Under the Bed
Do you remember the “bogey man?” When you were a kid, he was the one that would “get you” if you got out of bed at night. He was out there, waiting; going to do something terrible to you. Your “bad” uncle would warn you about the “bogey man” under the bed, or behind the door, or up the stairs. It scared you “straight.”
Last night I heard “the bogey man” invoked at the Democratic Presidential debates. Jake Tapper, the CNN lead questioner, raised it by asking candidates whether they would increase taxes on middle class families to pay for health care. It’s a “bogey man” question: a candidate saying they will raise taxes creates a sound bite without context that’s tough to live down.
Republican Question
I think Bernie Sanders called Tapper out correctly, saying he was asking the question in “Republican” terms. The answer is actually relatively simple, sure taxes will increase, but payments for insurance will disappear. The total costs for the middle class would go down. Candidates talked about “net costs” but were forced to avoid the “bogey man” words of tax increase. Remember Walter Mondale! In 1984 he said he would raise taxes; it cost him the Presidency.
The healthcare question also had another “bogey man” to avoid: the government. Some candidates talked about “the government ripping away private health care and making health care decisions” as if that was a horrible, terrible, awful thing. “The big government bogey man” would decide what health care you could get!
What, a huge bureaucratic institution telling patients what healthcare they can have? That’s a horrible “bogey man,” no one would want that. But wait, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, United Health Care, Kaiser; aren’t they all large faceless bureaucracies that determine your health care. And they’ve got in even bigger incentive than your health, their goal is to make a profit. There’s a real “bogey man” for you.
Who Pays
Congressman Tim Ryan raised another “bogey man:” don’t piss off the unions. Ryan defended union contracts, and the sacrifices that workers have made to get good health care plans. Ryan is running from Youngstown, Ohio; a union town losing its union jobs. Democrats need to win workers back from Trump; that’s not a made-up monster under the bed.
By the way, I did hear the candidates last night constantly saying how they would pay for their programs. Warren and Delaney got into an argument about whether a “wealth tax” or a “capital gains” tax is better. Everyone wanted to take the Trump Tax Cut back. It’s odd though, I haven’t heard President Trump say how he will pay for much, in fact, he’s willing to spend unlimited funds without regard for income. When did Democrats become “deficit hawks?”
Impeachment
The “bogey man” I didn’t hear a word about last night was Robert Mueller. I blame CNN for that, they didn’t bother to ask the candidates about the biggest news of last week. The debate got “a pass” on impeachment, instead able to focus their answers on who would be the best replacement for Trump. That probably made the candidates happy, but leaves Democrats without guidance on their stand.
The Psychic Force
And then there is the “bogey woman,” Marianne Williamson. She looked like Morticia from the Addams Family, but she raised a serious concern that Democrats need to address. The current “right way” to run a campaign, according to Sanders and Warren and some of the rest, is to deal with structure and plans. Here’s my plan, here’s how I’ll get this done: that’s seems to be the trend. And it’s not the “black box” kind of plan like Nixon had to end Vietnam in 1968. These are detailed, in-depth explanations.
Williamson warned that “wonkiness” won’t tap into the emotions of America. Plans on paper won’t motivate voters to come out and create change. Williamson spoke of a dark psychic force in America where racism and economic oppression creates hopelessness and leaves voters at home instead of at the polls.
This may have been her last debate; the popular and financial qualifications go up for September. And her emphasis on the “psychic” state of America might sound far-fetched in someone running for President. But the “bogey woman” made an important point.
Not Just Plans
Trump taps into a visceral part of the American psyche. He unleashes emotions, hate and uncertainty, that the US hasn’t seen in decades. Trump reveals these traits, but he didn’t create them. Williamson’s warning to Democrats is that they must be more than just “plans.” There must be more than just “electric car plants” and “wind turbine” farms.
They must present a vision of America that offers a positive alternative to the man in the White House, an alternative to racism, hate, and hopelessness. It won’t be Williamson, but one of these candidates needs to confront the real ‘bogey man” in America.
