Now is Not the Time for Politics as Usual

Michael F. Mascolo, Ph.D.

Jul 23

As Joe Biden leaves the race for President, the Democrats have an opportunity to do something big.  They can begin to dismantle the polarizing divisions that are threatening the very foundations of American democracy.  Will they do it?

Joe Biden has dropped out of the Presidential race.  He has done a great thing.  It was Washington who set an important precedent in American politics – he left office and refuse to run again. The point was that the United States was not to have kings, but Presidents.

It is somewhat difficult to be an advocate of bridging political divides and immediately call for what may seem to be an exception.  It is true: there are some divides that cannot be breached.  There are some people with whom it is not possible to bridge divides.  Some people – for whatever reasons – are immovable.  What do you do when that happens?

You triangulate.  You isolate the troublesome figure.  You then work to appeal to the supporters of the troublesome figure – those who may be willing to bridge divides.  You don’t tell them how bad “the other guy” is; instead, you show them how you are going to meet their need and assuage their fears.

With Biden’s withdrawal, the Democrats have an enormous opportunity.  No – it is not the opportunity to win the election (although they certainly have that opportunity).  It is the opportunity to begin to begin to dismantle the political polarization that is threatening the very foundations of American democracy.   

To do this, the Democrats would need to offer a different kind of candidate and a different kind of platform.  The candidate must be one who can offer an exciting vision with which a broad coalition of Americans can identify.  The vision must be one that captures the imagination of the people and offers hope that we can move out of our desperate malaise.  We need a vision that can begin to unify our diversity, not one that continues to divide us according to our various constituencies and identity groups.

Our Current Crisis

The main problem of our current political climate is that political elites on the left and the right tend to believe that “I’m right and you’re evil.”  People feel that they are in an almost existential crisis.  People have an existential fear that what is most important to them is going to be destroyed by “the other side”.

The Democrats have an opportunity to address this existential issue.  Biden’s failed campaign was only partly about his age.  More important, it was about his failure to address this issue.  In fact, his mode of campaigning made this issue even worse.  In his campaigning, Joe Biden took a two-prong approach.  In particular, he:

1. Pointed to a record of outcomes that could be judged positively by his base (e.g., reduced crime; low unemployment; a strong stock market, etc.); and
2. Called attention to what many would regard as Trump’s negative attributes.

This is precisely the opposite of what one wants to do to address what “both sides” experience as an existential problem.  The Democrats – if they are to have any chance of addressing the real problems of the nation (rather than the mere problem of getting elected), are going to have to shift gears. To solve an existential problem, one needs bold and new thinking.

What Are We Afraid Of?

What do the two sides want? What are they afraid of?

First, they are afraid of the extreme versions of the opposing party.  Whether it is reasonable or not, the Republicans tend to feel that Democrats

1. Will allow unfettered immigration, which will threaten economy and their way of life
2. See them as racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ, transphobic, bigoted, and so forth
3. Want to change fundamental aspects of their worldviews – such as what it means to be male or female; what it means to be “an American”; the nature of American history
4. Want to impose regulations or some form of socialism that will restrict individual freedom and ruin the economy.

Whether it is reasonable or not, the Democrates tend to feel that Republicans:

1. Don’t care about helping people in other nations who are fleeing from oppression
2. Feel that racism and sexism do not exist; do not care about the plight of individuals who identify as transgender; are unwilling to make societal changes to help people who have been traditionally marginalized
3. Want to impose authoritarian, religious or otherwise rigid beliefs about the nature of the world onto others — such as the nature of gender, American identity, family, morality, and so forth.
4. Want unfettered capitalism that will benefit the rich over the poor

At the extremes, each side is afraid of the other side.  The fears of the partisan elites trickles down into the everyday thinking of the everyday voter.  What do we do in this situation?

What to Do

The Democrats are not going to convince voters by telling them how competent they are or by telling them how bad the other candidate is.  Instead, they should acknowledge the crisis that is our current situation.  They should identify what convincible members of “the other side” need and what they fear.  Show them that their fears are not founded and that you are willing to address their core needs.  That is, they should:

1. Stop telling supporters of “the other side” that their needs and fears are misguided, stupid, out-of-touch, crazy and evil.
2. Instead, treat citizens on “the other side” as people who are trying to solve human problems. Care about those problems.
3. identify the needs and fears of convincible members of “the other side”
4. Create a vision that addresses the needs and fears of both “one’s own side” and “the other side”.

The Opportunity

The Republicans, under Trump, are not likely to seek ways to bridge the political divide.  And there is no way to bridge the divide in any deep way at the present time.  It is possible, however, for the Democrats to do something bold.  I am not optimistic that running a campaign similar to Biden’s is going to work for the Democrats.  It certainly won’t do anything to advance my agenda – which is to begin to bridge divides.

The stakes are high – and the Democrats are not assured of winning with their present strategy.  A better strategy – perhaps risky, but I don’t think so – is to break the mold. Triangulate.  Don’t just appeal to the moderate voters: authentically address the needs and fears of moderates on both sides. The extremes are pulling us apart.