Yes, you can play hard and play fair at the same time

Democrats are being accused of dirty play by supporting far-right candidates in the 2022 midterm elections. There’s a way to do that ethically.

“Politics is dirty, so we’re playing dirty.”

That’s basically Democrats’ excuse so far. By supporting far-right candidates with media dollars, Democrats are playing chicken with democracy in hopes the electorate will be scared into voting for their more moderate alternative. There’s a better way to frame this tactic and the practice of paying to amplify your out-of-touch opponents’ voice.

Reframe the strategy

Paying for commercials that tout your opponent’s agenda with language defined on your own terms is a perfectly ethical approach to campaigning for office. What this does, on a strategic level, is, one might argue, strip away the veneer of your opponent’s spin and expose what they’re “actually saying.” A better way to define opponent support is to focus on the high-level strategy of removing the sugar from your opponent’s poison.

Reframe the tactic

The way Democratic party leadership is talking about this strategy sucks. It validates critics on the right and indeed stinks of dirty play. A better way to approach the matter on a tactical level is to simply own it, but in a more ethical frame. You’re not…