# Stop telling us to “listen” to Trump voters. We have heard enough **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 19, 2020, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978 "2020-11-19T16:52:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/141 "2020-11-22T22:26:41Z")
They registered to vote, didnt they? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/142 "2020-11-22T22:28:10Z")
So what? I had premium cable for years. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/143 "2020-11-22T22:33:09Z")
what the fuck does that have to do with voting? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/144 "2020-11-22T22:37:33Z")
Same thing having ESPN has to do with being interested in football. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/145 "2020-11-22T22:45:21Z")
Then- nothing whatsoever at all. You register to vote because you are interested in voting. It is not part of a package deal. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/146 "2020-11-22T22:55:58Z")
A lot of places have automatic voter registration when you get a driver’s license. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/147 "2020-11-22T22:58:21Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Then- nothing whatsoever at all. > > You register to vote because you are interested in voting. > > It is not part of a package deal. Didn’t you just say that only 67% of registered voters bothered to vote in the most participated election of the last 100 years? What are 33% of registered non-voters waiting for, a personalized formal invitation on linen stationary? ---
**Author:** ![rejemy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/898d66/32.png) [@rejemy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rejemy)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/148 "2020-11-22T23:27:54Z")
Thanks for writing that, it’s be best summary of the authoritarian mindset I’ve read. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/149 "2020-11-22T23:33:20Z")
Great post. I think another tangent to this is: In the eyes of many Trump voters, the best defense against liberal tyranny is…a tyrant of one’s own. Only a tyrant can invoke the necessary power and unity to fight liberal tyranny effectively (regardless of whether liberal tyranny actually exists.) ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/150 "2020-11-23T00:11:02Z")
> [@agzem](#): > > I didn’t vote for Trump in 2016 but I did in 2020. I’ve never seen Trump or any other politician **publicly humiliate women** So I guess sleeping with hookers is not a problem then and does not humiliate a mans Wife. Ok then. Oh and illegally paying them off to stay quite. That’s ok too. Gently resting your hands on a woman’s shoulders is a real no no though. Nope, I’m not listening to Trump supporters any longer. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/151 "2020-11-23T00:15:18Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > What are 33% of registered non-voters waiting for, a personalized formal invitation on linen stationary? Many are waiting for the GOP’s Jim Crow voter suppression efforts to stop so they _can_ vote. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/152 "2020-11-23T00:26:46Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Many are waiting for the GOP’s Jim Crow voter suppression efforts to stop so they _can_ vote. Tru dat. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/153 "2020-11-23T08:40:18Z")
> [@DeadTreasSecretaries](#): > > I see the calls for listening as reaching out to marginal Trump voters, empathizing with them and making them feel heard so they don’t think they have to vote for a demagogue like Trump, but it’s entirely possible we’re arguing about different things. I see it as the Democrats talking to them to find out why they didn’t vote D, and then adjusting policies or messaging to address those reasons. Just listening isn’t going to help if you don’t _do_ anything in response. And no, I don’t mean adopting the Republican party platform. This should only apply to marginal voters who might feasibly change their minds. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/154 "2020-11-23T12:19:35Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Setting aside for a moment whether they’re dumb or smart, one trait most of them share is bad intellectual habits. The most problematic of these is the authoritarian mindset. I’m talking about personal authoritarianism; i.e. I prefer to have deciders in my life to tell me what’s true and what I should do. Thanks for this essay — I found it helpful and illuminating. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/155 "2020-11-23T16:26:50Z")
> [@DemonTree](#): > > I see it as the Democrats talking to them to find out why they didn’t vote D, and then adjusting policies or messaging to address those reasons. Trouble is, many of these reasons are not just different, not just wrong… they are either batshit insane or morally repugnant. What are Democrats supposed to do? Alter their policies and treat gay people as second class citizens? Alter their policies and admit that Democrats are child kidnappers? Alter their policies to say that Covid is hoax? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/156 "2020-11-23T16:45:17Z")
Serious question: What specific Democratic policy platform, if altered or added, would attract some significant number of Republican voters and not negatively impact current support by Democratic party voters? IOW, a net gain for Dems. And if not a policy, then what argument or appeal can be offered that isn’t or hasn’t been made? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/157 "2020-11-23T16:59:11Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Serious question: What specific Democratic policy platform, if altered or added, would attract some significant number of Republican voters and not negatively impact current support by Democratic party voters? IOW, a net gain for Dems. > > And if not a policy, then what argument or appeal can be offered that isn’t or hasn’t been made? IMHO, the Democrats wouldn’t have to actually change any policies, just pay lip service to some grievances. Saying some things like “white men face discrimination,” “flyover America has been neglected,” “China is a security threat and human-rights abuser” or “we need to value unborn life” would win over many Trumpers while not having to actually change policy one bit. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/158 "2020-11-23T17:02:32Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > IMHO, the Democrats wouldn’t have to actually change any policies, just pay lip service to some grievances. Saying some things like “white men face discrimination,” “flyover America has been neglected,” “China is a security threat and human-rights abuser” or “we need to value unborn life” would win over many Trumpers while not having to actually change policy one bit. So Dems need to resort to cynical platitudes, like Republicans have done for dozens of years. It’s that simple? ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/159 "2020-11-23T17:06:42Z")
Judging from the article about Florida, countering the Republicans’ claim that Joe Biden is the second coming of Hugo Chávez would have helped there. I don’t know what specific policies would help because I’m not a Trump voter living in flyover country, but I do think offering change is important, rather than promising more of the same. It worked for Obama. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978/160 "2020-11-23T17:12:33Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > > [@Velocity](#): > > > > MHO, the Democrats wouldn’t have to actually change any policies, just pay lip service to some grievances. Saying some things like “white men face discrimination,” “flyover America has been neglected,” “China is a security threat and human-rights abuser” or “we need to value unborn life” would win over many Trumpers while not having to actually change policy one bit. > > So Dems need to resort to cynical platitudes, like Republicans have done for dozens of years. It’s that simple? Most of those are reasonable statements, so what’s the problem with saying them? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-telling-us-to-listen-to-trump-voters-we-have-heard-enough/925978.md?page=9)