The turning of the screw

Attention Palmer Report readers: sign up for our free mailing list here
-----
Note from Bill Palmer: if each of you reading this can kick in $10 or $25, it'll help keep Palmer Report firing on all cylinders at this crucial time in our nation's history: Donate now


We can win the 2022 November midterms for many reasons. We have better candidates; we have great decisions and ideas. But we also have a bit of a secret weapon that can help is in our fight to keep democracy. It is how the GOP is reacting to their political situation. They are reacting with the turning of the screw.

The turn of the screw is defined as “an action that makes a bad situation worse, especially one that forces someone to do something.” Also: “Something that worsens an already difficult or negative situation.”

There can be no doubt that the response of the GOP to everything from abortion to the Herschel Walker fiasco to gun safety reform is a turn of the screw for them. See, the GOP has made their own situation much, much worse.

In reality, using the Herschel Walker situation as an example, they could have had all the negativity behind them. All they really had to do was condemn him.But they simply couldn’t. Their new normal is to make things worse – to turn the screw agonizingly deeper with their own foolish and utterly bizarre reactions.

One usually looks for solutions when one has a tricky situation or problem. The GOP is not doing that. They are exerting undue hardships on themselves by twisting themselves into pretzels, trying to pretend everything is OK. It is more than just plain denial of reality; it is making their already challenging situations significantly worse.

But the GOP — or most of them — seem unaware they’re doing that. They are doubling down on the turning, not backing away. And that is our secret advantage. Because the GOP is showing us they literally have no idea how to deal with any campaign crises. They’re on defense constantly- to their own detriment and hopefully to our victories.

Attention Palmer Report readers: sign up for our free mailing list here
-----
Note from Bill Palmer: if each of you reading this can kick in $10 or $25, it'll help keep Palmer Report firing on all cylinders at this crucial time in our nation's history: Donate now