General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsI don't think Trump would have received over 50 million votes, had it not been for him having
the audacity to hold all his many many in-person campaign pep rallies, dangerous as they were with an epidemic raging across the country.
Because of the epidemic, and because Joe Biden cares more about the safety of the voters, he was at a huge disadvantage in the 2020 campaign because he didn't run any in-person campaign pep rallies like Trump did throughout his campaign and even before the campaign began. Had there been no epidemic, and had Joe Biden been able to run the same amount of campaign rallies as Fat Hitler, I would have to think that Biden's margin of victory could very well have been more like 35 or 45 million votes rather than 5 or so million.
This was not an even playing field for Biden. Just imagine seeing all the people who would have attended Joe's rallies, giving him thunderous applause, and chanting things like Lock Him Up, Lock Him Up. It would have been so much more exciting and absolutely contagious in a healthy kind of way. But he didn't do it because he cared about the voters and the country. As hindered as Joe was in that respect, it's amazing to think he STILL trounced the incumbent imbecile as much as he did. Even though I didn't think so a year ago, Biden proved to me he was the best candidate to beat Trump. He ran a magnificent campaign.
Under very difficult circumstances for Biden, he schooled Trump big time. Not only can't Trump win a fair fight, but with the way he took advantage of pep rallies, lying, cheating, and tweeting, the dumb motherfucker can't even win an unfair fight.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,280 posts)in order to be persuaded to vote for someone. I get that this might be true but I don't understand why.
LeftInTX
(24,554 posts)Why show up and vote for Biden if everyone is voting for Trump?
Also the rallies were free advertising... The media showed them ad nauseam...
In It to Win It
(8,143 posts)When they go to rallies they are already convinced.
You go to a Trump rally because you are already voting for Trump, and you probably enjoy the show... because they find this man entertaining.
MLAA
(17,165 posts)rustysgurl
(1,040 posts)They were already convinced and knew for whom they were going to vote. Those rallies were like music concerts. "Hey, let's go see our guy. He's going to tell it like it is and we can worship him from afar."
Those votes were already in the bag, IMHO.
mtnsnake
(22,236 posts)on the same level playing field as Trump had.
rustysgurl
(1,040 posts)Biden did have rallies, but they weren't paid for (or in most cases NOT paid for) by our taxes. Yes, Trump made more noise with his rallies and maybe got some more attention from networks (until they pulled the plug on him for his outrageous lies). But I still don't think it got him more votes.
LeftInTX
(24,554 posts)If they weren't televised, Trump wouldn't bother.
It was just more reality show for him
mtnsnake
(22,236 posts)Squinch
(50,773 posts)spreading Covid.
You don't go to a rally of a candidate you aren't expecting to vote for. Rallies are for the faithful.
mtnsnake
(22,236 posts)to come out of the woodwork for the first time in their lives and register to vote for someone they could now relate to.
Squinch
(50,773 posts)gear and gas up the camper van.
greenjar_01
(6,477 posts)jcgoldie
(11,584 posts)I do believe that COVID was a net plus for Trump. I have seen many here hypothesize that Trump would have won without the virus based on how close the election was. When you look at how voters in many states responded to exit poll questions on the virus, however, I think its precisely the opposite. Yes Trump's response was a train wreck and made the case numbers and deaths worse by a magnitude of who even knows... but responses indicate that people want to join Trump in wishing the virus away rather than addressing the problem because doing so is hard and inconvenient. Do not underestimate people's ability to ignore reality staring them in the face. They know Joe Biden will shut things down if that's what scientists recommend. They know that Trump will continue to deny reality and try to pretend it doesn't exist. Many of them chose the fake reality in which it just doesn't exist over the real world in which dealing with it is hard.
Boomerproud
(7,889 posts)mtnsnake
(22,236 posts)With so many people, even many of the ones who thought Trump was an asshole, I'm sure that many of them voted for Trump anyway for the reason you described, because they'd rather go with someone with no restrictions than with someone with lots of restrictions. Trump offered them an easier, more convenient short term solution, as unhealthy and unwise as it was.
Turin_C3PO
(13,650 posts)but also door knocking. The Dems didn't do it because of the pandemic but if we had masked up and maintained social distance we could have done it.
JI7
(89,174 posts)becsuse of safety issues which Trump doesn't care about.
mtnsnake
(22,236 posts)being at such a disadvantage. That's one more reason why I think Biden's margin of victory would have been much more monumental than it was if they both had played by the same rules during the 2020 campaign,
JI7
(89,174 posts)held into the midwestern blue wall and flipped 2 states.