If you listen to Democrats currently campaigning around the country, you’ll hear a familiar theme; one that’s probably been focus group-tested and approved for public dissemination. The clarion call of desperation and fear that they must “Take our country back.”
Taking Our Country Back Sen. Kamala Harris
We need to take our country back San Luis Obispo Dems
Taking our country back…. actress Cynthia Nixon
We can get our country back. Abigail Spanberger, Candidate for Congress, VA-7
We have to take our country back March for Our Lives, Boston
Are we going to take our country back? Susanna Dokupil, TX House District 134 candidate
To take my country back…. student, Wartburg College National Walk Out Day
We can take our country back. Sen. Bob Menendez
We must get our country back. Evan Wolfson, “pioneer in the marriage equality movement”
It won’t be easy to take our country back Alex Triantaphyllis, candidate in the Houston district
However, it wasn’t more than a few short years ago that the very notion of “taking the country back” was that dangerous, xenophobic dog whistle of anti-immigrant nativism and anti-Obama racism.
When the Tea Party was at its heyday during the 2010 elections, when the Palins and the Bachmanns ruled the day, we were treated to some soaring oratory by real, “take-our-country-back” Americans: You know, those real Americans, real patriots, real believers who belong to the party of core values, of family values — the good party, the party of God.
Although, I am plenty outraged at such screed, and have written plenty about it, my words can’t hold a candle to the powerful lyrics of a song I just read and listened to. The song with the “intriguing” title “When They Say ‘We Want Our America Back’, What The F#@k Do They Mean?” is written and sung by none other than Jill Sobule. Jill says: “In deciding what to write, I thought I would include an anti-immigrant history with the still befuddling question I have for the Tea Party folk.”
— Huffington Post, 11/17/11
So while taking the country back was a narrative the left found oh-so offensive back in the day, taking our country back NOW is the left’s proud 2018 campaign slogan.
Trump’s America? Not for long. Democratic women are taking our country back.
— The Hill, 4/29/17
With that, what exactly do Democrats want to “take our country back” TO?
The good old days when they so screwed up our health care system, forced Americans to participate and pay more for despite all the promises from the president-on-down that we’d save so much money per year on premiums?
The good old says when our officials and career employees entered into agreements with foreign regimes that were almost instantly reneged on and taxpayers would still be forced to honor?
The good old days when high black and Hispanic unemployment were at traditionally acceptable levels to white Democrat elites?
And we’ll probably need to remind Democrats of all the scandals were government agencies were weaponized against citizen opponents and those involved were allowed to just walk away, virtually unscathed.
Let’s hope that every Republican running for office in 2018 ask their Democrat opponent what they want to “take our country back” to. That is, if you can get them to admit they STILL lie about their past.
It will be interesting to have “proud” Democrats articulate and defend their vision of just how great things really were under their leadership and how much better off we’ll be based on that proven record of misery.
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