The Danger of Extreme Tunnel Vision and the One-Issue Voter

If Democrats had studied the politics of pro-life Catholic and evangelical tunnel vision, they could have fought better the Republican “use” of pro-lifers’ tunnel vision voting.

I recall all of the shouting pro-choice and pro-life public shouting matches. No one ever changed someone’s opinion by shouting. Why! The opponent can’t hear in the tunnel he has put himself in—he is blind listening to his own echo.

Racism, voter suppression, insurrection, environment: none of these count to pro-life or pro-choice factions because of their sitting in their own tunnels or religious bubbles. We must not be silent, but we must be vigilant and stand up to be counted on the right side of history and our democracy. We aren’t free until every man and woman has the right to vote out liars, cheats, criminals taking advantage of good hard-working but uninformed Americans.

So, to win elections, Democrats need to lower the temperature and investigate the Republican tunnels with more humility. Nasty words and shouts, no. Remember, honey beats vinegar. It’s the biggest challenge honorable Democrats and democracy dissatisfied Republicans face now.

I think often of Orwell’s 1984, and how it predicted 2024. It’s important to see through the methods of Trump and his right-wing Republican parrots. NOISE.

In George Orwell’s 1984 the huge crowds who love Big Brother do a rhythmical chant ‘B-B!…”B-B!”…”B-B!” …. “It was an act of self-hypnosis, a deliberate drowning of consciousness by means of rhythmic noise.”Page 19 of 1984

Go back and listen to any Trump rally anywhere. I hear “T-T” instead of Orwell’s “B-B”. Scary. That’s what tunnel vision and one issue voters do. Mindless chanting. That’s where the Democrats failed: to recognize that the one issue of pro-life vs. pro-choice could divide a nation. Now we have all of our institutions in jeopardy because of “T-T.”