What if There Were No Hypothetical Questions?
16th December 2021
Democrats generally gain support by imagining what would happen if hypothetical conservatives were to win hypothetical control. They don’t talk about real conservatives or real elections. For good reason. “The Handmaid’s Tale” may seem a bit over the top, but there are people who believe that the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination led us inexorably to such a fate. The governing principle of modern American conservatism is individual liberty and the pursuit of happiness. But still, Democrats believe that what Sen. Mitch McConnell really wants is a return to slavery, like Alabama in 1825. Why do Democrats promote such absurd fears?
Because the real ones are less scary: “A Trump presidency is an extinction-level event for democracy. Imagine the agony of being happy, healthy, wealthy, and free. My God. Vote Democrat, and you won’t have to screw up your life — we’ll do it for you!” Absolutely no one (who does not have a Ph.D.) will vote for that. So Democrats are forced to make stuff up, based on hypothetical possibilities that have never happened and make no sense. Which seems silly. But what else can they do?