Party Before Country: Playing with Fire

As of June 2022, Democratic political action committees (PACs) have spent at least $53 million to promote fringe, Trump-supporting, QAnon conspiracy-spouting, candidates in Republican primaries this midterm cycle.

That $53 million could have been invested to help general election candidates in swing districts. It could have been used to run informative ads against dangerous opponents during the general election campaign, too. That money, however, is now spent. 

Democrats have shown a propensity for wasting money on long-shot races in Republican states. This might be even worse. At least money spent trying to defeat Trump-backed candidates represents a genuine desire to rid this nation of a cancer. Plus, every penny Republicans spent on a “safe” race was money not spent on a swing-state race.  However, I wish Democrats targeted spending on close races in swing districts. 

Swing district winners are often moderates. As someone in the middle, I want moderates in Congress. Swing districts decide policy because those Representatives and Senators must appeal to independent and moderate voters. 

It pains me to know $53 million was spent on a dangerous gamble. We shouldn’t place wagers with democracy on the line. 

I dislike the concept of interfering in a party’s primary elections. That’s true whether or not there’s a “good reason” to do so. If Democratic centrists were promoting moderate Republicans, for the sake of the nation, it would still bother me unless those Democrats intended to support the Republicans later in general elections. 

If I work with anyone, of either party, I intend to vote for that individual. I will not donate to or work for any candidate or issue campaign I do not support. 

The theory of promoting an opposition candidate or ballot initiative is that doing so helps ensure the victory of your side of the argument. I know Democrats who gave money to Donald Trump, assuming he would be the easiest candidate for Hillary Clinton to defeat. That didn’t work out as planned, did it? Helping choose the winner on the other side presents serious risks.

Nothing matters more than preserving the democratic republic that is the United States of America. If you believe Trump-supporting Republicans present a clear threat to democracy, as I do, then supporting them is inexcusable. What if they win the House by a wider margin? What if they win the Senate? 

Parties interfere in primaries and have for decades, but this level of playing with fire stands apart from past meddling. The theory holds that promoting an extremist candidate of the other party leads to victory in the general election. Unfortunately, wingnuts can win and do win general elections if they survive primaries. This happens because control of the House of Representatives, with its lopsided districts, is often determined in the primaries. 

I defend money invested in advertisements as a form of speech. I defend the right of people to support political action committees. But, PACs should be honest and ethical. 

With polling data suggesting the GOP could win the House in November, even a few extra Trump loyalists in the chamber would be disastrous for Pres. Joe Biden and the Democratic Party. Why would PACs aligned with the Democratic party risk a tidal wave of Biden bashing for the next two years? 

The nation’s future isn’t a game. Treating politics as a sport, from horserace polling to tilting the table a bit, suggests that points on the scoreboard matter more than the nation. 

If you care about the nation, you should want the best two candidates possible in the general election. With good, qualified candidates competing, the final choice still matters but losing might not be a loss for democratic norms.

I don’t want single-party rule in this nation. Right now, however, I want anyone supporting Donald Trump out of office. I’m so deeply offended by Trump’s behaviors in office and following the election, that I’d rather have a progressive president than another Trumpian president.  

Democrats, that $53 million investment in Trump better not catapult his sycophants into office. We will all get burned by the hubris of Democratic PACs.