My heart sings tonight. For generations of my life, it was always the GOP that jumped out and defined the Democrats in every electoral cycle. It was always the Democrats that were soft on crime, against the military, promoting welfare and self indulgence, while the Democrats just pootled along in their lane, talking about their issues, and getting their asses kicked.
But finally the Democrats have taken the bull by the horns, and at the perfect time. I have been writing for almost 2 years now that this is not your grandfather’s Democratic party. Since Biden’s election, and the election and ascendency of the more progressive wing of the Democratic party, naming Chuck Schumer as the Senate Majority Leader, the Democrats have made one thing perfectly crystal clear. They ain’t playing Lucy-and-the-football anymore.
I wrote about it a couple of months ago when it first started. Biden, in making speeches announcing bill signings or executive orders, started drawing a line in the sand. In almost every speech Biden would pass remarks that This is not your grandfather’s GOP, this is a much more radical party. Biden was in the early stages of drawing a contrast between the traditional GOP and the Party of Trump. And he stuck with it.
And now Biden and the Democrats have struck messaging gold. In his rally speech in Maryland tonight, Biden unveiled the new and improved branding of the Republican party. At least a half a dozen times in his speech, Biden pointedly referred to them as The MAGA GOP! And then he cited instances of the GOP’s anti democratic stances.
This is the perfect branding at the perfect time. Women, especially white suburban women hate Trump with a passion. Widely and universally branding the Republican party writ large as the MAGA GOP is brutal. It’s quick, it’s snappy, and it makes a great bumper sticker. Tying the entire GOP to the criminal, seditionist Trump cabal is devastating to the GOP.
Watch for more Democratic candidates to start using this MAGA GOP branding in their stump speeches. It’s a natural. It puts MAGA candidates into the hole, and it forces more moderate GOP candidates to either separate themselves from Trump, or suffer the consequences. For the first time in my memory, the Democrats are forcing the GOP to defend themselves, and not the other way around. In the changing political winds, this could be definitive.
How I hope that you are right!
The words of General Phil Sheridan to his cheering troops: “God damn you, don’t cheer me, FIGHT!” In other words, stop just hoping and start helping.
😀
Retired pro-football quarterback Joe Montana built his legend via leading his team on last minute drives to win games. Hard-core fans will forever argue about which quarterback was the GOAT of the “two-minute drill” but Montana will be in everyone’s top two or three. Unlike however say John Elway who was tall and physically tough with a cannon for an arm (one criticism was he threw too hard for his receivers to catch the ball. And their arms and bodies got bruises from catching his throws) Montana was never projected to be great. Or even a starter. He wasn’t short, but he wasn’t tall enough to get the view of the field so many of the greats had. He wasn’t particularly fast or quick. And though an accurate passer of the football he didn’t have the arm strength so many others had. He was projected to at best be middle of the road quarterback for a middle of the road team. A journeyman of sorts who might fashion a career as a starter but not someone to lead teams to a championship, much less a dynasty.
Yet Montana did in fact not only lead a dynasty that was in the mix to win the Super Bowl year after year for years, he gained iconic status for his ability to lead successful, game winning drives in the post season and especially the Super Bowl!
When it comes to Joe Biden, people have always had a certain level of comfort with him. He was a consumate Senator in the old-school days. Sure, he was known for verbal gaffes but when it came time to get real work done he was one of the “go to” Senators. But he was never perceived by most as a true leader. He tried in the old days to run for President and quickly flamed out. Whatever the “it” factor was he simply didn’t have it. Even as President Obama’s VP he was seen as at best a great #2 guy who could work the levers on the Hill and get stuff done, but prior to the death of his oldest son and his decision not to even run to succeed Obama Joe Biden evoked widespread doubt as someone who could lead Democrats.
