My colleagues and I at American Majority work day in and day out to equip candidates with the tools they need to campaign effectively. We train would-be candidates on everything from “get-out-the-vote” efforts to fundraising and messaging. Above all, we train candidates to reach voters’ hearts, not just their minds, and to pay attention to how they formulate their platform and express it.
It’s not just about winning arguments in the abstract. It’s about winning people over. So we train candidates to find a message that is not only true to their values, but one that will resonate and address voters’ concerns.
Sometimes crafting the right message and narrative—the Message, as we call it—takes time. And then other times, albeit rarely, the Message is delivered to you on a silver platter and all one must do is accept the gift.
A recent poll demonstrated that one certain issue gathers support from voters across the country regardless of party allegiance and demographics. And, as this poll illustrates, it’s not just a little across-the-board support, but a “Take this to the bank, only an idiot wouldn’t take advantage of this” kind of support. This is across party lines, across demographics, and across the gender divide.
In that poll, an overwhelming majority of respondents said they support self-sufficiency in manufacturing essential goods such as food, medicine, and energy. This debate, brought to light by the coronavirus outbreak, has reinvigorated the movement to bring production home to the United States. It is absolutely time to stop our unrelenting dependence on China and other foreign nations for our production of essentials—a topic I’ve been talking about for quite a while now, both on TV and in my writing.
This specific poll shows that 75 percent of the American electorate (88 percent of Republicans, 71 percent of Independents, and 64 percent of Democrats) support bringing this manufacturing home to American shores. Even more fascinating, by several points, the issue polls better among women than men. If, as a candidate, you find a 75 percent support issue handed to you, neatly packaged, make sure that you know what to do with it, and don’t let the opportunity pass.
With polling data such as this, it’s clear that President Trump and Republicans are in an excellent position going into this fall election, or should be. If only they will seize the moment and run with it.
Growing jobs and trade has always been a major tenant of the Trump Administration and it has trickled down into the platforms of conservatives at all levels of government. With a self-sufficiency platform that brings production of pharmaceuticals and other products that are truly national security issues home, a candidate would have the support of over 7 in 10 Americans.
Bringing production home is a fusion issue that crosses party lines and should make it clear to all of our elected officials that while there is still party tribalism in American politics, there is a deep hunger for leaders who will stand up and promote Americanism—that is, advance American interests across the board. If you don’t believe me, see the millions of registered Democrats in the Rust Belt who voted for Obama at least once who then voted for Trump in 2016.
So to Republicans running this fall, please, I beg you, for once: do not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Just accept the gift, repeat the message ad nauseum, and be rewarded in the fall. Lay out a clear plan for how to work toward this goal of bringing jobs and industries back to the United States and then talk about that plan at every opportunity.
Globalism has always been the enemy of Americanism. While no one seeks isolationism for America, the time has come for our message on manufacturing, immigration, national security, and a whole host of other issues to be “America first and last in all things.”