Begin in agreement, for example: In America, no one is above the law.
Use values, for example: Freedom, liberty, basic rights, fundamental rights, equal opportunity, equal protection, justice, fairness, every American.
Show how they benefit, for example: When we honor and follow our nation’s fundamental rules, every one of us has rights, opportunities, and protections.
The polling here is unambiguous. More than 90 percent of Americans in both parties—an unheard-of polling number—believe preserving the rule of law is important or essential, according to the World Justice Project. Americans don’t believe press coverage critical of the president should be illegal; they don’t believe judges should be impeached for disagreeing with the administration; and they prefer policies to change through legislation rather than through unilateral executive orders. Americans don’t need to be persuaded to support the rule of law and democratic norms. They already do. Often, they just want to be reminded of what’s normal and what’s not.
The far right is dismantling the separation of powers, attacking the free press and an independent judiciary, replacing political discourse with lies and threats of violence, and treating the law as something that applies to other people. This is without precedent in American history—a wholesale rejection of the system itself, driven by the conviction that power is the only thing that matters.
How do we talk about democracy to people who don’t know much about our nation’s history or politics? Simplify your language. Don’t rebut their lies one by one—that accepts their terms. Say instead:
Say… In America, no one is above the law. Everyone has the same rights and responsibilities. If one person or group had the power to ignore our laws and do whatever they want, we wouldn’t be the same America. You and I are the beneficiaries of these fundamental rules; they give us rights, opportunities, and protections.