While they didn’t help, I suspect their numbers were small enough to not matter in the scheme of what happened.
The answer is likely mundane. My guess is overall turnout was lower because things didn’t feel as ‘crisis’ like as 2020. The needle for people barely aware of politics even as they vote stayed at the same place as it was in 2020: Things aren’t great, kick whoever is in office out in hopes the alternative does better. Last time they came out for Biden because Trump was at the wheel. Now they show up for Trump because the president was a democrat.
This segment of the electorate is not particularly politically aware, let alone active, and likely has little to no opinion about the broader world. The relative likelihood of them turning up at all depends on how badly things are going (less likely to show up this time compared to the unprecedented mess of 2020), and to the extent they show up they just vote against whoever is in charge that day.
However, those people are generally quiet, and so we turn our focus instead to the loudest folks proclaiming a refusal to vote for Harris.
If it was close, I would agree. It wasn’t even close by such a huge margin the more mundane factors I think are the only ones big enough to explain things.
For the politically disengaged? It is an accurate take.
In 2020, you had massive unemployment. People personally were stuck at home with nowhere they could go. Many of them saw a loved one suffer death at the hands of a pandemic, or personally get very sick. That is a direct and visceral experience of “things are bad”. They didn’t need to follow any news, study any charts, read any policy, they knew that their direct subjective experience was bad.
In 2024, things for people are largely normal, but a lot of bills are high. Grading on a curve, this is much further from a personal crisis for most folks. In fact, the grocery bills eased a bit so some people might be seeing a natural ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
The biggest discused crisis factors in forums like this are only being considered by the politically engaged, and that’s just not most people. Whether it should be or not…
I’m not punching left, and I refuse to accept your categorisation of anything short of completely trashing the DNC is not left enough.
The reason I voted for Harris is because I care about the lives of Palestinians. You can try to claim that this isn’t true, but you’re just wrong. And none of your bullshit purity tests will change that.
If you call yourself a progressive, and you stayed home on Tuesday, I want nothing to do with you. There’s my purity test. Fuck right off.
The only thing I said was don’t punch left. I literally said none of the other things you are ranting about, so go bark at someone else.
I didn’t vote for Harris, because… I’m not a US citizen. I would have if I were, if you need to know. I’m sitting here on my side of the border, seeing fascism take over on your side and I’m shocked to see you guys bicker about pointing fingers instead of facing reality and thinking wtf you have to do to survive the next 4 years. It’s as if you don’t really understand what’s about to hit you.
You’re in deep crisis mode. Being mad at Muslims and Stein voters and non-voters is going to be a barrier to building a coalition of resistance. That’s just the plain reality of what strategic organizing will require. Don’t burn bridges with the people you will need in the next 4 years. You hit the iceberg, now is not the time to point fingers about whose fault that it is, it’s time to get to the boats and every one who can help with that is valuable.
Being mad at Muslims and Stein voters and non-voters is going to be a barrier to building a coalition of resistance. That’s just the plain reality of what strategic organizing will require. Don’t burn bridges with the people you will need in the next 4 years.
The people who stayed home are not the people on the left. The people on the left voted against fascism. The people who stayed home for the election are also going to be useless in an anti-fascism coalition, seeing as they couldn’t be bothered to do the bare minimum.
I feel like you have a misconception about how democracy works. When there’s position that enjoys broad popular support (such as universal health care, or a cessation of the genocide in Gaza), it isn’t on the democrats to take that position so the electorate will vote for them, it’s on the electorate to either change their mind on the issue, or vote for the democrats regardless.
It’s important to internalize this lesson. Next cycle you’ll likely get to practice it with trans rights, if the talking heads on MSNBC who are blaming wokeness for the democrats losing the election are any indication. The idea that politicians and their policies are responsible for losing/winning elections is silly. You’re here for them, not the other way around.
If you stayed home because of Gaza, this is your fault.
60% of white men. 53% of white women.
Remember, the universe for those stats are only voters which account for less than half of the total US population.
Mostly Millennials, GenX, and Boomers as well.
Young people protesting Gaza had almost no influence on this election
While they didn’t help, I suspect their numbers were small enough to not matter in the scheme of what happened.
