I’ve noticed a disturbing trend on Twitter. Many Democrats, from online activists to President Barack Obama himself, seem to feel that it is beneath them to spend time addressing the Republican Party’s Benghazi conspiracy theory. I can certainly understand their reasoning: the GOP’s delusions about the tragic terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya that left four Americans dead, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, are ludicrous to any sane person paying attention. The problem is, a lot of Americans aren’t paying attention. Let’s be real: how many average Americans, apathetic about politics and more attuned to American Idol than foreign policy, have spent any time reading about Benghazi? All it takes is a little bit of common sense to see how absurd Republicans’ claims are. Read a couple of articles and this is clear. But numerous studies show that most Americans spend little time reading or watching the news. And when they do, it’s about grizzly murders, not terrorist attacks that happened over a year ago.

Appearances are everything. The GOP overlords have always realize this, while Democrats have struggled to grasp the concept. Appearance is why the House of Representatives has created a special committee, chaired by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) to investigate a “scandal” that Congress has already spent millions of dollars on and uncovered nothing. Rank-and-file Tea Party Republicans seem sincere in their commitment to “uncovering the truth.” But higher-ups like Speaker of the House John Boehner are probably aware that the committee won’t reveal anything of substance. That’s why they were reluctant to form one in the first place. Alas, a combination of Tea Party pressure and a recently released email have forced the establishment cynics to bow to the ideological extremists.

The saddest thing is, their gamble could pay off. The consensus among liberals seems to be that the Benghazi hearings are primarily intended to rally the GOP base ahead of the November midterm elections. However, we should not assume that, absent a strong, compelling counter-narrative, the American people won’t be swayed. Imagine you know nothing about Benghazi. Maybe you’ve never heard of it and assumed it’s some exotic foreign dish. What you do know is that the Democrat Secretary of State John Kerry is in front of a panel and on the defensive, parrying impassioned assaults from every Republican in the room. You hear that the White House stupidly refused to release innocuous documents until they were forced to. What will you think? You may draw connections with prior, high-profile committee hearings when those testifying were, in fact, guilty. Perhaps you’ll be reminded of Democrat Bill Clinton’s impeachment.

None of this is to say the American people will be outraged by the Obama Administration’s handling of Benghazi. Few will spend much time thinking about it or watching. But the hearing will foster an aura of scandal at a time when Democrats already face an uphill battle to win seats in the House and maintain control of the Senate. Even a small number of voters already skeptical of Obama who are swayed by the hearing could make a difference.

A far greater threat is the possibility of Obama’s approval rating ticking down even further. A poor approval rating will guide the media a narrative leading up to November. And a negative media narrative will shape public sentiment. Negative media coverage will shape public opinion. And so the cycle will continue, to the detriment of Democrats. Seem far-fetched? Maybe. But there is recent precedent for this assumption. Amidst the NSA, Benghazi and IRS scandals, President Obama’s approval rating sank. In all likelihood, this was not because Americans cared much about the individual scandals (with the possible exception of the NSA). No, it was the aura of scandal that turned the American people against the President (the bumpy Obamacare rollout didn’t help).

Then, like now, the GOP went on the attack and Democrats did not fight back. We must not make the same mistake again. We have a big advantage over the GOP when it comes to Benghazi: the facts are on our side. The GOP’s arguments collapse under even the slightest scrutiny. It is our job to make sure the public applies that scrutiny, or else we will allow Republicans to shape the narrative in their own favor.