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Republicans are always criticised by those on the left for their radical and non-sensical worldviews. They would like the American state to undemocratically favour them and force Americans’ freedom of expression to comply only with extreme conservative values. However, if American society wants to find a peaceful solution to its culture war, it has to learn to shift die-hard Republican supporters towards the centre. America cannot expect that Democrats winning the election will be enough to stop political divisions with Republicans. A step toward reconciliation must be made to deal with differences peacefully rather than through violent and ostracising measures.
While an entire step-by-step process has never been set out, the first step America can take is to first understand how a Republican mind has been manipulated to support radical and undemocratic measures without diving into how American Conservatism functions, then it will be almost impossible for Democrats to start convincing Republican voters towards more moderate right leanings. Democrats have to appeal to these voters using some rhetorical techniques of the American right to make Republicans less prominent.
If you were to listen to American Conservative media and read articles from many of its local organisations, you would notice something very odd. While mainstream media and Democrats describe Republicans as illogical and dangerous for freedom and democracy, these conservative outlets describe themselves as anything but. While their statements and beliefs are factually untrue and illiberal, American conservatives have branded themselves as defenders of the Constitution, patriotism and love of freedom.
Interested on the ideological shift in the GOP do check out this video
It is very easy to see this type of rhetoric with proponents of the Daily Wire, for instance, who present controversial subjects as anti-immigration, LGBTQ rights opposition and anti-federalism under seemingly logical arguments for Republican supporters. They are not simply shouting and saying radical things to get more followers but instead use the mask of logical statements to hide the radicality of their ideas. A perfect demonstration of this tactic at work is with LGBTQ rights opposition. They do not directly state transphobic statements but instead highlight that further LGBTQ rights will allow the far left to perform irreversible mutilation in teenage children, distorting the reality as such surgeries are not available to children in many states in America and ignore the science behind gender recognition care.
By taking the very extremes of the American left, American conservatives demonstrate to their Republican supporters that this tiny extreme represents the entire American left. Thus, they justify the need for figures like Trump to take the necessary measures to fight against what they perceive to be illiberal left policies. This is how the Republican mind works; they are just as afraid of Democrats as Democrats are of Republicans, even if their worries are factually unfounded. They believe their freedoms are under threat, and Democrats attack their conservative values. So, for their right to proposer, they believe this manipulative Republican rhetoric.
Democrats need to desperately frame themselves more towards the moderate right to appeal to Conservative America and challenge the domination of the Republican party. This way, the anti-democratic and autocratic right will be guaranteed to not succeed in the November elections. If not, even if the Democrats secure an election victory, the Republicans will most likely reject the results and retaliate against to what they consider a radical left, autocratic and woke state.
The Democrats have a democratic responsibility to convince Republicans of such deformed narratives of American politics. However, it is very challenging for Democrats to move to the right without compromising their core stances on LGBTQ rights, abortion and immigration. If they are to appeal to Conservative America, they are to do so carefully and on areas which can be compromised, such as gun rights and rural economic needs. Harris’ campaign has already shown such a shift in order to entertain support from key voters like independents, those living in the Midwest and much of Middle America. Yet, in terms of her agenda and messaging, she needs a further understanding of the Republican supporter’s minds and motivations if she is to divide Conservative support for Republicans.
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