Opinion Why criticism of Democrats for boosting radical Trumpists is wrong - Waldman
When moderate Republican Rep. Peter Meijer of Michigan was defeated in Tuesday’s primary, condemnation came swiftly. Not for John Gibbs, the far-right election conspiracist who narrowly beat Meijer, but for Democratic Party officials who boosted Gibbs’s campaign in an attempt to face a general election opponent who would be easier to beat in a district that leans slightly Democratic. Gibbs is one of a number of such candidates Democrats have tried to help, and the response has been widespread outrage. Outside of the Democratic officials who made the decision to deploy this tactic, there seems to be a nearly universal consensus that what they have done is reckless and hypocritical.
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The tactic has been widely condemned in the media, including by the editorial boards of The Post and the New York Times. But it’s worth making some distinctions here. Some extremist Republicans have been boosted by Democrats in governors’ races, including in Maryland, Illinois and, more importantly, Pennsylvania. That’s where Democratic nominee Josh Shapiro aired ads criticizing eventual nominee Doug Mastriano during the primary campaign that many saw as an attempt to lift Mastriano over his opponents. You can argue the risk is too great: As governor, Mastriano could put his extremist views into practice and potentially attempt to throw the 2024 election for Trump.
But when it comes to the House of Representatives and a member such as Meijer, the calculation is very different. First, note that one of the first things Meijer did after his defeat was to appear at a “unity” event with Gibbs. Whatever Meijer’s distaste for Gibbs’s repugnant views, he’s backing Gibbs in the general election, so spare me the laments for the departure of such a noble public servant.
On the same day, Republicans in another swing state, Arizona, nominated an entire slate of election saboteurs; their nominee for secretary of state is an actual member of the Oath Keepers, a right-wing extremist group.
All of which is why GOP extremism is rapidly becoming the central issue of the 2022 midterm campaign, which is very good for Democrats. It motivates their own base to turn out, and pushes moderate Republicans away from GOP candidates. If Democrats win in November, it won’t be because they talked about “kitchen table issues.” It will be because voters recoiled at what Republicans want to do, not only about elections but also on issues such as abortion.
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In the end, Democrats’ attempts to choose their opponents will probably make only the tiniest difference one way or the other. But it almost certainly won’t make the Republican Party any more of a threat to our system than it already is. And if it gives Democrats a better chance of holding the House, they’ll be able to make a pretty good case that it was worth it.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/08/04/democrats-meddling-republican-primaries-meijer
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