This question was in response to my thread on hierarchy and fairness:
How do Democrats overcome the GOP’s baked-in advantages?
Spoiler: Democrats win by being the party of fairness. It isn’t easy, but Democrats have numbers on their side.
The GOP, by its very nature, has baked-in advantages. That’s why a small group on the right wing fringes (who have been called right-wing-authoritarians or RWAs) have always exerted power beyond their numbers.
RWAs were the driving force behind slavery and Jim Crow. They killed the ERA. (They like hierarchical, patriarchal systems). Even when only white men could vote, the pro-slavery folks often had trouble cobbling together a majority. There was always vigorous opposition.
RWAs fall in line. They like to move in lockstep. They even like uniforms. (Red MAGA hats, anyone?) They will give up their individuality for the sake of the group.
Heck, they’re even supposed to be willing to die for the sake of the group:
(Of course, Chris Christie sets up a false dilemma: There’s another option. Help people through this. Get protective equipment and testing first.)
The side willing to lie, spread disinformation, and cheat always has an advantage. In Max Boot‘s mea culpa, he explains how, in the name of unity, those on the right will overlook all kinds of evils:
Prior to the Civil Rights movement, RWAs were spread between both parties. Now the RWAs are not only concentrated in the GOP, they have taken over the GOP. This makes the Republican Party very dangerous. (For more on how the shift occurred, click here.)
OK, so what does the party of fairness do?
First understand why the GOP is so desperate.
The Fox viewership is aging. The GOP demographics are shrinking. Democrats won the midterms by 8 points. Since the midterms, demographics continue to shift in favor of the Democrats, which is why they’ve been winning elections.
They can see that their medium and long term prospects are dismal. The Democrats (the Fairness Party of intellectuals, urban and minority communities) owns the future.
Meanwhile, how do Democrats win?
First, fight for fairness and present themselves as the party of fairness.
Before you say that Dems are terrible at messaging, listen to Adam Schiff’s closing arguments at the Senate trial all the way to the end. Feel inspired to be the party of truth.
Lies fit well into a soundbite. The truth is nuanced and complex. This also gives liars an advantage.
However, most people would rather align with honest people than liars and cheats. That’s why the Democrats have been winning elections.
A characteristic of cheaters is that they don’t think fairness is possible. They think everyone cheats. It’s a dark, ugly world view.
If you feel yourself falling into the worldview that cheating will win because there isn’t enough integrity in the world, there’s a simple antidote: Enough people need to hold on to their principles.
Second, Democrats must resist the urge to fight like Republicans because:
- They’ll never do it as well (you can’t out-Herod Herod)
- Nobody will be left to claim the high road
- The “both sides are the same” argument will be proven right
- Ugly cynicism will take over.
Cynicism will kill democracy faster than Trump. (For why, read my FAQs.)
I welcome Never Trumpers to our side in the fight to get an autocrat out of office. Finding common ground, however, doesn’t mean adopting the tactics that created the current GOP.
Third, fight for fairness. To take one example: Remember those voting machines in Georgia that allowed for all that cheating? Voter rights groups went to court, and secured a court order for Georgia to buy machines that met fairness guidelines. There are multiple oversight groups right now conducting litigation and bringing about changes.
Obama explained how to win. More “citizenship.”
The way to save democracy is with more democracy. The way to beat fascism is with the truth.
A solid win in November will allow for rapid changes, but the fight never ends. When Trump loses in Nov. his supporters aren’t going to close up shop and learn to love liberal democracy.
They’ll be back, like before.
But they won’t win until enough of us give up.
Did someone say, “What can I personally do to help?” I’m SO glad you asked. Here’s my list. (I haven’t updated it since the pandemic started.)
This comment was in response to the Chris Christie tweet:
Exactly. It’s hierarchical thinking: The strong will survive. The weak will not. The far right wing despises people they see as “weak.” First the message was: The people dying are on their last legs anyway (Bill O’Reilly said that).
Now they’ve transitioned to: Americans need to die like soldiers. It’s the ultimate in subordinating the individual to the needs of the group.
Yup, that’s the message. Buck up and be willing to die for the common good. Of course, Trump protects himself because the top of the hierarchy does that.
I’ve been using “hierarchy” instead of “fascism” (because it’s more descriptive and gets to ideology) but remember that a hallmark of fascism is that the individual is subordinated to the group. Cowards actually like this. They feel strength in a group (just like they feel strong when they carry a big gun.)
This excerpt from Mussolini’s writings, says it all:
Exactly correct. Fascist governments derive their authority from what Max Weber calls “charismatic leader” but today we might say demagogue or cult leader.
Fascism depends on myth. Democracy derives authority from rule of law, and requires truth, which brings us back to Adam Schiff’s closing arguments: Believe in truth.
