Democrats will never reach large chunks of Republicans because Democrats don’t appear to believe in Evil as a concept.

Conservatives see themselves as warriors against Evil - ISIS, Big Gubmint, Mooslims, Globalization, Progressives, Commies, Soshulists, blah blah. Pick a bogeyman and they’re on it. Think about it, what’s the #1 charge that Republicans make against Dems?

Wussy liberals! Won’t fight! SJWs! Safe space wussies! Delusional! Pussies! Peaceniks! Sissies! Afraid of guns! Afraid of war! Wishy-washy! Panty-waists! Whiners! Bureacrats! They care about fags and girls while mewzlims are gonna come slit all our throats! War, war, war!

(Pick any invective you like, or try combinations. They’re fun!)

Consider how much of the so-called heartland literally believes there’s a war going on between God and The Devil, and that their government is supposed to pick a side. Guess which side they think the Democrats are on? TURMP TELLS IT LIIKE IT IS! HE AIN’T NO WUSSY MAN!

It doesn’t matter if liberals and Democrats are right, or have pesky things like “facts” and “long term trends” on their side.

This is the animus behind all the bullshit kerfuffles and psychological dingle-ornaments that ring and jangle on the Christmas Tree of Crazy that is the Republican party.

“Why do they care about flag pins?”
“Why do they think Radical Islamic Terrorism is a magic term?”
“Why do they love their guns more than people?”
“Why are they so paranoid?”
“Why do they hate the different?”

…Because they’re at war with pretty much everything, and they see evil everywhere. Until Democrats can frame their message in terms of gods and devils, and put aside the “Well, actually…” impulse to correct, they’re never going to reach the poor, blighted folks in the hills who really need help the most.

The Republican party figured out the psychology of its base decades ago. They have it down to a science so that the machine runs on its own, with just a bit of red meat thrown in now and again to keep it running. We all know it’s a fraud out here in the real world, but their base is imprisoned so deep in that psychological dungeon, that it’s going to take radical changes in language for the Democrats to ever reach those people.