Our current political landscape is pocked with the craters of political warfare that resemble the battlefields of WWI. Let’s explore this by delving into four keywords.
Likability
There’s no question that likability is a good trait to possess as a politician. I tried to keep that front of mind when I engaged voters as a candidate and later as an elected member of the Virginia House of Delegates. It’s pretty simple. You can disagree without being disagreeable. You can debate for your principles without being caustic or venomous. You can call out the opposition’s fallacious points, distorted facts, and ill motives without name-calling. Any dislike I held for my opponents focused on their policies and governance. To be sure, some were personally objectionable, but I did not make that the center of my campaigns over 16 years of service. I made a point of being respectful. Sometimes that was hard to swallow, but nonetheless I thought it best. Some say that’s a weakness. I think it’s a strength in character and I look for that in candidates. Likability is a good thing, especially when it’s associated with good character, capability, and allegiance to foundational principles our Founding Fathers subscribed to when they conceived our republic and its Constitution. President Ronald Reagan comes to mind, but he is an increasingly unknown person to many voters today.
Hatred
Likability and hatred are two sides of the political coin. Both are powerful motivators. This is particularly so when candidates take up positions that are dominated by intense dislike of opponents, rather than a focus on the major issues facing us. And hatred can be fueled by a profound disagreement on policy questions. While I tried to avoid this emotion, I have nonetheless been guilty of it, even in the current environment. I find the positions and policies of the current federal administration to be repugnant. The disregard for human life, obscene debt, rampant crime, and the open borders provoke my anger. That alone motivates me to vote for the opponent of those I find highly undesirable. But hate is a tricky thing. If your hatred is so fierce that is provokes intense emotion, at that point you have given the ones you hate power over your judgement. Those you despise then are driving your good sense. In essence, they are driving the car while we rant in the backseat. I have found this in my own life. Our hatred of others empowers them.
This can also backfire politically. During the Obama years, many who hated the President’s politics resorted to criticizing those who voted for him. That expressed hatred had the effect of reinforcing voters who had supported him in 2008 to reelect him in 2012. The same is true of Donald Trump’s voters today. By using “MAGA” as another way of saying “fascists,” Trump-haters are reinforcing his supporters to come out on Election Day. Indeed, the specious trials and questionable legal theories behind them proffered by Democrat prosecutors who despise Trump are moving increasing numbers of voters to him. Democrat hatred of Trump amounts to an in-kind donation to his campaign by driving voters to him who believe he is being treated unfairly. And he is.
Loyalty
Loyalty spans the emotions of likability and hatred. It’s also a vital motivation in securing victory. The loyalty that people assign to their candidate personally is reflected in the polls as “voter enthusiasm.” Trump has the momentum in this category over incumbent Joe Biden. Why? Because Trump’s voters like his policies and accept his personality flaws and brashness as a necessary component to achieving those ends. As some are fond of saying, “He may be an SOB, but he is my SOB!”
Abandonment
If loyalty is a candidate’s blessing, abandonment is a candidate’s bane. And nothing drives abandonment more than hypocrisy and a failure to live up to your promises. Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore, a principled conservative, was a subscriber to the idea that “a promise made is a promise kept.” Politicians who embody that promote loyalty. Politicos who fail to remember those who “brought them to the dance” are gone in short order. And they should be. Good policies make for good politics. Without a doubt when people today are asked “are you better off today than you were four years ago,” the resounding response is “no!” Biden’s domestic and foreign policies are a mess because he has aligned with the far-left and the latter’s hatred of the America we love. For that reason, abandonment is in the air.
In Sum
Joe Biden’s support is melting away to Donald Trump. Why? Because Trump’s policies increase his likability. Hatred of him by hateful people has become his political ally. And loyalty to him is a distinct advantage over the abandonment now felt by his opponent.
0 Comments