Even in 2020 his candidacy seemed hopeless. Prior to the SC primary he was mired back in the pack. But Trump feared running against Joe Biden from before Biden declared he’d run. The reason? Trump knew TV and mass appeal and in those rare moments where he could look at the situation he knew his antics grated on many, and that his MAGAs alone wouldn’t be enough for him to eke out a fluke win like 2016. He’d need every Republican and the bulk of Independents and he knew that while they were afraid of him plenty of Republican politicians wished someone else was in charge. And among GOP voters, there were some, including and especially those suburban GOP women who flat out couldn’t stand him and wanted him gone. Suffering four years of Democratic rule was preferable to four more years of what we’d been getting. As for Independents, they too had grown tired of Trump and just wanted things to feel normal again. To be able to go about their daily business and not be forced to think about what kind of shit he (Trump) had said “this time” or how he was fucking something important up.
Deep inside Trump knew this. And he also knew that one person, Joe Biden would be next to impossible for him to demonize. Americans have always been susceptible to nostalgia, the whole “longing for a simpler time” (even though NO time has been simple but time colors them that way) and a functioning (more or less) DC political scene without weekly if not daily scandal, just some fucking NORMALCY was something people wanted and for one of those rare time in history being the ultimate INSIDER, the capable yet “bland” guy with the compelling personal story, almost no scandal, BORING guy who was best known for working across the aisle was the one thing he (Trump) was vulnerable to.
Sure enough Trump’s instincts were right. Biden kicked his ass.
However, while we all assumed President Biden would be fairly effective in repairing a good chunk of the damage Trump had done I don’t think most of us expected him to do anything more that that. Especially with so many crises to deal with the second he was sworn in, with more (surely – just look at Ukraine) to come. Yes, we knew Biden was capable of throwing an elbow now and then but I don’t think most really considered him as someone who would draw the saber, point it at the enemy and lead a flat out charge.
However, it’s looking like that’s exactly what is happening. I’m reminded of a moment during Obama’s acceptance speech (for the nomination in 2008) in Mile High stadium. Specifically there was a short passage where he stated a number of Republican sins against average (and poor) Americans, calling them out. And then he forcefully said “Enough!” I felt like I’d been punched by the power of that. Of course, I knew all along Obama was, and would govern as more of a centrist than people expected. And let’s face it, that’s what we expected (at best) from Biden.
We expected a too-hard effort to work across the aisle and giving up too much and frankly there has been some of that. We expected now and then Biden would throw a sharp jab and there’s been some of that too. However, he’s now showing signs he’s going to start throwing a flurry of not just jabs but punches. And returning to the opening theme of this comment quarterback his Party to an improbable victory in November.
As you say Murf, the GOP has on the defensive. They have been from the moment the draft of the SCOTUS opinion on abortion was leaked. The question has been whether, and if so how effectively Democrats would capitalize on it, and in addition the GOP hypocrisy on other issues – touting stuff WE passed without a single GOP vote including theirs. I think it’s fair to say that the ultimate “old-school” Senator steeped in decades of the tradition of Senatorial courtesy would step up in the way Biden seems to be doing.
However, it looks like he’s firmly putting the GOP on defense and not just picking them apart as he drives down the field in an end of game two-minute drill, he’s willing to make like the quarterback in The Longest Yard and throw a pass into the groin of the GOP! But it seems clear that President Biden is committed to making the GOP play defense against an end of game drive and they are doing what pro-football teams do – going into the Prevent Defense. There’s an old saying in football that the best thing the Prevent Defense does is prevent the team using it from winning!
President Biden can pick the GOP apart and is willing to nail the GOP with a pass at short range into the nuts of an opponent. He’s giving cover to other Democrats to do the same, and part of me is now wondering if the Biden administration has spent the summer setting up for just what seems to be happening. The missing piece needed was getting Machin (and Sinema) to go along with the most recent legislative win. The GOP fumbled the football deep in our territory when they were close to a game clinching touchdown. It gave us a chance, but backed up to our own goal line the first thing we had to do was get some room. Get away from our own goal line. That’s been done and we are moving the ball now. And President Biden is making like Joe Montana just when we need it most.
lock em all up !
Nazis by any other name are still nazis.
Yeah, MAGA NAZIS has a nice ring to it ….