#LoveThyNeighbor must be the Democratic slogan in 2020
Without a vision, the people perish (Proverbs 29:18).
Say what you will about Senator Cory Booker’s short-lived presidential campaign, but he had a positive vision for America.
Bloodthirsty Democratic primary voters have passed over his calls for “radical love,” but the nomination contest, with all its most fulminating rebukes of President Trump, will eventually come to a close. Then comes a chance to pivot, and our nominee — whomever that may be — must not waste the opportunity. The only plausible response to President Trump’s historic hatred and vitriol is positivity, on an equal scale. Under the banner of “#LoveThyNeighbor,” Democrats can unite their coalition, confound and fracture the religious right, and demonstrate that their platform is how Americans can build a better world.
To enlist the ancient phrase is provocative and daring. It calls a conversation to it. Grounded in helping others, such a discussion would be policy-focused, humane, and set the context for our party platform. In an op-ed in the Washington Post this past December, columnist David Ignatius called for “the politics of Love Thy Neighbor” to persevere. He elaborated on Morning Joe with host Joe Scarborough, suggesting that a presidential nominee could form a winning campaign message with a reconciliatory pledge to reach across the aisle and work with political opponents. That kind of dialogue elevates the better nature in all participants, but the phrase itself represents the essence of progressivism, and could headline our national movement like nothing else can.
It could illuminate, for example, the Democratic party’s advantage on nearly every issue of concern to battleground American voters, and help the party go on offense against a vulnerable incumbent. To hashtag it will blend a timeless and universal moral truth with new and shareable media. That kind of dialogue will not only be good for the nation’s ailing soul, but it will also be an attractive option to voters exhausted or disillusioned by Donald Trump’s acrimonious new world order.
The greatest political battle in 2020 will be the national conversation. We never fail to forget that the post-primary general election campaign is anywhere from three to six months long, always enough for pre-general election analyses to collapse upon themselves. The Overton window shifts, and each candidate’s proposals — and overall worldview — are given a fair hearing. There have been many reasons cited for how the 2016 election unfolded, but as unreasonable a candidate as Donald Trump seemed to be, he was given that fair hearing and then some, and his message sold. Democrats have a chance to remake the context of that national conversation in 2020, not only with whom we nominate, but how we market that candidate to the wider electorate.
The common refrain of #LoveThyNeighbor will allow Democrats to pitch an optimistic vision for America. During the long haul of the general election, a transformative and progressive agenda will contrast with a modern society that many view as having lost spiritual guidance or moral clarity — and we can tie Donald Trump to that immoral status quo.
Democrats face the quadrennial struggle of forging together a winning coalition of young people, many minority groups, and secular college-educated white voters. While Republicans can work with much more focused, cogent, and incisive messaging for their homogenous voting blocs, this is important: no one seems to have realized how vulnerable this makes them. Not just in the long run, but right now, in 2020.
Most importantly, while #LoveThyNeighbor is universal enough to reflect all of the Democratic Party’s diverse constituencies, its religious and canonical origin will stress-test the Republican coalition where it is most delicate.
And it is indeed delicate.
There’s been an awakening. When Christianity Today, an influential Evangelical magazine, called for the removal of President Trump, it signaled a new path forward for Democrats. A recent analysis by FiveThirtyEight suggests President Trump’s approval rating may be lower than standard measurement interprets. His supporters are not so ardent as to never tire of him. The cracks are showing as more religious leaders have made their doubts known. Yet a recent AP-NORC poll found 79% of white Evangelicals still support President Trump. So it’s important to understand that opportunity for Democrats exists here not in spite of this high number, but precisely because of it. We must press this fissure.
A targeted undermining effort need only be minimally effective to fatally weaken Republican margins in many crucial states. A modest regression in President Trump’s share of the Evangelical vote from 81% in 2016 to 75% in 2020 would terminate his reelection chances entirely.
The same poll demonstrates where the opportunities are for Democrats to exploit the disparity in Evangelical support for President Trump on issues of their communal concern. For instance, clear majorities of White Evangelicals support increasing taxes on the wealthy, increasing assistance for the poor, and even regulating carbon emissions. A Democratic campaign fighting under the banner of #LoveThyNeighbor would highlight these issues, clandestinely make the case to rural, religious voters, particularly young people and women, that the Republican Party no longer stands for them.
It is extremely important that this strategy be reflected in the campaign slogan. In an era of political bubbles, nothing less will do. Voters who pay less attention to politics — or who patronize right-wing media — may not be exposed to much more of a campaign than the candidate’s appearance in debates or its armor-piercing slogan. The banner of #LoveThyNeighbor could provoke some voters to reflect religiously and politically. Even for so many voters who’ve come to identify with President Trump, seeing his opposition fighting under the most memorable Christian proverb (Matthew 22:37–39) would seed doubt over what their media filter bubbles are feeding to them.
Outreach will highlight the historic immorality of this presidency, beginning with the images and sounds of children being dragged away from their parents, which notably turned off several high-profile Evangelical supporters of the president. In the same AP-NORC poll, 54% of Evangelicals opposed President Trump’s separation policy.
Meanwhile, young Evangelicals are already souring on Trump, citing abortion as a hurdle to becoming Democrats. Under the slogan of #LoveThyNeighbor, a general election nominee can passionately shift the framing of the abortion debate without changing their positions, calling for common sense policies that will reduce (the need for) abortions overall.
Lastly, all right-wing media will tout economic growth as a Trump campaign strength in 2020. A campaign centered on #LoveThyNeighbor can raise two counter arguments to this point. Firstly, it will undercut the argument by highlighting ongoing suffering in this country. Secondly and perhaps more importantly, voters choosing their own economic fortunes over the well-being of fellow Americans will find that greed challenged by feelings of faith and civic duty aroused in the ancient call to love their neighbors as they do themselves.
Without a vision, the people perish.
#LoveThyNeighbor is a vision for all Americans. It means caring for the poor and reigning in corporate greed. It maligns nationalism with several of the seven deadly sins. It means all humans, born in God’s image, should have access to adequate healthcare. It means telling the truth. Remaking the American government around these principles would be a formidable platform under the banner of #LoveThyNeighbor. All Democrats can organize and enthusiastically support such a moral revolution, driving turnout. It would form a direct contrast to the selfish, confrontational, and nationalist approach of President Trump and the Republican Party, persuading moderate swing voters. Often a slogan is all that can penetrate a major media bubble such as Fox News or talk radio, and #LoveThyNeighbor is immutable and stultifying.
Seeing #LoveThyNeighbor plastered across signs and banners, hearing the phrase nervously scoffed at by radio hosts, potential Trump voters will be forced to confront some presumptions they’ve long taken for granted about which party is standing for God.
Let us do the impossible, and make Donald Trump pray.
Greg Nasif is a former Democratic Party organizer and New Jersey-based environmental activist with Clean Water Action.