Rally to Save the Affordable Care Act, 2017
This November’s midterm elections could easily focus on Donald Trump alone. After all, this week Trump arguably moved closer to impeachment after his former attorney, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to crimes that implicated Trump, and former 2016 Trump presidential campaign chairman Paul Manafort was found guilty on eight financial crime counts as part of the investigation into Russia‘s interference in the 2016 elections. Even before this week, Trump has been a natural target who likes to grab the spotlight each day with an outrageous action or statement. And of course, the first midterm elections two years into a presidency naturally are a referendum on the president. However, it would be a mistake for Democrats to concentrate solely on Trump. Rather, Democrats should make this election largely about us. When Democrats do mention Trump and the Republicans, they need to talk about the pain that these opponents are causing everyday Americans in our lives, and the much better Democratic policies and vision.
This Republican pain is being felt in every area of life. It includes lost jobs, higher gasoline prices, non-existent tax cuts other than for those at the top (especially when figuring in higher costs for gas, imported goods subject to tariffs, healthcare, etc.), dirty air and water that is hurting businesses, an election system under attack by Russia, lack of action on climate change which is also impacting business, increasing deadly gun violence, more hate crimes, and so on.
Recall that, when then-candidate Bill Clinton was running in the Democratic presidential primaries in 1992, an election that was a referendum on incumbent George H.W. Bush, Clinton was also hit with various scandal stories. However, when Clinton took the stage at an Elks Club in Dover, New Hampshire, the famous speech he delivered was neither about Bush personally nor about Clinton himself. Rather, Clinton stated:
I’ll tell you what I think the character issue in this election is: How can you have the power of the presidency and never use it to help people improve their lives til your life needs saving in an election? That’s a character issue. How can you care more about what happens half way around the world than what happens half way up the street? How can America hope to lead a world that it’s too weak to lead economically? How can we be strong enough to do all these great things we all want to do around the world if we can’t take care of our own people here at home? This is the issue of the election. Who Can Do More To Change Your Life?
Clinton’s speech, known as the “Last Dog Dies” speech, is credited with turning Clinton’s struggling campaign around, whereupon he won the 1992 Democratic presidential nomination and then the presidency. Clinton made the focus not about Bush personally, nor himself personally, but rather, he framed the issue as being about the voters, their problems and their hopes for the future. Subsequently, Barack Obama successfully ran for the presidency and for re-election on similar themes in 2008 and 2012, respectively, to the point where he was made fun of for focusing on “hope and change.” While a lawless Donald Trump and his Republican enablers must be a focus of this year’s campaign, Democrats should also remember that elections are always about the voters.
Photo by Molly Adams, used under Creative Commons license. https://is.gd/IO84xe
