MY TURN: Confrontational politics: Our votes do matter
Have you been discussing politics with friends lately? I have. My friends and I agree, the recent election proves that our votes do matter. Confrontational politics, at the end of the day, did not have the massive influence on the outcome that the progressive left intended. As corrosive and aggressive as the Biden/Harris campaign was, people were not discouraged from voting. In fact, voter participation was the second highest ever recorded in the past 100 years. Social media censorship was ramped up as the election approached, but voters, now wise to these tactics, turned to uncensored platforms like X, Rumble, Getter, Truth Social and podcasts like Joe Rogan, Ben Shapiro & Dan Bongino. The Republican message was deliberately framed to resonate with a large demographic of working class people focusing on issues like increasing crime, massive illegal immigration and skyrocketing costs. On the other side, divisive, unsavory messages coming from the Biden/Harris campaign drove a lot of their former supporters over to the Republican Party.
When political rhetoric is weaponized against a segment of society, it discourages civic engagement and alienates voters. The smear campaign run by Kamala Harris and the Democrats against Trump and his supporters mirrored what Hillary used in 2015, and what Biden used in 2020. Trump was called a Russian asset, Hitler, Nazi and fascist. Trump supporters were called deplorables, low information voters, garbage, white nationalists, racists, bigots and misogynists. The backlash (byproduct) of Democrat confrontational tactics was voter indignation, and the message from voters was clear; identity politics is unAmerican, and it turns us off!
Calling on assistance from the likes of Liz Chaney and Stuart Stevens (adviser to Mitt Romney’s campaign and the "Lincoln Project") revealed the camaraderie that exists between the old guard Country Club Republicans of past decades and the modern day, radical Democrat Party. Lifelong Democrats like Tulsi Gabbert and Bobby Kennedy Jr. declared that they didn’t leave the party, the party left them. Democrat party leaders did not just dissuade Kennedy from seeking office, they tried to prevent it. Their loss, our gain, however, as the Trump cabinet now has two important positions filled by these former Democrats. If the goal was keeping only hyper-partisan candidates on the Democrat ballot, the unintended result seems to have been a meet in the middle of moderate Democrats and America First Republicans.
While Harris was embracing dishonest politics and deploying it effectively, aided by Hollywood celebrities who were generously compensated for their appearances and endorsements, Trump was busy meeting with ordinary Americans where they live and where they work. The peril of bad leadership was never more clear, and Trump's desire to elevate the standard of living for all Americans paid off. The people responded with their collective power to vote, and they voted for change.
It’s true, we must be vigilant in our choices. Instead of candidates who rely on fear and disinformation, we should seek those who offer genuine solutions and have a vision of a nation in which families can thrive. A candidate's rhetoric and approach to national issues serves as an indicator of their desire to preserve freedom, create prosperity and provide safety for their citizens. This November, Americans saw what was at stake, and they used their right to vote as an instrument to shape their futures. Amen! May God bless our new president, and may God bless the U.S. of A. (Some of the descriptions in this article were borrowed from and/or inspired by a September op-ed entitled “Be Wary of Confrontational Politics” by Christa Hazel.)
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Jim Patterson is a Coeur d’Alene resident.