I think this is a gross oversimplification of the issues, but that’s a big part of the problem. Currently, the problems facing both the DNC and the country are very complex and one very large and diverse side has to present ultimate complex solutions to complex problems to an electorate that collectively can barely tie its shoes, and the other just handwaves over this complexity, others a whole punch of folks, and says they’ll “fix” it by pushing the bad mean “others” out.
Government actually DID work for a huge swathe of people in subtle, often taken for granted ways. It had vast room for improvement, but nevertheless was better than the alternative of simply not existing. The VA is a good example of this. But when you try to explain that to folks, they just glaze over. Another example is I’ve had discussions with multiple people now who were convinced that Harris just “never even had any policy” despite this being objectively untrue and very easily refuted.
This is all to say, no, “people” don’t know or see shit. The average voters is wildly uninformed, uninformable, and cannot engage in anything beyond magical thinking. Long term solution is to make politics at the individual level more engaging with their day to day and increase general competence and access to true information. No idea what the short term solution is–as the saying goes, you can’t use reason to convince someone out of a stupid fucking opinion.
Of course it’s an oversimplification. I’m posting a comment on Beehaw, not penning an essay for Foreign Affairs.
But to paraphrase Carville, “It’s the messaging, stupid.”
There’s been no coherent message that meets voters where they are. The boots-on-the-ground effects of both the BIL and IRA weren’t effectively leveraged, especially in red areas seeing jobs and benefits from federal infrastructure grants. This is incompetence.
I think this is a gross oversimplification of the issues, but that’s a big part of the problem. Currently, the problems facing both the DNC and the country are very complex and one very large and diverse side has to present ultimate complex solutions to complex problems to an electorate that collectively can barely tie its shoes, and the other just handwaves over this complexity, others a whole punch of folks, and says they’ll “fix” it by pushing the bad mean “others” out.
Government actually DID work for a huge swathe of people in subtle, often taken for granted ways. It had vast room for improvement, but nevertheless was better than the alternative of simply not existing. The VA is a good example of this. But when you try to explain that to folks, they just glaze over. Another example is I’ve had discussions with multiple people now who were convinced that Harris just “never even had any policy” despite this being objectively untrue and very easily refuted.
This is all to say, no, “people” don’t know or see shit. The average voters is wildly uninformed, uninformable, and cannot engage in anything beyond magical thinking. Long term solution is to make politics at the individual level more engaging with their day to day and increase general competence and access to true information. No idea what the short term solution is–as the saying goes, you can’t use reason to convince someone out of a stupid fucking opinion.
Of course it’s an oversimplification. I’m posting a comment on Beehaw, not penning an essay for Foreign Affairs.
But to paraphrase Carville, “It’s the messaging, stupid.”
There’s been no coherent message that meets voters where they are. The boots-on-the-ground effects of both the BIL and IRA weren’t effectively leveraged, especially in red areas seeing jobs and benefits from federal infrastructure grants. This is incompetence.