Advice for Democrats

Saving the country from MAGA requires a big tent

I’m going to start off by saying that I’m not a Democrat. A lot of people probably think that I am because of my opposition to Donald Trump. I’ll agree to the Never Trump label, but I started out as a lifelong Republican. I left the party in 2016 with a “Not My Monkeys, Not My Circus” attitude. At that point, I thought I’d probably rejoin the GOP after Trump flamed out and the party returned to normalcy. Sadly, nine years later, neither has happened, and I’ve remained an independent.

As for my political philosophy, I’m pretty much where I was in 2015. I take the Constitution and conservative ideas seriously, even though it turned out most elected Republicans did not. If you don’t think today’s Republican Party is different than the GOP of 2015, consider that the party of Lincoln and Reagan is now pro-Confederate, pro-tax (if you call them tariffs), pro-Russia, and generally pro-Big Government. It’s the same party in name and some of the personalities only.

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I’m a man without a party, but I do think I’m pretty close to the middle of the American political spectrum. In fact, a lot of Americans are disgusted by both parties and don’t have a strong preference for either.

Most Americans don’t want either extreme. We are equally turned off by the woke Democratic fringe and the xenophobic, authoritarian right. I’m conservative, but the fact that the fringes have expanded has left me near the middle, along with a large part of the country.

Both parties need to change, but Democrats just suffered a shocking, humiliating, and possibly crippling defeat, so maybe they will be in a mood to listen. Therefore, I’ll direct my comments at them. (I’ve said similar things to Republicans in the past.)

Democrats, because Trump is so dangerous to the country, I want to like you. I want to help you.

My advice is this: Be a big tent party, and put the ideological conformity on hold. Expand your base to people who are alienated by the Republican freak-out but who don’t necessarily buy into the progressive agenda.

Focus on 80/20 issues where Democrats have the support of an overwhelming majority. Remember Bill Clinton’s maxim that “It’s the economy, stupid,” because Trump’s mismanagement of the economy is going to be a YUGE issue in coming years.

Other issues include some gun reforms such as enhanced background checks and red flag laws, which have broad support, but swear off gun bans, even for “assault rifles,” which are more of a 50-50 proposition. Talk about the need for immigration reform, especially after MAGA’s sadistic persecution of immigrants, even those who try to follow the law. Americans want a secure border and an orderly immigration system, but they are unhappy with the current status quo in which nonviolent immigrants are snatched off the streets and indefinitely detained under harsh conditions. Talk about health care and how Republicans cut Medicare and funds for rural hospitals.

Don’t take the bait on issues like trans students in athletic competitions. That’s an 80/20 issue where Democrats tend to be on the wrong side.

Democrat primary voters, when you go to the polls to pick nominees, consider the general election. Fire-breathing progressives may poll well in California, Massachusetts, and New York, but not so much in purple states. When it comes to nationwide and statewide candidates, look for people with a record of drawing votes from outside the party. People like Andy Beshear, the Democratic governor of deep-red Kentucky, should be getting serious consideration.

Or Geoff Duncan.

Duncan is a former lieutenant governor of Georgia who has been an outspoken opponent of Donald Trump. This week, Duncan announced that he was becoming a Democrat after being expelled from the Republican Party earlier this year.

In an Atlanta Journal op-ed explaining his decision, Duncan cited his Christian faith, saying, “Most importantly, my decision puts me in the best possible position each day to love my neighbor.”

As a reminder, Jesus said that was the second-greatest commandment.

Duncan has conservative bona fides that would help get him elected governor in a state like Georgia. Sure, his platform won’t check every liberal box, but if he can get elected, he could accomplish more for Democrats than the traditional liberals who always fall a few points short of winning.

Sure, Georgia has two Democratic senators right now, but the party can’t depend on Republicans always nominating a Herschel Walker. Democrats need to find strong candidates with crossover appeal who can make inroads into the white, Christian, pro-life, pro-gun, rural electorate of Georgia and elsewhere.

Recalling Reagan, “The person who agrees with you 80 percent of the time is a friend and an ally – not a 20 percent traitor,” and the distinction is particularly important if the 80-percent friend can get elected where a 100-percent friend cannot.

I’m not arguing that Democrats should jettison their principles, but I am saying that blue state liberals are not a good fit for rural red states. The Democratic Party needs a moderately conservative wing to appeal to working-class whites who don’t like the woke left but who also realize that they are getting shafted by Trump’s economic policies.

Democrats, if you really believe that Trump and MAGA are a serious threat to American freedom, as I do, then now is not the time for business as usual. To preserve our Constitution and Republic, we need a broad coalition of 80 percent friends.

Who knows, maybe I - and maybe a majority of Georgians - will end up as a Democrat if the party welcomes us and listens to our concerns. After all, it was within my lifetime that Georgia was as solidly blue as it is red right now. Things change.

Let’s do this.

GHISLAINE MAXWELL WORK RELEASE: There are reports that Epstein associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, has been granted work release from prison by the Trump Administration. Snopes confirmed that Maxwell, who is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking of minors, has been moved to a minimum security prison “with two types of custody levels, Community and Out, both of which permit leaving the facility's secure perimeter to work.”

EPSTEIN FILES: Donald Trump has been in office 206 days and still has not released the Epstein files.

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