Oklahoma may be the reddest state in the country now, but that wasn’t always the case. Through the 70’s and into the 80’s Oklahoma was a blue state. As recently as 2002, Democrats controlled Oklahoma’s two largest counties. Part of the shift is tied to the national trend in rural states, especially those whose economies are tied to oil and gas. Another part, less reported, is that Oklahoma Republicans engaged in a multi-decade effort to reach out to Democrats whose values no longer aligned with those of their national leaders. They knocked doors. Made calls. Held often uncomfortable conversations over beers, brisket, and Braum’s burgers. In the process, they methodically laid out a case to union and working-class Oklahoma Democrats: your Party may not respect your values, but we do. Oklahoma Republicans separated working class Democrats from ideological liberals. The results were dramatic. Not a single Oklahoma county has voted Democrat in over a decade.
Republicans now have a golden opportunity to repeat that process on a nearly nationwide basis. Woke Leftism is enormously unpopular, even failing to achieve a majority of support within the Democrat Party in many cases. But asking someone to change a lifelong identity, something that has been fundamental to their sense of self throughout their adult life, is a BIG ask. People don’t like to admit they were wrong, acknowledging that their deeply held beliefs are false is a bridge too far for most.
Pointing out that their national leaders abandoned them, that the leftists now running the show now view them as little more than Useful Fools? That message works, but only if you separate it from the vitriol. You can’t chastise and abuse someone and expect them to listen to you, hence why it’s important to define “Democrats”, “Elected Democrats”, and “leftists” individually. As noted above, many Democrats do not support the policies and ideas that at the core of woke leftism, but leftists are the ones holding sway over elected democrats. Woke base activists have left a large part of their Party behind, and the only thing holding back a giant national red wave is everyday Democrats coming to grip with that fact.
In that vein, it’s important for Republicans to recognize why Democrats have been reacting to Joe Biden’s disastrous, mumbling, incoherent debate performance with shock and horror: it’s because they didn’t know. Elected Democrats knew about the President’s decline. Leftists and their media allies knew. Together, they managed to keep Democrats in the dark. To leftists and elected Democrats, power matters far more than truth, and most of the remaining left-side media is staffed with young leftists.
To break through that barrier and give leftists the red wave their failed policies and faux-moralizing deserve, Republicans must fully embrace the Oklahoma model. Be courageous and willing to represent your values one tough conversation at a time. When your relatives trash Trump, don’t shut your mouth and play along: push back. Tell them why you support him. If your workplace tries to implement DEI policies: push back. Organize co-workers to stand with you against corporate wokesters. Be unafraid, but aware that you’re pushing into difficult and emotional territory for most people, and recognize their values and beliefs. Most often, real conversation will uncover that there isn’t all that much distance between the beliefs of the average Democrat and Republicans – but that there is a chasm big enough to shame the Grand Canyon between policies being driven by leftists and elected Democrats and the values of the average Democrat voter. Once you’re there, chances are pretty good you’re talking to a new Republican.
Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Sam Stone only and not his co-host Chuck Warren or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.
