Red herring strategy of hyping cultural wars works for both political parties

May 5, 2022 update: Biden takes the cultural wars on. Biden condemns efforts of extremist ‘Maga crowd’ to overturn Roe v Wade abortion protections – as it happened | US politics | The Guardian

CA Governor Newsom fleshes out the attack calling the GOP to pro birth party, but fails to support children and families after birth. Gov. Newsom Lashes Out at Draft Abortion Ruling, Assails `Pro-Birth' Politicians - MyNewsLA.com

The April 24 posting continues:

The GOP is the first to gripe about Democrat's failures to solve what they claim are their main issues in 2022 midterms, yet they have no plan, no platform, no solutions to crime, inflation, and immigration for what they would do differently. Instead, to divert attention from the nothingness they would do differently, they beat the war drums on cultural hot buttons like CRT and Don't say gay, hoping these act as red herrings drown out their "just say no" agenda.   Democrats' efforts to fix any of these problems have not been felt in real life so far, so combatting cultural issues also diverts attentions from these pocketbook issues. Elections are often about a choice between the lesser of two evils, and sadly, if there are no solutions for day-to-day pocketbook problems from either side, the loudest table pounder on cultural issues wins.

 The truth is while Democrats' efforts have not been felt yet, the GOP's platform is either "no idea what to do but just say no to anything Democrats propose" or "whatever Donald Trump says is fine with them". Traditionally, to combat crime, the GOP has fought any restrictions on second amendment rights which means more guns in the hands of criminals, to fight inflation, they blame the government for curbing drilling (that one is sheer BS, too), and "fer gawd sakes' keep those low wage brown people for invading our southern border.  None of that is helpful in reducing gun violence, reducing inflation, and solving a labor shortage or supply chain issues.  The GOP solutions are MIA, and they need and deserve to be called out. 

The hope for Democrats in November is that by continuing to be touting plans and promoting "green shoots" of progress, it may dawn by November on enough middle of the road and pragmatic voters that a vote for the GOP is a vote for no solutions to their kitchen table problems. There are concerns that are more important to them than the red herring diversion of culture wars.

End of February 2022 public policy issue priorities had shifted from last year in both parties .  The question both political parties should be asked is what would you do to fix the problems that you see are priorities?   The  GOP has no platform, but to hurl cultural issues, hot air, and harm to those who are marginalized.   Public’s Top Priority for 2022: Strengthening the Nation’s Economy | Pew Research Center

The newest arrow in the quiver of social wars arrows is to call someone a pedophile or a fellow traveler. That is particularly rich coming from GOP politicians. A recent newsletter from the Boston Globe cited studies that showed most pedophiles were white Christian men, and victims mainly were their own family members. Most were heterosexual and not gay or trans. The newsletter cited their source: as an attempt to paint the candidate for Supreme Court as too soft on pedophiles when she was a judge., and the don't say gay law aimed at taking revenge on Mickey Mouse for" grooming victims." Add that to the dog whistle to racists of Dr. Suess and CRT, and you get how the GOP is using cultural wars to advance their power. https://www.childmolestationprevention.org/_files/ugd/4b2901_d91e1a1c004d4e68b7d2b45157971961.pdf?et_rid=1048338397&s_campaign=fastforward:newslett
Summed up by the Globe:
Research shows:
-- 99 percent of child molesters are male.
-- 91 percent of pedophiles are heterosexual.
-- 79 percent of admitted child molesters are white.
-- 93 percent of child abusers are religious, and the vast majority are Christian.
-- 90 percent of child molesters target kids in their own family or those of friends, and the overwhelming majority are married or were married to women."

The GOP's don't say gay cultural war because gays are pedophiles  caused a Michigan State Senator to fight back.  Her comments went viral.  Michigan state senator pushes back on GOP colleague who accused her of wanting to ‘groom’ children (yahoo.com)

Footnote:   So what is this term " red herring?  English journalist William Cobbett in 1807, per Wikipedia" made up a story about how, when he was boy, they used to drag red herrings on strings to distract dogs sent on hares in their property. He then used this story as an analogy to how he felt the English press was, at that time, spreading false news about the defeat of Napoleon as “a political red herring,” designed to distract people from more important matters at home."