Democrats are having trouble energizing the base. But guess what? So are Republicans.

[kpete]

The news is just trying to hide that part.

People are dooming within their own parties because they’ve felt the dropoff of engagement. But it’s a dropoff of engagement on *politics*. That’s what I’m saying. That’s why we don’t know anything.

Like sorry but someone tried to shoot Trump in the fucking head and if I didn’t post here and Tumblr I wouldn’t have even known. Even in Portland you’d normally have someone waving a flag over the interstate or something.

“Trump’s voters are maximally engaged!!!!!” I don’t know, dude, ARE they?

Nobody’s engaged!! That’s why it’s all so fucked and weird!!

Across the country, people see political news stories and go “ugh” and then scroll down to find out what 94 year old Columbo guest star has recently passed away.

Link to tweet

https://balloon-juice.com/2024/07/16/tuesday-morning-open-thread-always-look-on-the-bright-side/

[Lovie777]

1. Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.....................

no on part of the Democrats.

[jimfields33]

6. I hope they don't compare 2020 to 2024.

Everyone was pretty much at home and had a lot of time to focus on many things including politics. Today it’s definitely back to normal life. Of course, enthusiasm will be down some.

[kansasobama]

2. If Dems are not energized to save themselves

There will be a very high price to pay. Women in AZ, NV, PA, MI, WI need to realize that they are going back to the 1800s with no recourse in sight in our lifetime. Hispanic GOP voters will be very sorry. AZ and NV Hispanic support for Trump is a microcosm of the irony. Here voters are supposed to be energized by the Dobbs issue. They support Gallegos and Rosen but not Biden. I did not realize that Gallego and Rosen pick Supreme Court justices or have veto power. Besides, under Trump, these Dems will be weak and cave.

[shrike3]

3. Thanks for confirming what I've seen in Camp Real World.

Nobody cares. No one's talking about Trump. Haven't heard a word about the attempt on his life. Didn't hear a word about the debate. People have tuned out.

[Tree Lady]

8. I think people feel like it doesn't matter

Just met nice couple camping my age from mountains in AZ. Told me he protested and got involved in the 60's. Feels like nothing he can do now so basically he has checked out of politics. Have to admit it was nice to sit by my fire and hear him play guitar and sing Paul Simon songs.

[shrike3]

11. Doesn't surprise me.

[Sympthsical]

4. It's going to be so interesting to see what turn out is

I'm genuinely curious what this is going to look like.

It is possible to burn people out. And many are. The polls have been screaming for two years that regular people didn't want a 2020 rerun. And now that we're there, it's kind of demoralizing for them. Jon Stewart's commentaries are resonating with a lot of people for a reason, like or not.

I know the gung-ho political types don't feel that way. But people outside of hard core politics are just tired of it. Tired of hearing about it, tired of seeing it, tired of it intruding on everything.

I always vote, but even I'm close to checking out from all this til November. I just . . . don't want to listen to this anymore. It's gotten crazy. Hyperbolic. Everyone's coming off like lunatics. I can't listen to inchoate screaming for another four months.

It's a lot if you're not super devoted. I hear from Republicans I know, where they're just, "I don't think I can listen to Trump anymore." And these are people who say they're voting for him. It's a scene.

Burnt. The Fuck. Out.

[Deminpenn]

25. We saw this in many school board elections across the country

The rw culture warriors were defeated or ousted more often than not. It happened here in my own Red district where a slate of sane candidates ran on a platform of cooperation and won. Voters were just tired of the constant culture wars agenda of the majority 5 member block of the school board.

Sara Longwell made a great point a few weeks ago when she was a guest on MSNBC. The term for those who don't want Biden or Trump is "double haters". Longwell does a lot of focus group work. What she said was that of the "double haters", they don't really hate Biden, just would like someone else, but they really hate Trump.

[Sympthsical]

29. Absolutely agree. The culture war is just leaking into everything

Somewhat relatedly, but it's all over entertainment, too.

I just want to watch a tv show and discuss it with people - like a normal person - but when you go online it all rapidly devolves into a culture war cesspool. It's like the Acolyte, the new Star Wars show. It is legitimately terrible. Just awful, awful writing. Bad.

However, YouTube sent me some videos about it, and a lot of them are people who dislike the show (fair!) going off about how woke everything is. And then you get a flip side where, if you don't like the show, it's because you're obviously racist and sexist. But some of these people. I somehow stumbled across a Nerdrotic clip. Even if I agree with his opinion about the show, his anti-woke shtick was actually plain racist. Just full-on racist. Not satire, not joking, not shtick. The first twenty seconds of the clip it was, "Jesus Christ, you're saying this out loud."

Try discussing it on Reddit. If I criticize anything, people accuse me of using sock puppets and writing using AI and being racist. If I express enjoyment of some part, it's because I'm a shill for DEI.

