Obstacle Discourse

Back in March, I wrote about how I hoped Democrats would handle debates as campaigns approached the Midterms.  At the time, I knew I was a bit premature in the one issue I thought was essential, since a great deal of news would crop up in the interim -- and has it ever... -- but since we are now nearing that period when debates will be starting, I thought it might be a good time to reiterate the point.  And as it happens, considering all that news which has occurred in the interim, that point might even be all the more appropriate.
 
And so, I stand by my earlier thought about when Democratic candidates have a debate for the Midterms, all Democrats put front and center the statement that the Republican National Committee made, saying that the violent Insurrection coup attempt on January 6 was “Legitimate political discourse.”  What I wrote was –
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In fact, more than just making it the predominant issue, what I’d love to see is that at any debate where their Republican opponent has not criticized Trump and the RNC report, the Democratic candidate should say upfront ‘This is the ONLY issue I will be talking about tonight – because it’s the ONLY issue that matters.  If my opponent and his party and the party’s leader Trump think that an insurrection to overthrow the government and democracy is ‘legitimate political discourse,’ then how any of use feel about infrastructure and health care and the environment will not matter.  Because we will be living under fascist dictatorship.  The ONLY issue that matters is that my opponent supports violent insurrection to overthrow the government as ‘legitimate political discourse.’  And so that is all I will be talking about tonight, whatever the question.”

​Now, again, much has changed since then.  And while I don’t think that the RNC statement is necessarily the sole, critical issue and therefore predominate -- after all, abortion and Trump stealing sensitive government defense documents now compete for that honor -- the umbrella of those RNC words, “Legitimate political discourse,” to describe a deadly Insurrection covers now a much wider range than before.  Today, it includes what we’ve learned from the House Select Committee hearings, right-wing threats on the FBI, threats even against the National Archives, Lindsey Graham (R-SC) seemingly supporting violence if Trump is indicted, and President Biden referencing that the Republican Party has become “semi-fascist” – and more.
 
So, here’s hoping that this GOP concept of “Legitimate political discourse” is not something lost in all the hellishness that the Republican Party has rained down on the country since the RNC tried to whitewash a coup to overthrow democracy.  There may be other critical issues to discuss, but this covers so much and is foundational to what’s at stake.
 
And the larger point holds, as well.  The niceties of any debate are valuable.  But we’ve seen Republicans over the years choose to discuss whatever they want, regardless of those debate niceties, most famously with Sarah Palin in her vice presidential debate with Joe Biden and, of course, most recently Trump.  If the point of having a debate is for candidates to present to the voting public what they believe is important to the election, then sticking to addressing the full breadth of “Legitimate political discourse,” along with the banning of the right to abortion, reversing the right of same-sex marriage and the right to contraceptives, as well as semi-automatic gun massacres, the revelations of the House January 6 Select Committee, about Trump and Republican enablers leading a coup attempt to overthrow democracy, Trump stealing sensitive government defense documents – truly “putting us all at risk,” Trump riling up his supporters to attack the FBI, and more are what Democrats should focus on, period, and tie all Republicans together to it – and tie them to it legitimately because the Republican Party votes lock-step unanimous on almost all critical issues.  Policy is great to discuss in normal times during a debate, but this is not normal times.  This is what is essential, and this is what Democrats should hold Republicans to owning.
 
Indeed, when policy must be discussed, that’s when Democrats can tie this together with all the achievements of President Biden covering the Inflation Reduction Act, along with lowering drug costs and environmental protections, the CHIPs Act, all of which Republicans voted against unanimously.  Not to mention the veteran’s health PACT Act that Republicans voted against at first, before they were shamed into voting to pass it.
 
This is not a “get into the deep weeds” on details election.  This is a Big Picture election.  This is a “Here is who the Republican Party is” election.  A party that claims to be about “freedom,” about supposedly keeping government out of your lives – but is actually a party against the Constitutional right to abortion, against the Constitutional right to same-sex marriage, against the Constitutional right to abortion contraceptives, and actually against lower drug prices.  Against Social Security and Medicare.  Against the FBI, it turns out, too.  And when it comes to what Republicans are for to supposedly "keep government out of your lives," that includes being for banning books, for watching if you travel out of state to have an abortion, for having the government tell schoolteachers what history is, what they can teach.  And for going all-in defending the theft of sensitive government defense documents.  For enabling a coup to overthrow democracy.  For being fascist – unless the kinder “semi-fascist” is more amenable to public ears.  And this a “Here is who the Democratic Party is” election.  Protecting democracy, abortion, same-sex marriage, contraceptives, the environment, passing the COVID relief bill, the infrastructure bill, the CHIPs Act,  the first gun safety bill in a decade, and more.
 
The Big Picture.  What is actually at stake.  What both parties actually are.  Democrats are filled with flaws, every political party is, everyone is.  But when Democrats screw up it’s not by taking away your Constitutional rights, banning books, spying into where you travel, illegally taking government defense secrets and staging a coup.  And if Republicans want to have actual “Legitimate political discourse” – go for it!  Because all of what they stand for and want to take away, that’s about as legitimate as political discourse gets.  If Republicans want to play “But what about…” at debates, fine, have at it, but Democrats should push back with, “I’m here to talk about what’s actually important to America and saving democracy from literal fascism.  If you want to throw these things to muddy the water and distract attention, whether any of it is even true or not, go ahead.  I’m going to use my time on what matters to the lives of Americans and their children, and the security of democracy. For today and the future.  This is legitimate political discourse, not storming the U.S. Capitol with violence to overthrow the government.”
 
Democrats must be focused and relentless making this what the election is about. Because Republicans must be put in the position of having no wiggle room explaining why they want to insist it’s acceptable, why it’s legitimate political discourse, why it’s their foundation to have a violent Insurrection to overturn a legal election and to have with riots in the street if the fascist, criminal, defeated leader of their party is indicted for his crimes.  Crimes that they are all party to, whether directly or enabling them.
 
You want legitimate political discourse.  There it is.