Republicans haven’t exactly been subtle in claiming the idea of “freedom” as their own. When a group of right-wing GOP House members decided to create their own radical faction, for example, they called it the House Freedom Caucus.
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was preparing to launch an ill-fated national campaign, he labeled his state “a citadel of freedom,” “freedom’s linchpin” and “freedom’s vanguard.” He went on to title his memoir “The Courage to Be Free” and called his budget a “Framework for Freedom.”
But if “freedom” is a word that Republicans stole from Democrats, the Harris/Walz campaign and its allies are stealing it back.
In fact, as Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz accepted his party’s vice presidential nomination, he explicitly said that “freedom” is “what this election is about.” From the transcript:
“When Republicans use the word ‘freedom,’ they mean that the government should be free to invade your doctor’s office. Corporations, free to pollute your air and water. And banks, free to take advantage of customers. But when we Democrats talk about freedom, we mean the freedom to make a better life for yourself and the people that you love. Freedom to make your own health care decisions. And yeah, your kids’ freedom to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in the hall.”
The Minnesotan was hardly alone. Earlier in the evening, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro emphasized a similar message, explaining Donald Trump “cloaks himself in the blanket of freedom, what he’s offering isn’t freedom at all.”
“It’s not freedom to tell our children what books they’re allowed to read,” he added. “And it’s not freedom to tell women what they can do with their bodies. It sure as hell isn’t freedom to say, ‘You can go vote, but he gets to pick the winner.’ That’s not freedom.”
Soon after, convention attendees were presented with a new video from the Harris campaign. It’s title: “We believe in freedom.” Democratic Convention airs new ad: "We believe in freedom." pic.twitter.com/uhxKBigDf0 It dovetails with a convention in which Beyonce’s “Freedom” has been a musical mainstay of the entire event, and as Walz ended his convention remarks, it was Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World” that played over the loudspeakers. All of which is to say, Democrats aren’t just trying to change the public conversation, they’re also picking a fight over the mantle of “freedom” itself. As the ongoing convention is helping prove, it’s a fight the party thinks it can win.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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