On Sunday, ABC’s Goerge Stephanopoulos attempted to shame Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC) for endorsing former President Donald Trump in his 2024 bid for the presidency. Stephanopoulos raised the fact that Mace is a rape victim to question how she could support someone “found liable for rape.” Setting aside the fact that he’s wrong on that legally, Stephanopoulos’ attempt to use Mace’s victimhood to shame her was a new low.
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It got me to thinking about the politics of shame and the fact that Americans typically don’t respond favorably to such efforts — or, at least, didn’t before COVID. We’re oppositionally defiant by nature. It’s sort of how we, as a nation, came to be. The more you badger and bully, the more we’re liable to dig in and say, “No.”
But we’re in the era now where “the opposition,” including politicians ostensibly hungry for our votes, often default to denigration in, presumably, an effort to win them. Support the other guy? You’re a bitter clinger, a deplorable, a white, rural, rage-filled, racist rube.
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Well, alright then. If you think that’s going to win me over to your way of thinking, you go right ahead. But I’ve got news for you: That’s not how most folks are wired. And it’s liable to backfire on you in a big way.
This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Monday, March 11th. Audio included below.
