How to Deprogram Republicans
Maybe you’ve heard of the Nigerian prince scam: A nice young man phones you. You’re elderly, living alone. His family left him $100 million in a Swiss bank account, but he can’t access it till he pays $20,000 in overdue fees. If you give him the money, he’ll split the account with you 50/50. You send him the money. You become friends. He phones you every day, asks how you are, laughs with you, flatters you a little. Eventually there’s a hitch. He needs $10,000 to hire a lawyer to prove his identity. You trust him now, so you send the money.
As the prince keeps asking for money, you start to have doubts. Your children reason with you. They beg you. But they show less interest in you than your new friend. They only want your money. You keep paying because you don’t want to disappoint your friend, you don’t want to lose the money you already sent, and you’re too proud to admit a foolish mistake. Your fantasy of wealth and friendship is stronger than your reason.
In the end, your savings are gone, and your friend disappears. Only then do you go to the police.
Republican voters are delusional like the victim of the Nigerian prince scam or the members of a cult. But do we have to wait till freedom and prosperity are completely gone before Republicans wake up? No. It’s possible to break delusions before brutal reality does it. We break delusions by inducing self-reflection, not by reasoning and pleading with someone. Can we convert enough Republicans to save the country by inducing self-reflection on a large scale? Yes. Here’s a three-tier approach:
Tier 1: Define Them. The first step is to set a favorable background by painting an unflattering picture of the character of Republicans. Show how they violate their own principles. For example, they say they value individual liberty, but they think and act in a herd. Privately, they have their own opinions about various issues, but they meekly go along with whatever Republican leaders tell them to believe. Call them cowards for not standing up for their own personal beliefs. Go though the whole list of Republican values, pointing out their betrayal: honor, strength, patriotism, individuality, freedom, order, responsibility…
This should be an impersonal attack, an attack on Republicans in general, but you can give a face to the enemy by targeting Republican Congressmen. You can say anything you like about Congressmen. Through steady propaganda over time Democrats will change the public perception of Republicans into a group no one wants to associate with. At first, Republicans will think, “That’s not like me at all!” On second thought, some will think, “Maybe I’m a little like that.”
Tier 2: Split Them. Next, pick off voters by tailoring pitches to specific constituents of the Republican coalition. Either champion them, or challenge them. For example, champion the free market more than Republicans. Many small and midsize businesses supply large companies. Attack the Republican Party for allowing big companies to consolidate too much market power so that they can dictate terms to their suppliers. Demand that the number of major competitors in each market must be expanded from today’s three to a minimum of five to give smaller businesses greater bargaining power. Or Democrats can challenge Republican groups by asking them to live up to their own values. Ask evangelicals why they don’t support a right to life when it comes to healthcare, poverty, guns and so on. Demand their votes on these issues.
This approach will encourage Republicans to reconsider whether their party really serves their interests. They’ve been Republican for a long time out of habit and because the party projects an attitude that appeals to them. But by exploiting wedge issues, Democrats can show how the Republican Party has abused their trust.
Tier 3. Counsel Them. When you encounter individual Republicans, don’t debate the issues with them. Don’t try to reason with them or educate them. Instead, act as if you were a counselor. Bring the discussion back to them personally. Ask them why they believe as they do. They will cite facts and authorities. Gently probe beneath that: why do these facts seem plausible to you? Why do you trust that authority? What role do your beliefs play in your life?
By not challenging their positions directly, you can get them to remember that they made a choice to think as they do and that other choices are possible. Sometimes they will change their voting behavior or at least be less extreme in their views.
Again, we don’t have to convert the whole Republican Party. We just need to convert a sliver of Republican voters in order to break the political stalemate in the U.S. and save democracy.