Democrats seize the optimism that Trump surrendered.
An
unintended and, at least for the GOP, unexpected consequence, of having Donald
Trump as the Republican nominee for president is that the Democrats seem to be
poaching themes normally used by the right.
Poaching themes is not unique to the Democrats. I sat dumbfounded as Ivanka Trump, the republican nominee’s daughter, delivered her speech to the screaming, frothing crowd at the RNC.
“As
President, my father will change the labor laws that were put into place at a
time when women were not a significant portion of the workforce,” she said.
“And he will focus on making quality childcare affordable and accessible for
all.”
Wait,
what? I thought for sure she’d be pulled from the stage and locked away, but
instead the crowd just got frothier as she talked about equal pay, health
insurance, student debt, and even empathy and generosity.
It was seemingly
stripped from the DNC platform and because the daughter of a RINO was
presenting it, the crowd went nuts.
Ivanka’s
speech was an oasis in the midst of a tsunami of ego, hate, destruction,
imminent violence, and dire warnings of the inevitable apocalypse.
The
usual rhetoric of the GOP was conspicuously missing from the convention,
allowing the Democrats to swoop in and call the themes their own.
Patriotism,
American greatness, exceptionalism, references to founding documents and even
the “shining city on a hill,” have all appeared in speeches at this year’s
Democratic National Convention, and Republicans are noticing.
On
Wednesday the editor of National Review, Rich Lowry tweeted: “American exceptionalism and greatness, shining city on
hill, founding documents, etc--they're trying to take all our stuff.”
Trump,
sticking to fear, hate, xenophobia, and racism has left the ripe fruit of
family values, American exceptionalism, and patriotism up for grabs. And Democrats grabbed it, massaged it, redefined it, and threw it back, better,
stronger, and kinder.
They’ve taken this unique opportunity to show that
they’ve always believed the very same things and that these values and beliefs
aren’t uniquely republican.
In
2008, self-appointed Tea Party Queen, Sarah Palin and the rest of the
right-wing loons, tried to convince the country that there was a “real America”
somewhere in the middle of the country and that the evil Democrats on the
coasts weren’t part of that America.
Now, twelve years later, thanks to Trump, Democrats have been able to pick up the discarded baton and claim it as their own.
Now, twelve years later, thanks to Trump, Democrats have been able to pick up the discarded baton and claim it as their own.
Michelle Obama’s speech was, at many times, a
conversation about family values, but rather than presenting it in tight
evangelical Christian moral codes the way Republicans do, Obama emphasized
community and togetherness. That family values are about setting a good example
and providing a better life for your kids.
It
is about leaving something better for our kids. That is how we have always
moved this country forward — by all of us coming together on behalf of our
children. Volunteering to coach the team, teach the Sunday school class,
because they know it takes a village.
Former
New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, made a case for business, which is
usually a part of the GOP playbook. They like to argue that a businessman is
better suited for running a government because they know how to get things
done. As Bloomberg put it, America needs “a problem solver, not a bomb
thrower.”
President
Obama’s speech was rife with Republican themes, with references to Ronald
Reagan and the “city on a hill,” as well as reminders of the founding documents
and their importance, offering by their mention praise to American democracy.
Obama
wasn’t alone in his mention of the founding documents. Partly because the
convention took place in Philadelphia, speaker after speaker mentioned the
Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence – the
latter having been written in Philadelphia.
Since
Republicans had left these metaphors on the cutting room floor, Obama was free
to sprinkle them liberally throughout his speech without appearing trite or
unoriginal.
And
then there was Vice President Joe Biden.
We
have the finest fighting force in the world. Not only do we have the largest
economy in the world, we have the strongest economy in the world. We have the
most productive workers in the world. And given a fair shot, given a fair
chance, Americans have never, ever, ever, ever, ever let the country down.
Never!
Many
Democrats at the convention and prior to the convention have alluded to
America’s implicit greatness and, unlike Trump and his followers, recognize
that it’s already great.
But, until recently, Democrats have been relegated to
the quiet job of Patriotic understudies, waiting in the wings for an
opportunity to show what they can do.
That they too can shout U.S.A., U.S.A.
That they too can paint their faces red, white, and blue. That they too can
show unfettered and unabashed pride in their country.
Biden
delivered this message of an already great America in pure unadulterated
expression on Wednesday night, offering a full-throated argument for a proud, liberal nationalism specifically offered to the
working-class, who have always considered themselves “real Americans.”
Prior
to Trump, the Democrats have been relegated to the back seat of patriotism and
nationalism. Democrats have had, until now, to argue that they too were
patriotic, that they too stood for family, that they too were the party of
business, that they too supported veterans, the military, and the police.
Values that Republicans have previously managed to claim as their own.
Thanks
to Donald Trump, the Democrats can now take the lead. And the Republican party,
thanks to Donald Trump, is left with little more than Donald Trump.
Richard Zombeck is a
freelance writer, featured blogger at Huffington Post, and co-host of the T&Z
Talk Podcast.