off so convincing that they seem to be telling the truth. Their truth, maybe. But there’s not enough flack from the media or the Democrats willing to confront Cruz to his face in front of the press. It’s time for spectacle, kids. This should be a turning point in how we fight for the next year and a half until the November 2024 election. That includes every single down-ballot race happening as we speak around the country in school boards, state legislatures, and friggen dog catchers.
We need to bully the bullies. We must stand up to their rhetoric and tear them down in front of others. We need witnesses to bear witness for when we call these schmucks out. We must also talk about our critical issues (the ones mentioned above) in context to how each one affects the economy. If we speak in terms of dollars and cents about, say, banning books impacts publishers and writers and not focusing on how immoral it is that we are even banning fucking books, like Nazis!!! Or how the abortion issue is, first and foremost, an economic issue. Shhhh, I know it’s second to how dare they take away women’s right to choose, but we must convince these idiots that “It’s the economy, stupid.” Remember? Take any issue and preface the statement by highlighting how the economy is impacted by these terrible laws being voted in across the country. Every issue needs to be a kitchen table issue, and we have to frame every conversation in a way that shows that Democrats are focused on the economy. That everything we care about impacts the economy. That we are going to win because Democrats are great for the economy. It’s all we think and talk about because we know that it’s the economy, stupid.
Peace…
(ABE GURKO is the executive producer of a documentary “Won’t Be Silent,” about the extraordinary Women of Protest Music. He's an Opinionator who hosts a podcast, "Conversations From the Edge of Democracy," that discusses the current state of our fragile political landscape. Abe is a contributor to CityWatchLA.com. [email protected]. Abe’s opinions are his own and not necessarily those of CityWatchLA.com)
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