My daughter is also in her 30s, and also pissed off about Gaza, etc. However, I guarantee that come November she’ll vote against Trump without reservation.
I don’t know anyone who’s a fan of Trump personally- I for one never have been. But I know a number of people who are convinced beyond any counter-argument that the Democratic Party is flat-out evil. Who really believe that the Dems are working step by step towards an unrecognizable Brave New World that will abolish traditional society as we know it by the institution of virtually totalitarian social controls. The same sort of mindset that in 1860 led some to claim that the Republicans would force white women to bear mixed-race children; or during the Dreyfus Affair in 19th century France when the effort to exonerate Dreyfus was condemned by rightists as a conspiracy by the socialists/Jews/Germany’s minions to tear down and destroy the Republic.
I don’t think the Democrats really appreciate just how widespread and powerful this sentiment is; and simply condemning it as an ignorable fringe of people who are evil/insane/stupid doesn’t do any good. Whatever his failures, Donald Trump has been and remains a supremely skilled con man who has an unconscious and instinctive ability to pander to this demographic of the disaffected. The Republican Party has been trying to find someone with the charisma to take over Trump’s mantle, only unlike Trump not a complete imbecile; so far without success.
As for the odds, right now everything hinges on the Supreme Court deciding whether states can ban Trump from the ballot or not. (Although I’m unclear on whether write-ins for him would count towards a Republican victory or not).
I don’t know any such people personally (thank god) but I do hear them on the radio as often as I tune in to such stations. I cannot understand it. Literally, cannot understand it. I could understand (but not agree) with something like “The politics of the democratic party would be disastrous to our country.” What I cannot understand is “The Democrats are trying to destroy our country.” Why would we do that?
It’s the result of endless, relentless propaganda being spewed out by the likes of Fox, RT, News Max, et. al.
We consistently underestimate the profound effect the misinformation garbage has on our citizenry. Trump and his supporters, including foreign adversaries, are more than happy to exploit this huge weakness in our society while we scratch our heads and wonder how and why our population can be so nuts.
Until we acknowledge and confront the problem in a meaningful way, it will continue to exert an outsize influence on our elections – and consequently, our leadership.
Except that how do you do that without raising enormous 1st Amendment issues? If you really believe that the “marketplace of ideas” is a flawed concept and that most people gullibly swallow whatever propaganda they’re fed, then democracy itself is ultimately a flawed concept. It’s frankly perhaps more than a bit contemptuous of the hoi polli, and feeds exactly into the Right’s paranoia about e.g. the Disinformation Governance Board.
Oh, I get all that. And putting reasonable limits on free speech – which is not a new thing – got a lot harder with the current makeup of the Supreme Court. But you can’t deny the outsize influence of misinformation on our populace.
I believe that what has gone by the wayside is education, particularly around history and civics. Not something that will be fixed anytime soon. Meantime, we all get dragged down by those exploiting the misinformation for their own selfish ends.
So there are a bunch of people who are really gullible, and are immune to acts. What exactly are the Dems supposed to do about it? Can’t force them to inform themselves. Can’t outlaw the misinformation media.
I think the Dems DO appreciate this sentiment. But I’m not sure exactly how widespread it is. But the true believers are beyond hope. All the Dems can do is blatantly stress the danger that Trump represents and hope that enough non-irrational folk drag themselves out to vote.
It would be one thing if both candidates were horrible. But I cdon’t see the problem w/ Biden other than his age. At times I wonder what the Dem equivalent of Trump would be. But if such a creature existed, I sure hope I would be able to vote for a moderate Repub (if such a creature existed.)
No, but we can do a hell of a lot better job pointing out where and when the misinformation happens, along with who’s behind it and why. So often, these false assertions go unchallenged.
I’m not saying that group will vote for Trump. A significant number may not vote at all.
If the election were held today, polls suggest Trump would flip Georgia, Nevada, and Arizona. If so, then Trump would win the election if he also flips either Michigan or Wisconsin (assuming the other 45 states and DC voted as they did last time). Both MI and WI are now so close they might as well be coin tosses. Biden won both in 2020 but Trump won both in 2016. I peg the probability at very close to 50%.
Of course, a lot can happen between now and November.
Though this is true, even if it is pointed out, the challenges will simply be labeled as lies and propaganda by the right.
IMHO there is a critical requirement for accuracy and truth in the education system with a healthy dose of critical thinking and analytical skills. Unfortunately, I think that any attempt to implement that would be seen as some sort of woke, anti-god social engineering.
How do we fix this?
…gull them?
The directors at Daimler Benz, IG Farben, Krupp, and others thought the same thing about … you know who in 1933.
This is the wrong thread for this discussion, so I’ll take it over here:
No more than 20%, based entirely on something happening to Biden. The electorate has soundly rejected Trump at every step for the last three elections, and every special election in between. Biden’s popularity or lack of thereof is and has always been inconsequential. Trump tried to take away the main thing independents value, the ability to decide elections.
I"m pretty sure they are going to go for “States can control women’s reproduction, but they cannot enforce the plain language of the Constitution”
I’m pretty sure it’s not that cut and dried, if only because there’s considerable doubt as to just who is supposed to certify and enforce that provision of the 14th.
The party isn’t running squat. It’s John Q Public that’s picking the candidates.
If the party bosses were picking the candidates to present to the electorate like they did back in the day, neither Trump nor Biden would be anywhere near the ballot.
I’m not sure you understood my point.
There are a significant number of people who voted for Trump, then voted against Trump, but will vote for Trump again.
What I want to know is, why? What factors are those people using to bounce back and forth like that?
To his credit [candidate] Biden was absolutely transparent in his positions on issues and what he intended to do when elected. Biden has always been an honest liberal and has never tried to hide that fact or try to make himself out to be a moderate or “new Democrat” or any of that happy nonsense.
So the people who voted for Trump, then for Biden, and now again for Trump, I want to know what their motovation is? Is it just that they don’t like the results of Bidens policies? What did they expect? Were they just having a hissy fit over Trumps handling of covid? Do they themselves have no clue where they stand on issues?
The entire thing intrigues me and boggles my mind.
Because every accusation from the right is a confession.
How many? And how do you know? If it’s a hundred or a thousand people in the entire country, then who cares?