This week, in the middle urge by Judge Clarence Thomas to consider nullification cases such as Obergefell v. Hodges, who legalized same-sex marriage nationwide, the House of Representatives vote on a bill that, among other provisions, would guarantee marriage equality for LGBTQ Americans. While the bill passed easily, the vote served to once again illustrate a stark reality: The Republican Party is completely out of touch with mainstream America on the majority of burning issues.
Only 22% of House Republicans voted in favor, while all House Democrats backed the bill. The 22% number stands in stark contrast to overall US support. A record 71% of Americans support marriage equality, including 55% of those who identify as Republicans. This means the House GOP is not just out of step with America, it is out of step with Republican voters. And while it’s too early to tell how many Republican senators will vote in favor of the bill, or if the bill will even have the 60 votes to pass, it’s virtually guaranteed that nearly 55% of Republican senators will support the bill. bill, let alone 71%.
But the Republican lack of awareness about marriage equality is not the exception — it’s the norm. Republicans have, in recent months, consistently acted outside the American mainstream on a variety of issues. Gun control, which has once again become a major political focus, has long been an issue where the GOP is out of step — even several mass shootings haven’t changed that. Attempts to include universal background checks, ban military-style assault weapons, and raise the purchase age to 21 falls or were never even considered for the recently passed gun control bill, due to Republican opposition. The policies have 90%, 66% and 74% nationwide support, respectively.
Or take what has become the most discussed topic in American politics: abortion. Pushed once again by a hardline, far-right Supreme Court, Democrats moved in the House to codify Roe v. Wade. The Women’s Health Protection Act, which would make the rights under Roe v. Wade, passed without a single Republican vote in favor. Sixty-four percent of Americans opposed Roe’s overthrow, including 34 percent Republicans. Yet when a bill was on the table to restore what had been lost when Roe was unseated, a whopping 0% of House Republicans voted for it. The Senate wouldn’t have been much different, senses. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, being the only two registered Republican senators supporting Roe.
Republicans have also shown themselves to be out of step right to vote, climate change and more. Yet these are the overwhelming favorites — indeed, I would call it inevitable — to take over the House and have a 50/50 chance of winning the Senate. They constantly survey even with or ahead of Democrats in generic congressional ballots. And they’re led by a man who, when he was president, tried to overthrow the democratic process in the United States through a violent insurrection – and who has a legitimate chance become president again.
So why the party that is out of step with Americans on some of the most important and contentious issues in American politics under such favorable electoral conditions? Lots of reasons, of course. Most important in this year’s midterm reviews is the cyclic nature of US elections, as well as the long list of items that plague President Joe Biden and, in turn, Democrats in general, that are beyond their control.
The problem is that this dynamic, where Republicans are out of step on the issues but do well in elections, is a historic trend. Similar gaps in Republican congressional polls and action have existed for abortion, climate change, gun control and more for years. On most questions, the majority of Americans are in favour of the liberal position.
This means that the problem is much bigger and goes beyond the adverse conditions unique to the 2022 midterms. First, voters have been show caring more about culture wars than substantive legislative issues. As Democrats focus on complex social insurance bills, Republicans sow fear drag watch. As ridiculous and depressing as these tactics are, they work. This is especially true for the average voter, who does not understand the complex legislative process or closely follow the activity on Capitol Hill. Polls have shown that cultural issues have a disproportionate role by negatively labeling Democrats, and that role continues through Election Day.
Second, the Democrats are simply not seen as the party of working America as they should be, even when compared to the Republicans they are. While the Democrats are the party of unions, the party of the welfare state and the party of fairness and equality, it is now the Democrats who are sadly seen by some Americans as the elitist party. This is largely due to the genius of the Republican messages, but it is also a reality that the Democrats are increasingly influenced by the ultra-progressive, ultra-noisy big-city voter.
When the Republicans do well in November in the face of a complete disconnect with the American voter, issues such as inflation and gas prices, as well as the trend in medium-term cyclical maturities, will be partly at stake. blame. But Democrats would be wise to consider other, more historical factors. Even under favorable political conditions, support for liberal causes and support for liberal politicians do not match. It’s impossible to say objectively who exactly is most to blame, but it should be clear to Democrats that this support gap needs to be addressed.
Devon Hesano is a Opinion Columnist and can be reached at [email protected].
