Listen to “He’s a RINO… Ok, Prove It!” on Spreaker.
He’s a RINO (republican in name only). She’s really a democrat. Says who?
That’s the problem with the accusation: there is no universal barometer for what constitutes a “real Republican” beyond someone’s opinion.
So why do candidates insist on using a term like RINO every chance they get? Because it can work — and because it’s easy. Why it works isn’t hard to understand. It’s the political equivalent of the old playground cootie scare: pejorative, dismissive, and designed to make someone seem less than desirable.
Research from Perspectives on Politics notes many citizens experience party affiliation as identity or strong psychological closeness. In highly polarized contexts – especially in a closed primary – these attachments may shape behavior. That means attacks questioning party loyalty can resonate more among committed party voters than among independents.
Not only does one not want to have cooties, they’re put off by those that do – a benefit to the one making the accusation.
But it only works if we let lazy candidates get away with it. Make them prove it. Make them earn your support. If someone is a RINO, then demand it be proven the way you would in a court of law, where the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The evidence must be there.
This is where we, the electorate, have fallen short. We allow candidates to sling the easiest accusation instead of forcing them to discuss the issues.
You know, like a mailer that pictures an opposing primary republican candidate in a baseball uniform flanked by Pelosi and Biden, also in uniform, saying: ‘Insert name here’ plays for the wrong side… multiple versions of that mailer were sent to voters in various districts throughout the state.
This, rather than demanding a candidate earn votes on the merits of policy. In this upcoming West Virginia primary, voters have the chance to demand more.
Make a candidate talk to you about economic development in West Virginia. Should the state actively pursue new opportunities — what salespeople call being a hunter — or stay on the sidelines and simply wait to see what comes its way? What is the candidate’s growth plan?
Does the candidate understand the state’s infrastructure needs and have a plan to address them? A strategy on roads?
West Virginia is an energy state. Does the candidate understand the basics of the energy industry and what it needs to prosper and how the state can earn more than its fair share in the market?
Where does the candidate stand on vaccines?
Pick your issue — but demand the candidate address it.
Here’s a timely litmus test. Many republicans have reached out to share fond memories of the late David McKinley and to reflect on his service to the state. Pragmatic. Bipartisan. Solutions-focused. A good man. All of those descriptions have been publicly attached to the former West Virginia congressman and were often attached to him before his passing.
Would David McKinley have taken the easy way out and simply called someone a RINO to win a voter’s support? No. He would have addressed the issue head-on and left voters — even those who disagreed with him — with a clear understanding of where he stood and why.
Don’t give up that expectation. If you do, we’ll only see more candidates clearing a lower bar — one that won’t come close to the standard David McKinley set.
Surely, West Virginians deserve better than that and expect more than that?