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this post was submitted on 24 Jan 2025
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No, it's the economy, stupid.
Racism and bigotry are just the keys that they dangle to keep people distracted. But it is not why people vote. Trump voters actually believe he is going to make America great again. It's stupid, but you have to consider how non-existent the Dem's alternative vision is.
Trump literally won in 2016 with a good economy. He got 74 million votes in 2020 and barely lost with a bad economy. It’s not the economy.
Last year there were numerous articles about how the economy was doing so well but average people were extremely pessimistic. This confusion and divide highlights why it is and always will be about the economy. The economy is extremely unequal. When it's good, people don't realize it because nothing changes for them. Boiling it down to "good" and "bad" economy is exactly the myopic viewpoint the Dems have and why they will continue to lose.
Racism and bigotry are the main factor in motivating the conservative base.
Promoting hope and progressive change would be the motivating factor for Dems, but they are also conservative and rug pull most candidates that try to push for progressive change. They let Obama slip through, and there are a few like AOC that don't get squashed, but the party leadership is all about appeasing the 'moderates' while trying and failing to peel away Republican voters.
So racism and bigotry are the biggest factors because they are both used and effective in consistently winning elections.
Edit: Obama didn't lose support for switching to gay marriage. He lost support because people blamed him for not overcoming Republican obstruction.
I know it's an unpopular opinion, but I think we oversubscribe conservative motivation as being racism and bigotry. I think it's a major part for SOME, but across the entire population of people who voted Republican it's AT LEAST not the primary motivating factor.
It's a narrow but important distinction, that I think it's tone.
If you look at the acceleration of wealth accumulation, especially since about 1970 where productivity and wages began to diverge, this has generated significant angst in a lot of people. Where in history you could have a car a house and two kids on a single income, now it's a complete fantasy. Look at how the Simpsons has aged, it's laughably inconceivable now, but it wasn't at the inception of the show.
People have a lot of trouble coming to terms with specifically WHY this has happened, why the "good life" has slipped from our grasp. People are mad, sad... Generally anxious, frustrated... Things, in their mind, are NOT OK. And they're right.
Republicans MEET that tone. Will their policies help at all? No. But they MEET THE TONE. It sounds, when they speak, that they FEEL the way the electorate FEELS.
There is no substance.
So, anyways, I think for most people who voted R, bigotry is something they're willing to accept if the promise is it will result in a better life, but I don't think it's what they crave.
I think just writing it all off as bigotry and racism is convenient, but it's counter-productive. It's a thought terminating statement. It lends no opportunity for the Democratic party to self reflect on what Rs had that they didn't.
They didn't have the protective-angry-dad energy that they crave. The substance of the platform is immaterial to people driven and attracted by emotion. I think MANY people would have voted for a democrat with a non-bigorty platform if they just brought protective-angry-dad vibes.
So, anyways, I think for most people who voted R, bigotry is something they’re willing to accept if the promise is it will result in a better life, but I don’t think it’s what they crave.
I think just writing it all off as bigotry and racism is convenient, but it’s counter-productive.
No, just no.
Republicans blame immigrants and 'DEI hires' as the thing to blame for their voting block's economic woes. Their voters buy that shit up like an all you can eat buffet. They are not 'willing to accept' bigotry and racism, they are justifying their bigotry and racism by letting Republicans blame the people they already hate for their economic woes.
Dems fail because they don't sell their wins and are wet noodles when opposing rising fascism, so people aren't motivated enough to overcome Republican voter suppression. They would absolutely support someone with angry dad vibes just like they supported Obama's solid messaging on hope and change.
No, just no.
You are even saying it yourself:
They blame immigrants and DEI hires FOR THIER ECONOMIC WOES.
Their problem is at the end of your own statement.
Reputation leadership has offered up an easily digestible explanation. It's wrong, but it's an explanation.
If deportations weren't being offered as a solution to economic woes (the underlying problem), then for most people who voted R, they wouldn't care about them.
A desire for a solution to their woes are what they want. Bigotry isn't the goal of the voters, it's just a price they're willing to pay.
Strike this in contrast from Republican LEADERSHIP. Bigotry and racism IS their goal, because their goal is to maintain a culture war to avoid class war.