Democrats must stop ceding the moral high ground to Republicans
Michigan state Sen. Mallory McMorrow recently fired back at a Republican opponent’s claims that McMorrow was “grooming” and sexualizing children.
Since April 19, her five-minute speech has been viewed almost 15 million times.
McMorrow is not the first Democrat to go on the offensive against Republican lies. But her speech has gained traction in a way that few, if any, Democratic lawmakers have in recent years. Why?
To me, her speech is most notable for her explanation of how her Christian background informs her progressive politics. Many Democratic politicians identify as Christians, but when it comes time to talk policy, they check their faith at the door.
McMorrow didn’t blink: “My mom taught me at a very young age that Christianity and faith was about being a part of a community, about recognizing our privilege and blessings and doing what we can to be of service to others, especially those who are marginalized, targeted, and who have less, often unfairly.”
It’s a message I’ve been waiting to hear from a Democratic politician for years.
In 2016, a week after Donald Trump was elected, I wrote an op-ed in the News & Observer urging Democrats not to shy away from explaining the ways their faith informed their politics. If they did, Republicans could claim to be the party of God. From there, “it’s a short walk to deciding that the other party is the party of itself, or of nothing at all.”
In the five years since, Republicans have done just that.
They regularly accuse Democrats of all manner of sins, from stealing an election, to indoctrinating children with critical race theory, to now, apparently, grooming. These conspiracies are entirely devoid of factual basis, but they continue to spread.
A big part of the problem is that Democrats and Republicans don’t play on equal footing when it comes to explaining the bedrock of their beliefs. Republicans point to their Christian faith to justify whatever policy they’re espousing, and they rarely get questioned on it. No one says, for instance, “I’m pretty sure that the Jesus you keep talking about would love for all people to have healthcare.”
Most importantly, progressive politicians fail to present an effective countervailing picture of how their faith informs their vision for the country. They should.
I can almost feel my non-Christian progressive friends recoiling. I admit that the idea that American politics is not Christian enough seems absurd. Nearly every president in the country’s history has identified as a Christian, along with 88% of our current Congress.
But my point isn’t that we need more Christians in politics. It’s that Democrats need to use every tool in their toolbox to explain why a progressive vision of America is not just good for the economy or national security, it’s also the only moral path for the country. While one of those tools might be the Bible, another might be the Torah, or the Quran, or the writings of Frederick Douglass or Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
North Carolina’s own Rev. William J. Barber understands this. His perspective is unabashedly Christian and his faith guides his policy. But that faith is inclusive. He calls for a “fusion coalition” that finds common ground between individuals of all religious backgrounds — or no religious background.
McMorrow understands that as well, saying: “I want every child in this state to feel seen, heard and supported, not marginalized and targeted because they are not straight, white and Christian.”
In the end, Democrats must stop ceding the moral language of American politics to Republicans. The current Republican platform consists almost entirely of (a) protecting tax cuts for billionaires; (b) fighting tooth-and-nail to prevent all Americans from having health insurance; (c) attacking gay and trans folks; (d) turning away refugees at our borders; and (e) preventing Black and brown people from voting.
These positions are antithetical to the Jesus whom they regularly invoke, a guy who spent much of his time feeding the hungry and doling out free healthcare. More Democratic politicians should follow McMorrow’s lead and point that out.
Luke Honeycutt Everett is a clinical professor of law at the UNC School of Law in Chapel Hill.
