The Continuation of the Culture Wars and What that Means for the 2022 Midterms
Campaigning on culture war issues appears to be the Republican’s primary strategy for energizing Republican voters in light of the 2022 Midterm elections. Issues like transgender sports and critical race theory, which have received little to no attention in past years, have become significant voting issues thanks to conservative media outlets. While the strategy of fear-mongering is not new to the Republicans, the persistence of the pandemic and the Democrat’s majority in both the House and Senate allows for voters’ fear of change to be further capitalized on.
In June of 2021, Texas Senator Ted Cruz spoke at the Faith and Freedom’s “Road to Majority” conference, calling for the audience to “wake up” to the “woke assault” on America. Cruz’s language is intentionally vague and hyperbolic to incite fear. Cruz’s “woke assault” stokes fear by suggesting to voters that the liberal agenda are threatening their ways of life and values. However, issues like critical race theory (CRT), a new path to the election for Republicans, are largely misconstrued and exaggerated. According to a study done by The Covid States Project, seven out of ten people did not know what critical race theory was.
CRT is mainly taught on a college level, with its central tenet being that racism is deeply embedded in our society. Further analysis includes critiques of liberalism and conventional methods of storytelling and history. Yet, opponents of CRT fear that it is being taught by K-12 teachers to make white children feel shame and guilt. The vagueness of the theory allows for its instruction to be conflated with K-12 teachings of American history which; If you crack open any history textbook, you will notice that America has a racist history. Because of this history, some educators have found CRT invaluable in identifying and combating systemic racism. It is clear from the outrage to the supposed teachings of CRT that its opponents tend to romanticize the past and feel personally attacked when our system and its institutions are criticized.
What implications does critical race theory have on our politics, and how it will impact the 2022 elections?
While school board elections tend to get less media attention compared to other races, CRT and Covid safety precautions have raised the stakes for the 2022 midterms. Many state legislatures have already banned or plan to ban conversations about race in schools. Educators that live in states where these laws have passed are forced to navigate the ambiguous new legislation in the classroom. Educators who want to teach with an anti-racist lens risk punishment and face restrictions.
The lack of awareness over specific issues like critical race theory points to the rise as mentioned above of emotion-based politics that ignore actual policy. These types of political debates are intentionally divisive and assert the importance of voter identity by highlighting the values and beliefs of an opposing party. Emotion-based politics or the culture war is toxic partisanship that prevents anything from getting done. Although most Americans support the idea of a federally funded health care system, media from both parties construct the voting issue as unrealistic and partisan. Supporters of some form of universal health care are then deemed as radical. The casualty of the culture wars and intense polarization is none other than the American people.
What should the Democrats do?
Democrats mustn’t lose sight of what is important with the upcoming elections approaching. Instead of engaging in unproductive emotionally-charged debates, Democrats should call out the Republican strategy and focus on uplifting the voices of the American people. Exposing Republican fear-mongering tactics and the fallacies behind their arguments promotes the use of a critical eye when evaluating the news. Additionally, the demonization of the Democrats does not mean the Democratic candidates should shy away from bold policy ideas. President Biden’s stances are still being cast as extreme by politicians despite their tendency to be moderate. The Democrats should focus on gaining credibility through the results of policies that benefit the American people. In the face of fear and division, it is crucial that the Democrats focus on unity.
As citizens, we must get out and fight for the positive change we want to see. We can do this by voting for candidates that actually represent the public rather than those just playing off of individual fears of change to get elected. Rideshare2Vote is working on getting out the blue vote ahead of the midterm elections and could use your help. So join our volunteer team today if you are interested in helping us make a difference in 2022!
by Payton Bellman