The answer is likely mundane. My guess is overall turnout was lower because things didn’t feel as ‘crisis’ like as 2020. The needle for people barely aware of politics even as they vote stayed at the same place as it was in 2020: Things aren’t great, kick whoever is in office out in hopes the alternative does better. Last time they came out for Biden because Trump was at the wheel. Now they show up for Trump because the president was a democrat.
This segment of the electorate is not particularly politically aware, let alone active, and likely has little to no opinion about the broader world. The relative likelihood of them turning up at all depends on how badly things are going (less likely to show up this time compared to the unprecedented mess of 2020), and to the extent they show up they just vote against whoever is in charge that day.
However, those people are generally quiet, and so we turn our focus instead to the loudest folks proclaiming a refusal to vote for Harris.
If it was close, I would agree. It wasn’t even close by such a huge margin the more mundane factors I think are the only ones big enough to explain things.
What an insane take…
This is largely how non voters have responded when asked as far as I’ve seen: “feels like things aren’t broken, I can sit this out”
Its not a take its just the reality we live in.
For the politically disengaged? It is an accurate take.
In 2020, you had massive unemployment. People personally were stuck at home with nowhere they could go. Many of them saw a loved one suffer death at the hands of a pandemic, or personally get very sick. That is a direct and visceral experience of “things are bad”. They didn’t need to follow any news, study any charts, read any policy, they knew that their direct subjective experience was bad.
In 2024, things for people are largely normal, but a lot of bills are high. Grading on a curve, this is much further from a personal crisis for most folks. In fact, the grocery bills eased a bit so some people might be seeing a natural ‘light at the end of the tunnel’.
The biggest discused crisis factors in forums like this are only being considered by the politically engaged, and that’s just not most people. Whether it should be or not…
Its definitely a media outreach problem.
Keep punching left and down. That will really help build the coalition to resist fascism.
I’m not punching left, and I refuse to accept your categorisation of anything short of completely trashing the DNC is not left enough.
The reason I voted for Harris is because I care about the lives of Palestinians. You can try to claim that this isn’t true, but you’re just wrong. And none of your bullshit purity tests will change that.
If you call yourself a progressive, and you stayed home on Tuesday, I want nothing to do with you. There’s my purity test. Fuck right off.
The only thing I said was don’t punch left. I literally said none of the other things you are ranting about, so go bark at someone else.
I didn’t vote for Harris, because… I’m not a US citizen. I would have if I were, if you need to know. I’m sitting here on my side of the border, seeing fascism take over on your side and I’m shocked to see you guys bicker about pointing fingers instead of facing reality and thinking wtf you have to do to survive the next 4 years. It’s as if you don’t really understand what’s about to hit you.
You’re in deep crisis mode. Being mad at Muslims and Stein voters and non-voters is going to be a barrier to building a coalition of resistance. That’s just the plain reality of what strategic organizing will require. Don’t burn bridges with the people you will need in the next 4 years. You hit the iceberg, now is not the time to point fingers about whose fault that it is, it’s time to get to the boats and every one who can help with that is valuable.
Ok then, what the fuck does “punching left” mean?
Third paragraph of my previous comment:
Those people are fundamentally too stupid and too useless to work with.
Good luck, buddy.
The people who stayed home are not the people on the left. The people on the left voted against fascism. The people who stayed home for the election are also going to be useless in an anti-fascism coalition, seeing as they couldn’t be bothered to do the bare minimum.
The coalition to resist fascism should have existed 2 days ago
I feel like you have a misconception about how democracy works. When there’s position that enjoys broad popular support (such as universal health care, or a cessation of the genocide in Gaza), it isn’t on the democrats to take that position so the electorate will vote for them, it’s on the electorate to either change their mind on the issue, or vote for the democrats regardless.
It’s important to internalize this lesson. Next cycle you’ll likely get to practice it with trans rights, if the talking heads on MSNBC who are blaming wokeness for the democrats losing the election are any indication. The idea that politicians and their policies are responsible for losing/winning elections is silly. You’re here for them, not the other way around.
Lol