By Deauwand Myers
In America, the midterm elections are nearly upon us. Republicans (also known as the GOP) stand to take the House at least. Historically, the party of the president (President Biden's Democratic Party) loses seats in midterms.
However, this one is not a usual midterm, and there are a host of reasons why this time may be different. Most starkly, Republicans and their constituents no longer believe in democracy as a valid proposition. Ex-president Trump has a lot to do with this, as he falsely and repeatedly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, in the face of no evidence and all of his cabinet and advisors telling him he lost by a lot.
Yet Trump and his cult aren't entirely to blame. There are many white Americans who have a deep fear that, as they become a racial minority in America, all the power and influence they have had will be taken from them.
This anxiety permeates through everything, including pop culture. Some fans of "Star Wars," "Game of Thrones," "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lord of the Rings," for example, were incensed to find characters portrayed by people of color. The argument from these fans is that having non-white actors in the project goes against the author's original vision. What?
"Game of Thrones'" hit spin-off, "House of the Dragon," is particularly ridiculous because the creator of the fantasy books that were adapted into the HBO series, George R. R. Martin, is the executive producer of that series. If he likes the casting, why on earth would we care about what racist fans think?
This white fear of being a minority and being marginalized is probably the biggest reason for a group of millions of Americans to hold democracy in low regard.
This possible erosion of democracy, particularly on the federal level, may motivate more Democrats and some weary Republicans to vote for Democrats in numbers that upend the historical norm.
The cruelty and naked racism of elected GOP officials is another factor. It seems like 1922 ― not 2022 ― if you keep up with politics, as I do.
Another factor is the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. There's a lot of polling data suggesting that women, particularly young women of childbearing age, are really angry with the GOP for this basic right being taken away, because overturning Wade was a decades-long goal of Republicans and conservative evangelicals.
This anger may very well translate into electoral gains for the Democrats, and serve as a powerful motivator for their base, since, before Wade's overturning, the base was not as enthused. Simply, for all his legislative success as president (more on that later), Biden is a boring politician.
Since we are on the subject of President Biden, let's review just how remarkably successful he has been in getting his agenda passed. He has passed more legislation in his first two years than any American president in several generations. Infrastructure, drug pricing, more funding for historically Black colleges, the first ever major piece of environmental legislation in American history and more funding for veterans, are just a few of his achievements. And he did all of this quietly.
Which is part of the problem. Biden's quiet, legislative, almost technocratic style makes for excellent governing, but in modern American politics, pizzazz is a potent currency. Thus, we had the disastrous presidency of Trump.
Democrats writ large suffer this affliction. Many Americans think SNAP, WIC, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, pension plans, the Civil and Voting Rights acts and more funding for public education come from the sky, magically. No, all these beloved pieces of legislation come from Democrats.
Besides messaging, to keep the House and Senate, Democrats must fund and seriously staff get-out-the-vote efforts all over the United States. Despite Republicans' draconian efforts to curtail voting rights through racist gerrymandering, closing down polling stations in Democratic-leaning areas, and erecting other barriers to voting, the left has to be laser-focused on grassroots organizing, with a passion as if democracy depended on it, because it does.
Up and down the ballot, the GOP has put up candidates who are rabid Trump fans and worse, election denial enthusiasts. If these folks get elected, in 2024, they could overturn legitimate elections if they don't like the outcomes.
I fear that some on the left just won't vote because they find Biden boring and didn't get 100 percent of whatever their desires were. This lack of political maturity is one of the reasons Secretary Clinton lost in 2016 (albeit she ran a lackluster campaign and ignored key states). Republicans don't need to love their politicians to vote for them. Often, Democrats need to have some emotional connection to their candidates. Foolishness. You are not dating your president or senator. At any rate, the game is on.
Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside of Seoul.
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However, this one is not a usual midterm, and there are a host of reasons why this time may be different. Most starkly, Republicans and their constituents no longer believe in democracy as a valid proposition. Ex-president Trump has a lot to do with this, as he falsely and repeatedly claimed that the 2020 presidential election was rigged, in the face of no evidence and all of his cabinet and advisors telling him he lost by a lot.
Yet Trump and his cult aren't entirely to blame. There are many white Americans who have a deep fear that, as they become a racial minority in America, all the power and influence they have had will be taken from them.
This anxiety permeates through everything, including pop culture. Some fans of "Star Wars," "Game of Thrones," "The Little Mermaid" and "The Lord of the Rings," for example, were incensed to find characters portrayed by people of color. The argument from these fans is that having non-white actors in the project goes against the author's original vision. What?
"Game of Thrones'" hit spin-off, "House of the Dragon," is particularly ridiculous because the creator of the fantasy books that were adapted into the HBO series, George R. R. Martin, is the executive producer of that series. If he likes the casting, why on earth would we care about what racist fans think?
This white fear of being a minority and being marginalized is probably the biggest reason for a group of millions of Americans to hold democracy in low regard.
This possible erosion of democracy, particularly on the federal level, may motivate more Democrats and some weary Republicans to vote for Democrats in numbers that upend the historical norm.
The cruelty and naked racism of elected GOP officials is another factor. It seems like 1922 ― not 2022 ― if you keep up with politics, as I do.
Another factor is the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court ruling that made abortion legal nationwide. There's a lot of polling data suggesting that women, particularly young women of childbearing age, are really angry with the GOP for this basic right being taken away, because overturning Wade was a decades-long goal of Republicans and conservative evangelicals.
This anger may very well translate into electoral gains for the Democrats, and serve as a powerful motivator for their base, since, before Wade's overturning, the base was not as enthused. Simply, for all his legislative success as president (more on that later), Biden is a boring politician.
Since we are on the subject of President Biden, let's review just how remarkably successful he has been in getting his agenda passed. He has passed more legislation in his first two years than any American president in several generations. Infrastructure, drug pricing, more funding for historically Black colleges, the first ever major piece of environmental legislation in American history and more funding for veterans, are just a few of his achievements. And he did all of this quietly.
Which is part of the problem. Biden's quiet, legislative, almost technocratic style makes for excellent governing, but in modern American politics, pizzazz is a potent currency. Thus, we had the disastrous presidency of Trump.
Democrats writ large suffer this affliction. Many Americans think SNAP, WIC, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, pension plans, the Civil and Voting Rights acts and more funding for public education come from the sky, magically. No, all these beloved pieces of legislation come from Democrats.
Besides messaging, to keep the House and Senate, Democrats must fund and seriously staff get-out-the-vote efforts all over the United States. Despite Republicans' draconian efforts to curtail voting rights through racist gerrymandering, closing down polling stations in Democratic-leaning areas, and erecting other barriers to voting, the left has to be laser-focused on grassroots organizing, with a passion as if democracy depended on it, because it does.
Up and down the ballot, the GOP has put up candidates who are rabid Trump fans and worse, election denial enthusiasts. If these folks get elected, in 2024, they could overturn legitimate elections if they don't like the outcomes.
I fear that some on the left just won't vote because they find Biden boring and didn't get 100 percent of whatever their desires were. This lack of political maturity is one of the reasons Secretary Clinton lost in 2016 (albeit she ran a lackluster campaign and ignored key states). Republicans don't need to love their politicians to vote for them. Often, Democrats need to have some emotional connection to their candidates. Foolishness. You are not dating your president or senator. At any rate, the game is on.
Deauwand Myers (deauwand@hotmail.com) holds a master's degree in English literature and literary theory, and is an English professor outside of Seoul.
