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https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5118393/undecided-voters-kamala-harris-donald-trump
https://www.npr.org/2024/09/19/nx-s1-5118393/undecided-voters-kamala-harris-donald-trump
Let's look at these undecided voters:
Brady, 30, Wisconsin, leaning Trump - I don’t want to go through another four years of a Trump presidency.” "But his vote is largely contingent on his personal financial situation, and he noted, “Things have gotten more expensive.” He cites inflation, but he is completely unaware of the relation between the pandemic and the supply chain disruptions that caused that inflation. He doesn't understand that this inflation was caused by the pandemic, and what Trump did to exacerbate that pandemic. He just blindly maps economy to president in office and puts zero thought into whose policies actually do what.
Lee, 59, Wisconsin, leaning Trump - "Lee did not like how ABC handled the debate, specifically the fact-checking. He felt the moderators “teamed up on Trump.”"
"He felt Harris did almost too well, saying it was “almost like rehearsed.” But he said he “never got any message from Harris” and said she “skirted issues,” including the Biden administration’s “inability to stop the flow of migrants” and the economy.
“Trump stuck his foot in his mouth multiple times,” Lee said, though." "He voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders, the progressive independent from Vermont, in the 2016 primary and is now leaning toward Trump, independent Cornel West or the Green Party’s Jill Stein (not from an environmental standpoint, however, because he thinks the Green New Deal “went too far”)."
This man has no idea what he wants in a leader and is just voting on vibes.
Woman, declined to give name, 68, Oregon, undecided "Trump, on the other hand, she said, it was like “something was in his water,” and he wasn’t his usual self."
">She said this of her ideal ticket: “If RFK [Jr.] was on the ticket with [former Rep.] Tulsi Gabbard [of Hawaii], it would have been a slam dunk for me.”"
This woman has not been paying attention. Trump was his usual self. This is simply how he always is when the media isn't sane-washing him.
These are not serious people. They are low-information voters who do not have any consistent policy positions and vote based entirely on vibes. They don't take serious looks at the capabilities, policies, and worldviews of the candidates. Their political compass is a random number generator.
This election will not be decided by "undecided voters." Anyone who is still undecided at this point is simply unreachable. You had four years to actually live in a country governed by Trump, and four where Harris was the VP. You saw what kind of policies each would enact. You don't need to take their word for it, you can assess each candidate's actual record.
I'm sorry, but in short, the only people undecided at this point are complete morons. You could try to convince them to vote for your candidate, but they're just as likely to change their mind completely on the way to the voting booth because of the shape of a cloud they saw in the sky on the way there. They're random number generators. They don't have any capability to actually assess issues or candidate capacity. They're the kind of people who are only allowed to vote because trying to screen out the true morons from the voter rolls would cause more problems than it's worth.
No. This election will not be decided by the 1-2% of people who are actually undecided at this point. First, most of the 5-6% who claim to be undecided actually aren't. They've already made up their minds deep down, but they just want to pretend to themselves that they're enlightened centrists who are withholding judgment until the very last minute. Those who are truly undecided at this point are simply morons. They cannot be reached in any meaningful way, as their vote is effectively a coin flip. The real world doesn't affect their judgment process, and they will just flip a coin on the way to the voting booth.
This election will instead be driven by turnout. Everyone except the true morons already knows how they are going to vote. The real battle for candidates isn't to persuade people to support them. Instead, the real battle is to persuade people who support them, but maybe don't support them enough to bother getting off their ass and going to the polls to vote. The real battle is for the lazy voter, not the stupid voter.
man the inflation thing gets me. Its not even covid. Its trump brining obamas moderate interest rates to zero before covid even hit which had the double wammy of forcing bidens administration to move interest rates quickly which you never want to do. choose last ten years here https://www.macrotrends.net/2015/fed-funds-rate-historical-chart and if the initial diagnal line had continued on a steady path with maybe a small dip for covid. We would have been fine. this was after obama had just gotten things under control. but no, trump had to have big stock market numbers so interest rates had to go down or the fed was trying to make him look bad. good grief.
These are not serious people. They are low-information voters who do not have any consistent policy positions and vote based entirely on vibes. They don’t take serious looks at the capabilities, policies, and worldviews of the candidates. Their political compass is a random number generator.
So far that seems to be the best explanation of "undecided voters." That's disconcerting.
Thankfully, the true morons are a very small portion of the electorate. I don't mean that anyone that is politically disengaged is a moron. If you just don't care about who leads you, figure each side is as good as the other, and just want to focus on your own life and troubles, fine. The struggle is real, and I don't blame someone who is working three jobs trying to keep a roof over their heads from simply deciding to avoid politics entirely. They don't have the mental cycles to spare, and they just can't. If you want to avoid all political news, put zero thought into the candidates, and just avoid avoid the electoral process entirely, fine. The right to vote is a right, not an obligation. I don't ascribe to that worldview, but I get it.
In contrast, the true electoral moron is someone who is completely politically disengaged, puts zero effort or critical thought into the state of contemporary politics, but still stubbornly insists on showing up to vote anyway. They don't have a damn idea who they should vote for, but damnit, they sure are as hell are going to vote anyway. It's the Dunning-Kruger voter.
But again, thankfully this is a very small portion of the people that show up on election day. There's maybe 30-40% of the whole population that's just decided to write off politics entirely. I don't personally understand that worldview. I can't imagine not caring about what leaders we elect and how it affects our lives. But, oh well, if someone chooses to opt out of the political system and accept whatever the rest of us decide, so be it. But while I don't understand it, I am at least thankful that most of these people have enough self-awareness to realize that if they don't give a damn about the outcome of elections, that they really shouldn't bother voting in the first place. The vast majority of people who are completely disengaged with candidates and the issues are simply not going to vote at all. It takes a rather rare breed of moron to completely divorce yourself from political thought and reality, while also deciding to still bother to register, drive to the polls, and fill out a ballot.
And also, I take solace in the fact that if their vote really is a random number generator, then they will have little actual effect on the election. Both candidates should get about an equal share of the true moron vote, so their overall effect is a wash.
I'm overall not that concerned about the true undecided morons. I'm far more concerned about those who have taken a look at both candidates and actually fully embrace and love the policies proposed by Trump and Vance. The type who are not just unaware, but fully onboard with their most abominable policies. I'm far more concerned that there's a sizable portion of the population that is entirely in favor of the idea of creating a Christofascist white ethnostate. Trump and Vance have the support they do because there is a sizable portion of the electorate that is fully aware of everything they have done and want to do, and to them? It sounds like a fantastic idea. THAT is what really keeps me up at night. The true morons are mostly harmless idiots. The truly evil ones are those I'm really concerned about.
Yep when it comes to undecided voters. Best case is that they're unengaged and completely preoccupied with long-term health issues etc. The ones that don't fall into that vanishingly small minority. Are just f****** stupid. Willfully ignorant. The one saying RFK Jr and Tulsi Gabbard would be a slam dunk for her, especially so. Anyone who looks at a hypocritical moral less opportunist, or a lunatic ruined by his own family and drugs. And says those are the kind of leaders we need. Need serious help. Especially with staying away from me. It's scary to think that people are so ignorant and proud of it.
I totally get people undecided on whether they will vote Harris or just not vote. I don't agree with it as I think it's crucial to get as many open-minded people in office as possible, from higher offices to local, and you can't do that if you don't vote, as well as continue to tell them what you want to see after they get in office (something that most people don't do and it part of the problem).
But to have trouble figuring out if it should be Harris or Trump? Really?
Really?