IT'S ABOUT THE BASE

by Ruth A. Sheets

The media keep reminding us that when a Republican does or says something most people would call outrageous, unamerican, racist, or sexist, they are doing it to court their base.  For years, we have heard these words or ones like them and wonder who this base is that must be courted with such insults, hateful speech, and disregard for their fellow Americans.  Currently, we are being confronted with hours of this "courting" as it is primary season and the Senate and House of Representatives are on the line. 

I have noticed a big difference in Pennsylvania in the ways Democratic and Republican candidates present themselves as they vie for their respective party's nomination.  Democrats state their case to the voters about where they stand and don't even mention their rivals for the nomination.  Republicans on the other hand, spend their time telling the world just how much they love Donald Trump and if and how much he loves them.  They tell us how much they love guns and how terrible their opponents are. Appalling PACs and SuperPACs for each do their best to malign the others, to the point of telling blatant lies.  For example, the most ultra-conservative candidate for office is portrayed as such an Obama lover she will build a statue of him next to Lincoln or somewhere, I can't remember.  The racism and misogyny are right out there for all to see, but, clearly, they imagine only the base will understand the "symbolism."

So, back to the base.  Who are these folks Republicans so desperately pursue for their votes and financial support?

Listening to TV ads and the constant bombardment of our airwaves since 2015, when Donald Trump entered the presidential race:  noting the language used, the targeted groups blamed for just about anything Trump could think of, the composition of audiences at Trump rallies, the uber-Trumpian media coverage, and more, there are a few things that make the Republican base stand out for me.

1. They are nearly all white folks.

2. They are mostly middle-aged and older.

3. They claim a "deep" attachment to conservative Christianity (Catholics and Evangelicals).

4. They HATE abortion, except when their daughter won't survive without one, then they call it something else.

5. They don't care much for women in general even though a significant portion of the base is female.

6. The men LOVE guns and the women of the base tolerate the male obsession with guns.

7. Many of the men like to wear camouflage, carry guns,  and to intimidate women and people of color, when they can, as long as there's no risk to themselves.

8. They believe Muslims are all terrorists who are trying to install Sharia Law even though they have absolutely no clue what it is.

9. They despise immigrants even though their grandparents came from . . ., but they came in the "right" way, not like the ones at the southern border. 

10. They have an idealized view of the past (nostalgia) that makes them long for "the good old days."

11. They tend to like conspiracy theories because those impossible explanations let them think they are part of a special club of brilliant people who know important secrets that will save themselves and everyone else from those awful people at the center of those conspiracies.  They seem to be attached to the term "pedophilia," too.

12. They are certain Republicans are the ones who gave them everything they have and will do it again when they get back into power.  They can't actually name any of the things Republicans have done for them, however, beyond giving them Donald Trump.

13. They let a few white women and non-white men hold a bit of power in their world as long as it's not too much and they can spout the same stuff their white men do, only louder and with more venom.

14. They NEED their daily fix of Fox News or OANN, or whatever right-wing conspiracy theory-wielding media and social media sources they can submerge themselves in.

15. They see themselves as the "real" Americans, "legacy Americans" as Tucker Carlson calls them in his fear of whites being replaced.

Would members of the base be recognized on the street?  Probably not.  That's unless they are wearing the ubiquitous MAGA hat, button, or even T-shirt, or maybe if they are coming out of a house with a Trump sign in the yard.

One can regularly check them out, though if attending MAGA rallies or visiting a Planned Parenthood.  They are the ones screaming insults at those not sharing their joy in making others uncomfortable.  When interviewed, they will find a way to get in a dig at those people who are causing all their problems.  They are rarely asked by interviewers to explain their "dig."  In fact, people rarely ask the base to explain anything.  There's a reason for that.

I can't help but wonder if the base knows what their favorite Republican candidates actually think of them.  Do they realize they are being used by men and a few women for their own personal power gains?  Do they understand that they are only of use to Donald Trump while they are cheering and clapping for him, repeating his nasty slogans, or screaming for whatever he says.  He believes himself to be a genius while he sees his cult followers as ignorant fools who can be manipulated to serve his will. 

Trumpian candidates like the menagerie running in the Pennsylvania Republican primary have followed Trump's lead while working to shape Trump into the cult leader they want him to be.  They too, have little respect for their base once they have maneuvered them into voting for them.  They target people who are scared their lifestyle may be changing and they might not always be on top.  They look for angry people who believe they have received a slight from someone who is not within their preferred group.  They also target mostly rural people who are generally disgruntled or dissatisfied with their lives. 

Republicans who cater to their base have been honing their skills with slogans, name-calling, and inuendo, promising to fix the world for the base.  They have few ideas and do little to actually help them, but do offer voter suppression, anti-abortion, and anti-immigrant rhetoric and laws to keep them satisfied and fired-up.  I guess in the yelling and controversy, the base doesn't notice that their representatives have done nothing to make their lives better.  But, Republican leaders are eager to blame Democrats and others to keep the base on edge, so they'll be cocked and ready for the next Republican power grab.

I sure do wish there were a way to let the Republican base see what the rest of the world sees, and know what the rest of us know.  Maybe they'd choose to be free of the role they have been manipulated into playing. 

However, maybe they do know.  Perhaps, as with their enthusiasm for conspiracy theories, they benefit emotionally from belonging to this exclusive club, the Republican base.