Who are the Democrats running in the midterms, and where do they stand? Our US political reporters are live now to discuss the state of the Democrats, the party’s moderate and leftwing candidates and key races to watch
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Eonphyre asks: Will the pervasive indoctrination against “socialist ideas” cease? Especially considering that so much considered “basic human rights and needs” is now called “leftist/socialist/communist” by this hate-mongering administration.
Alice: I’m not sure the labels and name-calling will stop – Republicans have responded to the recent wave of leftist candidates’ wins with apocalyptic warnings like “the commie caucus is coming to Congress”. Republicans – joined by eight Democrats – have even adopted a resolution condemning “socialism” and specifically naming the DSA. What’s fundamentally changed is how effective that kind of language is. Growing sections of the US electorate are responding to the “Red Scare” rhetoric with essentially a shrug. A recent poll pointed to as many as one third of Democrats openly identifying as “socialist”, a term which not too long ago was viewed as a slur.
Still, some candidates, particularly in swing states like Michigan and Florida, are making an effort to distance themselves from the labels and try to shift attention onto the issues. Abdul El-Sayed in Michigan stressed he’s “not a socialist”, Angie Nixon in Florida said she’s a “more of a social democrat”. It’s harder to attack calls for tangible things like universal healthcare, affordability, and labor rights than to scaremonger about an ideology.
David: It’s the obvious political play for Republicans. They don’t have many accomplishments of their own to brag about. Trump’s approval rating is at a historic low amid anger over rising prices and the Iran war. So their best bet is to switch the midterms from a referendum on Trump (even though he said to pretend he’s on the ballot!) to a choice, contrasting with the opposition. That’s where the fear mongering comes in.
Will it work? No, not with millions of people. But maybe it will have some impact with older Fox News viewers, Latino voters with recent experience of communist regimes and other people who buy the Republican message that the so-called “communists” are “godless”. It was notable at last week’s Republican midterm convention how the red scare was tied to threats to Christianity and the notion that this red menace is being imported from abroad. Senator Ted Cruz explicitly tied communism to Islamism.
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