“Poll respondents reported less enthusiasm about voting than usual, and turnout indeed ended up being down significantly from 1998.”
And to underscore this with a bit of Shor Thought: an ugly campaign that drives down turnout actually helps Biden, because education polarization has sorted all the high civic engagement voters to the left, and that effect is even stronger with Trump.
There is a subtle point that almost slips unnoticed in this article. Davis won reelection because he was able to destroy a stronger Republican primary candidate. This brings up two concerns.
1) this sort of manipulation is patently bad for our country and should be more openly denounced. It is morally bankrupt to screw over a better candidate because you are afraid to lose.
2) the Republicans need to do a better job of fighting against this. It is only effective because republicans let it work. They need to find some way to revamp their primary system (or grow a backbone) to not let this strategy work so well.
Josh, correctly, uses Gray Davis as an example of how to win with dismal polling numbers. However, Davis is also an example of a politician whose support was a mile wide but an inch deep. No one was really committed to him and when the recall came - his backers fled en masse and he lost office. A cautionary tale for how politicians need some sort of emotional-level connection with voters.
Given the focus on Biden’s age, are there examples of people losing because they’re over the hill? I can’t think of too many. Happens occasionally in primaries, but I’m looking for a general election where someone lost base on age and how that issue played out in the campaign.
What Biden needs above all is an inspiring slogan like "No on recall, Yes on Bustamante."
“Poll respondents reported less enthusiasm about voting than usual, and turnout indeed ended up being down significantly from 1998.”
And to underscore this with a bit of Shor Thought: an ugly campaign that drives down turnout actually helps Biden, because education polarization has sorted all the high civic engagement voters to the left, and that effect is even stronger with Trump.
There is a subtle point that almost slips unnoticed in this article. Davis won reelection because he was able to destroy a stronger Republican primary candidate. This brings up two concerns.
1) this sort of manipulation is patently bad for our country and should be more openly denounced. It is morally bankrupt to screw over a better candidate because you are afraid to lose.
2) the Republicans need to do a better job of fighting against this. It is only effective because republicans let it work. They need to find some way to revamp their primary system (or grow a backbone) to not let this strategy work so well.
Repeatedly pointing out that you funded the police over the objections of the far left *and* the Republicans couldn't hurt.
Donald Trump could win this election if he could just control himself and keep his mouth shut.
Obviously he will not do this.
Josh, correctly, uses Gray Davis as an example of how to win with dismal polling numbers. However, Davis is also an example of a politician whose support was a mile wide but an inch deep. No one was really committed to him and when the recall came - his backers fled en masse and he lost office. A cautionary tale for how politicians need some sort of emotional-level connection with voters.
Given the focus on Biden’s age, are there examples of people losing because they’re over the hill? I can’t think of too many. Happens occasionally in primaries, but I’m looking for a general election where someone lost base on age and how that issue played out in the campaign.
As soon as likely voter screens are in, Biden will be fine.
Suderman episode when?