Throughout the fabric of many Democratic policies runs a common thread of fraud. Republicans should run against it. They should start now, going into the midterms, and continue through 2028. And they shouldn’t stop until the fraud is wrung out.
Americans already think corruption is prevalent in government. According to a recent Gallup survey, a record-high 89 percent believe it is; that’s up 10 percentage points just from last year.
For Republicans, their task is to connect this fraud and corruption perception back to Democrats; this shouldn’t be hard. Instead, the hardest part should be deciding where to begin.
Obviously, recent high-profile fraud in federal spending comes to mind. Blue states, such as Minnesota and California, have seen many reports of wasteful and fraudulent spending. The same applies to many big cities where Democrats’ support is strongest. These reports have gone beyond officials just being blind to waste and fraud; they also show them to be complicit in it. Considering the federal government spent $7 trillion last year, and many programs have been cited for fraud, this should be a prime target.
Voting is another area where Democrats are closely connected to episodes of fraud. There was the discovery of thousands of illegal immigrants being registered to vote in New Jersey (called just the “tip of the iceberg” by state Republican Declan O’Scanlon). There are also states like California where no photo ID is required to vote; in 2024, of the 13 states where no documentation was required to vote, 11 were blue. At the national level, there is the party’s parade of excuses for opposing the SAVE America Act and any effort to require that voters show ID.
Following on, there is Democrats’ opposition to citizenship requirements in general — such as for driver licenses and census surveys — as well.
This in turn takes us to Democrats’ open borders and sanctuary cities policies. These are also forms of fraud.
Democrats’ transgender agenda also qualifies. Allowing biological males into women’s sports and programs means taking away opportunities for the biological women and girls for whom these were intended — that’s fraud.
There are, of course, the many green energy boondoggles. The over-budget and continually delayed California high-speed train to nowhere (it gets to nowhere faster) is a classic example. So, too, the many Biden administration programs from the Inflation Reduction Act. And don’t forget LAX’s behind-schedule and massively expensive airport train. Or the multi-trillion-dollar Green New Deal.
Democrats’ DEI initiatives also qualify. These inherently and expressly tilt the playing field unfairly. Yet Democrats continuously try to preserve them — if not in form, then in spirit, as they try renaming DEI programs once they are discovered.
Foreign aid spending through USAID must also go on the list. How much wasn’t well spent and simply lined the pockets of foreign leaders and NGOs? Still, Democrats demand every last dime.
Neither can we forget Democrats’ new electoral partner, the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). Look at how many DSA members have run (and won) in Democratic primaries; how many DSA-endorsed Democrats there are (with Democrats accepting the endorsement), and how the party refuses to say a word against the DSA or socialism in general. Then look at the DSA’s agenda to abolish the president, Supreme Court, Senate, allow all permanent U.S. residents to vote, and more.
There is also Democrats’ claim that many of the protests and protestors erupting nationwide are simply citizens exercising First Amendment rights. This, even as evidence piles up of foreign money being funneled in and far-left organizations, such as the Southern Poverty Law Center and ActBlue, obtaining their money by fraudulent means.
Fraud costs billions: in misspending, in spending to discover and eliminate fraud, and in spending needed to rectify fraud’s harm. Over time, billions become trillions. According to the Cato Institute, the federal government spends over $1.8 trillion annually on just anti-poverty programs and has spent $25-$30 trillion since LBJ declared a War on Poverty in 1964. How much poverty has been eradicated compared to the enrichment of those administering the programs?
Fraud also leads to the debasement of systems in which it occurs. No wonder 89 percent believe there is corruption in government.
Americans hate to feel taken. To be played. This is why stories about elite cheats are so popular: They are morality plays played out before our eyes.
Americans are straight shooters who play by the rules and expect others to as well. Still, in instance after instance, Democrats find themselves running from fraud when it is discovered and mouthing the same platitudes that these are just isolated occurrences. Republicans should not only be chasing the fraud but running on the issue.
J.T. Young is the author of the recent book, "Unprecedented Assault: How Big Government Unleashed America’s Socialist Left" from RealClear Publishing. Follow him on Substack.