Republicans and Rainbow Land
By: Future Majority
Tags: Progressive, Democrats, GOP, Republicans

Roach, J. 2012. The Campaign. Warner Bros Pictures. Film.

In the 2012 comedy, The Campaign, a candidate played by Zach Galifianakis runs against an incumbent Member of Congress portrayed by Will Farrell. Galifianakis’ character berates his opponent during a debate, calling him a “communist” who wants to make everyone live in “Rainbow Land,” where “everything is free.” “Rainbow Land” was a coloring book Farrell’s character did when he was eight years old. However, this misleading name-calling and characterization of “Rainbow Land” as a 13 page communist manifesto proves effective and results in Galiafinakis’ fictional supporters being galvanized.

Washington Republicans are deploying the same tactics caricatured in the film — and they’re backed up by an echo chamber apparatus that is more disciplined when it comes to message than any political candidate. Republicans have orchestrated a side show “Rainbow Land” culture war to distract America from Democrats’ successes and minimize former President Trump’s coup attempt on January 6th. Unfortunately, as our poll results make clear, it’s working. If Democrats want to buck historical trends in a midterm election and keep their majority, they need to respond to this battery of attacks.

Under President Biden and the Democrats’ leadership, America has created more than 3 million jobs, delivered a life-saving vaccine at unprecedented speed, and brought our economy back from the brink with the historic American Rescue Plan. Democrats are also on the verge of passing a bipartisan infrastructure plan to invest in American workers and are helping working people get back on the job with the Child Care Tax Credits. They need to use every tool available to them to make sure voters know they have delivered on these promises.

But, because the Republicans were unable to break up the Democrats’ voting coalition in 2020, we have “Rainbow Land” scandals, starting with Critical Race Theory. Just a few months ago almost no-one had heard of critical race theory, a 40-year-old concept that racism is embedded in legal systems and policies. Instead of championing the efforts that generations of Americans, including many Republican leaders, have made to begin to right our past wrongs, Trump called it a “poisonous left-wing doctrine.” Fox News mentioned “critical race theory” 132 times in 2020. In 2021, it’s more than 2,000 times and counting. Unfortunately, now 34% percent of independents in the 37 battleground swing congressional districts named critical race theory as the issue they are worried most about, according to Future Majority’s voter surveys.

Let’s also not forget about “Defund the Police.” 90% of voters say they feel safe in their own communities, according to our polls. Despite that, 53% are worried Democrats in their community will defund the police. If you watch Fox News, you’d think crime is skyrocketing. Last week alone, multiple Fox News personalities painted America as a country of rampant lawlessness and claimed examples of a “coast-to-coast crime crisis” despite little concrete evidence in public data available to back up their narrative.

What about socialism? Most labeled by the GOP as “socialists” aren’t socialists and none of them are the leader of the Democratic Party. But that didn’t stop the Republicans from using it to try to scare up votes, because 61% of voters in swing congressional districts would consider or definitely vote for someone else if they support socialism.

Instead of stepping up with solutions to our country’s challenges, Republicans are focused on riling up their now radicalized base. When Republicans lose, they make up a crisis or just lie. It is a pattern that works because they have a misinformation machine accountable to virtually no one, made up of Fox News, and the newer kids on the block once favored by Trump, One American News Network (OANN) and Newsmax.

So, how can Democrats, and Americans of conscience across the political spectrum, fight back?

First, President Biden, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and every major organization focused on winning must be crystal clear that the Democrats’ platform does not include defunding the police, socialism, or the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools. If this doesn’t happen, we will read a lot of post-mortem stories on why Democrats lost in 2022 — beyond GOP efforts to suppress the vote.

Second, Democrats need to talk about their economic record of creating jobs. The right is using fears of inflation against Democrats and 62% of voters in swing districts say their incomes are falling behind the cost of living. The last three Democratic presidents have created 33.8 million jobs. Compare that to the last three Republican presidents, who collectively created 1.9 million jobs. Democratic economic policy is good for jobs and good for growth.

Third, since we do not have a 24/7 media microphone like the Republicans do, Democrats will need unprecedented message discipline. Democrats must make the “D” on the ballot beside a candidate’s name stand for DELIVER. It’s crucial that Democrats define themselves to voters as public servants delivering for the people. Democrats have built American jobs, invested in our families and America’s infrastructure, and stood up to defend democracy and our freedoms. Democrats already have a strong track record of success through the American Rescue Plan, Buy American executive orders, the Endless Frontier Act focused on protecting and investing in American innovation, and more.

Equally as important is defining Republicans as “for Q and not for you.” Republicans are for Trump, for corruption, and apparently, for QAnon. Instead of living up to the standards of their party, Republicans have cowered to Trump and the conspiracy theorists in Congress.

The Republicans lost the U.S. Senate, Congress, and the White House under Trump. Instead of facing this hard truth, they are doubling down on the Big Lie. Instead of condemning the insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol, they’re pretending they were tourists. Instead of categorically condemning dangerous conspiracies like QAnon, they rally around lunatics like Marjorie Taylor Green.

Former President Trump put our country in a real ditch. People are struggling to pay their bills and make ends meet because of the mess Trump left us. Let’s stop allowing the Republican “Rainbow Land” campaign to define our story. We must fight back with the truth.