I have come to the opinion that elections are not about the economy, jobs, pandemic, or anything...

[kentuck]

... other than the personalities that are running for the office.

Issues are not really that important anymore. The people vote for the person they like that is running for the office.

Otherwise, how would we explain the 74 million votes that Donald Trump got on November 3rd? The economy hit the tank. Millions of people lost their jobs. Most people believe he did an awful job leading us thru a pandemic, which gets worse with each passing day. There was very little that he did right. The only explanation that I can see is that many people identified with him, liked his personality, and voted for him.

Democrats need to understand that elections are not about issues anymore. It is about propaganda and personalities. Voters are gullible. The bigger the lie, the more they are apt to believe it.

[SharonClark]

1. They're still about issues, even when you don't agree with some voters what the issues are.

They're also about how a candidate makes you feel about yourself.

[tblue37]

2. Tribalism.

[TheBlackAdder]

15. Yep. Political affiliations are like sports or religion. Who sells it best gets a long-term fan.

.

In one of my PoliSci courses, there is quite a bit of research showing that politics, religion and affinities to sports teams all share common centers of the brain. It comes down to the investment the person applies, and whether there is something akin to a religious conversion that could stimulate a shift in said affinity. Most are content with what they have, unless a traumatic event or a sense of abandonment occurs.

In a religion course, where I wrote a paper on Cults and Religious Conversions, the standard question is: Name what you believe is the best religion? Almost 100% of respondents state it is the one they are aligned with or were raised in believing. This includes atheists were were brought up in a religious or non-religious setting.

.

[tblue37]

17. "Fan" is short for "fanatic." Trumpets are typically referred to as his fans.

[Ron Green]

3. The "strongman" is emerging (or re-emerging) all over the world. It's a real thing.

I think people just aren’t smart enough for self-government.

[Cosmocat]

14. Yep

Not sure we can turn it around.

[exboyfil]

4. So who has the biggest Q score

I am afraid you are right.

[luv2fly]

5. Or perhaps vote against the person they dislike

Sometimes it is hard to like any of the choices.

[rso]

6. Elections

Indeed, substantive issues have been replaced by cultural issues.

[Shermann]

19. Yes and no, this election was a referendum on the pandemic

But in 2022 the issues and math and science will probably be back in the closet and we'll be cheering for the Medieval Times Red Knight or Blue Knight again.

[The Genealogist]

7. It is the Age of the Influencer

Look how YouTube works. The big stars there are called influencers. It is all about the clout. Getting it, keeping it, keeping other people from getting it or taking it away from them. Companies pair with them to get the word out about the products. This system goes beyond just YouTube, to platforms like Instagram and TikTok. Don't think it is just kids; people of all ages can be social influencers to different degrees. Cults of personality form around such influencers. My mind goes to this system when I hear people, especially young people, talk about why they don't like a candidate: "he/she doesn't excite me."

This is also the age of the meme. Many people are turned on by pithy two or three word memes. They are effective at getting issues and ideas across efficiently. Big long policy discussions don't cut it in the age of the meme.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. In many ways, elections have become an extension of "American Idol"

where the audience gets a say in who's more popular.

[czarjak]

9. Sorry, but...

Tax reform from Paul Ryan saved them an extra seven million dollars over ten years. You’d vote Party of the Rich too.

[Klaralven]

10. This is true. The most realistic explanation is that the Presidential Apprentice's ratings tanked

Trump never could keep his ratings up. They started high with The Apprentice and declined every season. Then he rebooted with Celebrity Apprentice, and recovered part of the ratings, but then that show's ratings also declined each year.

The public simply got tired of the Presidential Apprentice show. So tired in fact, that Biden won with essentially no campaign. Running as the anti-Trump and with no campaign, he had no coattails down ballot.

There will be no reboot of Presidential Apprentice.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

11. The issue Trump voters were voting for is white supremacy.

[rso]

12. Elections

Fareed Zakaria at CNN just now had an excellent discussion about this with three prominent historians. No consensus, just different views on the topic, but as usual on Fareed’s shows, all the points well-documented and developed.

[Firestorm49]

13. I don't know about that. We voted in to office a person with intelligence,

and voted out a person who plays with crayons.

[Wounded Bear]

16. Dems vote issues. Repubs vote personality...

[LisaL]

18. And you think Trump has such an engaging personality?

NT