Dec
11
It’s the Culture Wars, Stupid
“No, it’s not about the economy. It’s about our kids and the cultural indoctrination that is poisoning their futures.” — Mike Stenhouse, CEO of the Rhode Island Center for Freedom and Prosperity, a free market think tank
By now, we are all aware of the results from the 2022 mid-terms here in America. The GOP had many victories and even gained a majority in the House of Representatives, but it was nowhere near the “Red Wave” many were predicting. The learned pundits and commentators have given their opinions on what happened, and some good insights have been made. Few have questioned the emphasis on economic issues.
But, in an article last month (Nov. 2022), Mike Stenhouse argued that the GOP miscalculated its focus and needs to shift its priorities going forward, in particular when it comes to the urban vote. In hopes of encouraging you to read that article, I have extracted a few choice quotes…
“In state after state, it’s become obvious that conservatives must break the liberal stranglehold on the urban vote in major metropolitan areas. It will continue to become increasingly difficult for conservative candidates seeking statewide or federal office to win when 80% to 95% of the urban-core vote in their states’ biggest city centers will reliably go to their opponent.”
“To win across the board, along with a get-out-the-early-vote strategy, the Republican Party must stop being afraid of engaging in highly sensitive social issues and stop relying only on the now-obsolete notion that economic issues are what mostly matter to this cohort of voters.
As part of an overall multipronged strategy, new messaging must be developed to address this specific problem. Of course, economic opportunity will always be an important consideration in everyone’s lives (and votes), but without a simple and effective narrative on this issue, Republicans must recognize that the economy alone will no longer drive urban voters to their side.
No, stupid, it’s not about the economy for most low-income voters. If it were, the record-high inflation and resulting loss of relative income, the recent recession, exorbitant energy prices, and a dismal 2023 national economic outlook would have driven them to change their voting patterns, but they didn’t.”
“Personally, I’m tired of ceding the cultural battlefield to the woke Left. Look at where that has gotten us. Nationally, by leaving our flanks wide open, the Left marched right in—uncontested—to win victory after victory in our society and in our schools. It’s a disaster.
The divisive, controversial, and age-inappropriate racial, sexual, and anti-American propaganda that are being inculcated in our children are not supported by the vast majority of our nation’s citizenry. The Left currently owns most of the territory on this battleground, yet we on the Right have not even begun to coordinate the massive efforts that will be required to oust them.
But there is hope. Because the political Right owns the moral and populist high ground on these issues, this is a war that can be won — but only if conservatives and Republicans choose to engage.”
“[A]s compared with their own personal economic condition, I think minority parents are more emotionally invested in the outlook for their children — educationally, economically, and morally. It’s one thing for them to struggle with their family budgets, but with dependable public assistance, these financial problems can often be mitigated. It’s a completely different thing to mess with their children.
To deny a good education to these already disadvantaged students and to lower expectations; to deprive them of a fighting chance to live a successful life; to force upon them perverted concepts that are counter to their own proud black and Hispanic cultures and family values; to see government infringe on their rights as parents to make vital educational and health decisions for their sons and daughters; and to realize that their kids are being used as political pawns to advance special-interest agendas are bridges too far.”
“Parent power is experiencing strong and growing momentum across our nation, especially when it comes to how the woke culture is negatively impacting the achievement and emotional health of children. Urban families care just as much about their children’s future as suburban and rural families do about theirs. How is it that 75% of the electorate can feel the country is headed in the wrong direction, yet Republicans were not swept into power in a massive red wave? This is how: Republicans failed to recognize and address these cultural concerns among this important urban voter base.”
“Govs. Ron DeSantis in Florida and Glenn Youngkin in Virginia have proven that a bold, fearless, and relentless battle against the extreme Left, especially in our classrooms, is a political winner. Will Donald Trump take up this issue?”
If GOP candidates want to win, they must lead in the culture wars, “bucking the status quo and the conventional wisdom to take a principled stand and to persuade others to join you in the battle.”
What do you think?
