Democratic Messaging

Democrats -and major news outlets- spend an awful lot of time shining a spotlight on issues where we disagree with each other. Or they say our positions are not popular with most voters. The truth is that except for “Defunding the Police” which we can agree was one of the all-time worst ways to frame an important issue, Democrats are in remarkable agreement both with each other and with public opinion.

Let’s look at recent polling on abortion. You probably agree that it is hard to find a Democratic elected official who disagrees with the idea that abortion should be a decision made privately between a woman and her doctor and whomever else she chooses. The American people strongly agree with us — and Republicans are out of step.

A recently released Wapo/ ABC poll found that 75% of Americans agree that the decision to terminate a pregnancy should be left to the woman and her doctor rather than be regulated by law. I can’t imagine there are many issues that we agree on to that extent.

Pose the question a different way and the responses aren’t quite as strong, but still overwhelming. When asked if you think the SCOTUS should uphold Roe v. Wade, 60% of American adults, including 82% of Democrats and 58% of Independents say yes. Support among Republicans is at 42%, with the opposition coming primarily from White, non-Hispanic Evangelicals who are a stong part of the Republican base.

Democrats are on the side of women, Republicans are not. Democrats are on the side of rebuilding America’s crumbling infrastructure, Republicans are not. Democrats are on the side of giving American workers the education and financial support they need to raise their families and get good jobs, Republicans are not. Democrats are on the side of reasonable gun safety laws, Republicans are not. Democrats are on the side of making it easy for American citizens to vote, Republicans are not. Democrats are on the side of civil discourse, Republicans are not.

Democrats and Republicans used to disagree on things like the size of government and the roles it should play. Now we disagree on whether we want the United States to be a democracy or an autocracy. We couldn’t agree more with E.J. Dionne’s latest op-ed in WaPo, Why do Democrats let Republicans set the terms of debates?

It’s time we focus on the fundamental differences between the parties on issues that matter most to Americans. Somewhere between 60-to-75% of American voters will thank us. The November 2022 elections are getting closer, and every vote will matter.