Facing stagflation at a level not experienced in this country in almost half a century, Americans are scared. Low voter turnouts (discussed further below) – a reflection of confusion, apathy and fear – combine with ignorance and a massive proclivity to outsource political decisions to slogan/label-driven politicians and special interests, often supported by false narratives (“fake news,” conspiracy theories, “replacement” and “CRT” platforms as well as “alternative facts”) to pin blame and find simple solutions to complex issues. A minority right-wing constituency, many with strong fundamentalist beliefs, has used the constitutional bias favoring rural districts to control the Senate and usurp the Supreme Court. The result is self-fulfilling pessimism that threatens the existence of our nation to its core:
Writing for the June 15th Yahoo! News, Andrew Romano reports some chilling results from a recent survey of a cross section of American voters: “A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll shows that most Democrats (55%) and Republicans (53%) now believe it is ‘likely’ that America will ‘cease to be a democracy in the future’ — a stunning expression of bipartisan despair about the direction of the country.
“Half of all Americans (49%) express the same sentiment when independents and those who do not declare any political affiliation are factored in, while just a quarter (25%) consider the end of U.S. democracy unlikely and another quarter (25%) say they’re unsure.
“At the same time, however, a large number of Americans seem indifferent to the high-profile hearings by the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol — an effort to get to the bottom of one of the most dramatic assaults on the democratic process in U.S. history.
“In fact, the new survey of 1,541 U.S. adults — which was conducted from June 10 (the day after the committee’s first hearing) to June 13 (the day of its second) — found that fewer than 1 in 4 (24%) say they watched last Thursday’s initial primetime broadcast live. Only slightly more (27%) say they caught news coverage later. Nearly half (49%) say they did not follow the hearings at all.”
In short, a vast pool of Americans just do not know what to do, are burned out on conflicting news and no longer believe that the future will be better. Persons assumed to be credible in the highest offices in the land tell them of non-existent fraud in an effort, with admissions and well-documented footage including unambiguous violence, to reverse the electoral process and attempt a coup to impose an autocracy as the law of the land. What is the truth? Does it matter?
Look at California, which remains among the most liberal states. Despite rumors of its collapse, it has a large budget surplus, and if it were a standalone country, it would be the fifth largest economy on earth, bigger than the economies of Texas and Florida… combined. With all the controversies and political conflicts, the massive railing against the possible reversal of Roe v Wade, you’d think Californians would be rushing to the polls to make sure their voices were heard. But they are as pathetic and prone to outsource their opinions and votes just like the rest of the nation, especially with down-ballot candidates and measures.
Los Angeles Times writer, George Skelton (June 13th) dug into voter motivations for some answers: “When running for partisan political office, what usually counts most are simple things campaigns often can’t control — especially in a low-profile statewide race… Take an office like state controller or insurance commission, for example. Or even a slightly higher-profile post such as attorney general.
“Regardless of all the analyses we’ve seen about last week’s state elections [6/7], the outcomes mostly can be explained quite simply. They were determined by basic factors that are so obvious they hardly get mentioned… The candidates’ positions on issues usually have little to do with the results because voters aren’t even aware of them. That’s especially true in a primary election.
“When a voter doesn’t know squat about the candidates — which is usually the case — the first thing that’s looked for on the ballot is party affiliation. Is the candidate a Democrat or a Republican? That’s the most important factor, particularly these days when politics are so polarized.
“Voters may also glance at a candidate’s listed profession. Incumbents hold a huge advantage, assuming they’re not linked to scandal… Has the candidate been endorsed by the party? By a major labor union or other familiar interest?... What’s the person’s gender? Or ethnicity?... These are the cues that ordinary voters look for if they haven’t done their homework on the candidates’ positions and records. And few voters do.
“Also, if candidates can’t raise enough money — or aren’t rich enough to spend their own — they aren’t able to pitch voters on TV and radio to get known… This isn’t exactly breaking news. But it often gets overlooked in punditry.
“In California, the Democrat label is a badge of acceptance. Conversely, a Republican nameplate is suspect. But if a candidate has ‘no party preference,’ it’s often a nonstarter. Voters probably will look for someone else — as they did in the attorney general’s race.” It’s the same everywhere. Even our idealistic youth, more tolerant, better educated and terrified by guns and climate change are disillusioned. They voted with a two-thirds majority for Biden… who promised the world… but was unable to deliver much at all, even after mass shootings. See my May 4th Is Politics a Solution or Disease - Ask the Rising Generation blog for a more in-depth look at younger voters. And if those younger voters stay away from the polls in droves, those horrific predictions of America as an autocracy are destined to come true… sooner rather than later. Despite the title of this blog, I’m not laughing!
I’m Peter Dekom, and all that voter suppression, gerrymandering, top-level blame and lying are actually working for those who no longer want democracy in this nation.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment