Thread by @PalmerReport

Why is Ted Cruz's Cancun scandal resonating, when his past scandals haven't?

Voters in the middle DO NOT CARE when we point out that Republicans are fascist, corrupt, liars, or authoritarians.

But they DO CARE when a Republican does something idiotic, inept, or embarrassing.

Winning an election usually requires winning over the people in the middle to your side. To do that, you have to focus on the stuff THEY care about, not just on the stuff you think they should care about. It's about winning an election, not winning an argument.

You will never, ever, ever get the voters in the middle to side with you by accusing the Republicans of being "fascists" or "authoritarians" – no matter how correct you are.

But when you point out ways in which Republicans are embarrassing idiots, you win voters in the middle.

Voters in the middle care deeply about pretending both parties are basically the same. It's their excuse for not picking a side. You won't convince them otherwise. It's why accusations of Republican fascism or corruption don't work. But an EMBARRASSING scandal always sways them.

This is the precise logic of voters in the middle: "Both sides are the same, but that one particular Republican clown is just plain embarrassing and throwing things out of whack. Let's get rid of him, so we can get back to both sides being the same."

It's their specific desire to be able to go back to pretending both sides are the same, that allows you to motivate them to get rid of whichever Republicans are upsetting their ability to pretend both sides are the same. You have to use their bias to your favor to get their vote.

If you can further leverage the Republican Party's unwillingness to do anything about Ted Cruz (Boebert, Greene, Hawley) into getting the people in the middle to vote straight Democrat in the next election, even better. But they'll still only do it according to their own biases.