Wedge Issues as Power Levers

Regardless of the big issues we face, narrow minded propagandists will continue to distract Americans with wedge issues just because they can. If we engage them, we are part of the problem. That is what they need, an issue with punch. It takes two people to form an argument. Do not be the one arguing. Ignore them. They lose power.

Here are the issues most likely to be managed for political gain:

1.      Gay vs Homophobes

2.      Abortion vs Right to Life

3.      Rightwing Extremism vs Centrism

4.      Economic Rights vs Me First

5.      America First vs Global Village

Make no mistake, these issues are powerful. As a gay man in his 70’s I have learned to chuckle over homophobic remarks. There is no point in ‘educating’ the homophobe. They might not actually be one, rather a poser to get your goat and engage in the argument. Do not fall for it. They are hopeless on the one hand, and not real on the other hand. Leave the issue alone. Gay Rights have swelled in recent decades. That does not mean we can ignore efforts to remove those rights. We must continue to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. Ignore the other noise for what it is. Noise.

Abortion rights will continue to be argued by those who tug at your heart strings for murdering babies. They are not babies. They are fetuses unable to survive outside the womb. If the ‘baby’ is unwanted in the long run, then one of two things must happen to be humane: either abort the fetus that is unloved and uncared for or commit resources and people to ‘save’ the baby in foster homes until adoption is arranged. That means free hospital birth care, free housing and nursing/maternal care, free foster care leading to free adoption support services. To do less brings the argument back to the first option – abortion. These two options underscore the need to love and care for the fetus. If we drop that ball, then abortion is the only remaining option.

Me First or Economic Rights are a false argument. Like the folks who resent forgiving student loans, they wish to deprive others of what they already have or never worried about in the first place. A student burdened by crushing debt – more than $50,000 – is kept from leasing a proper home, or buying his/her first home, or buying a car for basic transportation. That is a second burden of the problem that costs the American Economy untold jobs, economic activity and much more. Graduates loaded down with education debt will not fully participate in our economy and that holds all of us back. Better yet, provide free education to students with the talent and motivation to pursue valuable degrees for themselves and our society. We are only cutting off our own potential if we insist on getting the loans paid back by the students. Other issues echo the public discussion over student loans, too. At their base is this argument: I paid for my rights; you must do the same. That only continues the disparity between haves and have nots that choke economic progress.

America First is a dead issue on arrival. If Putin claims Russia First, everyone else last, that only creates the problem in the first place. What is good for all of us is good for individual nations. Putting anyone first denies rights and equal access to everyone else. Petty and self-defeating, the global village will continue to struggle for its existence. That will cut off opportunity and new markets for everyone. A stupid position. The common good is a positive ideal to support. Everyone wins.

Rightwing Extremism is a false argument before the first word is mentioned. To have any power at all, right-winger’s merely have to make a claim about any issue. The opposite is not automatic. Left-wing extremists do exist, but they are so scattered as to be a non-force. Being against right-wing positions belongs to everyone who is not a right-winger. Centrism most likely claims the largest plurality of supporters. Centrist thinking, after all, is arrived at by sharing ideas from both left and right to arrive at a practical solution to a given problem. Only by narrowing the field of argument a bit here and a bit there, defines political ‘sides’ as right, left, or anything else. Why bother with such games? Start with the centrist position and then see where others differ. Discuss those differences only if they are actual issues not made-up ones.

Let the gamers game. Ignore them. Rob them of the power and attention they seek. Meanwhile, concentrate on real solutions to real problems for the common good of our society.

February 24, 2021