It's all about divide and conquer. Name a virtue, claim the virtue, and then claim all with the virtue support you...It means your opponents are an immoral/loud minority. Wiki explain's it better:
"The silent majority theme has been a contentious issue amongst journalists since Nixon used the phrase. Some thought Nixon used it as part of the Southern strategy; others claim it was Nixon's way of dismissing the obvious protests going on around the country, and Nixon's attempt to get other Americans not to listen to the protests. Whatever the rationale, Nixon won a landslide victory in 1972, taking 49 of 50 states, vindicating his "silent majority". The opposition vote was split successfully, with 80% of George Wallace supporters voting for Nixon rather than George McGovern, unlike Wallace himself.[24]
Nixon's use of the phrase was part of his strategy to divide Americans and to polarize them into two groups.[25] He used "divide and conquer" tactics to win his political battles, and in 1971 he directed Agnew to speak about "positive polarization" of the electorate.[26][27] The "silent majority" shared Nixon's anxieties and fears that normalcy was being eroded by changes in society.[19][28] The other group was composed of intellectuals, cosmopolitans, professionals and liberals, those willing to "live and let live."[19] Both groups saw themselves as the higher patriots.[19] Nixon's polarization survives today in American politics"
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