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.
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.
From the perspective of academic rhetoric, we supposedly believe in the importance of ethos. Roughly, ethos is character. How good is your character if you’re willing to risk the nation’s future for a slightly greater chance of political victory? Ethical behavior matters.
I don’t trust someone who has flexible ethics.
Is a slightly better chance of winning the right reason to manipulate an election ethically? Or should your side make an overwhelming case for its candidates and causes? 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 too many 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.
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 (small d) norms.