It is increasingly difficult to just be normalsauce in so many areas of politics and culture. I just want to see Manny Jacinto naked. I'm not asking for a lot!

But it burns you out. Spend even a little time online, and it's like, "Well, I just don't want to talk to anyone anymore."

[LonePirate]

5. I disagree on that. Every single survey shows Repub enthusiasm far outpacing Dem enthusiasm

It’s one of the major reasons why Trump is leading in so many polls as enthusiasm is one factor they use to gauge the likelihood of a person voting. It’s not just one or two polls saying this, it’s almost all of them and simply cannot be wished away. The debate over Biden’s age is a significant contributor to the lack of Dem enthusiasm. Repubs are more enthused as ever after Saturday’s event.

[FelineOverlord]

7. My husband and I were text banking for various groups

To get people registered to vote in swing states.

There were almost 200 of us which is HUGE in July.

Another text bank I saw is out of slots for SEPTEMBER.

Most text banks don’t even start until September because of the expense.

We have also been phone banking.

We’re not canvassing door to door yet because of the extreme heat, but we will in the fall.

Getting ready to send postcards, too. Just need to get stamps!

I am also writing posts for my blog and planning to republish them on other sites.

We’re filled with enthusiasm 😊

[JohnSJ]

9. I don't buy that crap. Have they seen the crowds at Biden's rallies?

[BlueCheeseAgain]

35. This is Obama in 2008, during a primary, in Portland.

Now that's a big crowd.

Not that it necessarily means that much. Despite his enormous crowds, he basically ended up tied with Hillary Clinton, who drew comparatively smaller ones, at the end.

[Prairie Gates]

10. Listen, everybody is tired of this shit

Making politics a non-stop, 24/7 affair is annoying and exhausting and most people don't like it. Peoiple liked to get jazzed up about it for the few months before an election, but mostly wanted to be left alone beyond that. Now it's completely unending. I get that most people on this board are junkies for it and admittedly so and that's fine. But it's a tiny fucking slice of the population that can sustain the attention and energy we're being asked to give all the fucking time to politics, politics, politics. And it's not even the good kind of meaningful policy. Just team-based like this hate that stuff. It's untenable and unsustainable. People hate it. So yes, energizing a base is what used to have to happen from zero. Now it's endless requests for energy ALL THE FUCKING TIME. Our modern apathy is completely different than, say, 70s, 80s, or 90s apathy. It's born of being asked for too much attention.

[brooklynite]

12. The Biden campaign disagrees with you...

Trump has a vote ceiling, but his base supporters came back to him long ago.,

[SocialDemocrat61]

14. Link?

[brooklynite]

15. What they've told me personally...

I attend briefings for the National Finance Committee 2-3 times a year.

[SocialDemocrat61]

16. So you can't prove it

Ok

[brooklynite]

17. So you're saying I'm lying.

Ok

Feel free to check my FEC records to understand my DNC status.

[SocialDemocrat61]

20. Not accusing you of anything

I have no way to know if you’re telling the truth or not.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

37. Frankly, that's basically accusing him of lying.

[SocialDemocrat61]

38. No it's not

I have no idea if anyone here is lying or telling the truth. That’s why I sometimes ask people to post a link to support what they have said.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

36. Are you saying he's making it up?

Polls say the same thing.



In a backwards way, though, this can be sort of good news. It means we have more headroom.

[SocialDemocrat61]

39. That's not what I asked

for a link to.

[Think. Again.]

13. Biden had more than 7 million more votes than trump last time...

We'll be energized when it's time be energized.

[brooklynite]

19. Again, 7 million votes is irrelevant.

Michigan +154,000
Pennsylvania +82,000
Wisconsin +20,000
Nevada +33.000
Georgia +12,000
Arizona +10,000


That's all that matters

[Think. Again.]

21. big sigh...

Yes, but the OP isn't discussing swing state voters alone.

Try to pay attention.

[brooklynite]

23. I've already replied to the OPs point.

[Think. Again.]

24. I don't care... I am responding to the reply you made to me.

[Demsrule86]

18. I don't believe Democrats are having issues myself.

[Think. Again.]

22. we're not.

[Deminpenn]

28. Agree

I think this cycle, Dems are the "silent majority", just quietly determined to vote.

[Quiet Em]

27. energized vs determination

The cult is energized by the vitriol and bigotry

The rest of us are determined to make sure that creepy, unhinged dictator wannabe never steps foot in the White House again.

These are different forms of energy. The first being loud mouthed and pushy, the other being steadfast and committed.

[czarjak]

30. Clear choices are what they are.

For some?

[alarimer]

31. Enthusiam for Trump is deep, but it's not very wide.

There are a lot of people he just turns off and not just Democrats.

I wonder how much of the "enthusiasm gap" has to do with the mainstream Dem attacks on Biden. It's divisive and they shold not have done it.

[Initech]

32. Everyone is tired of the bullshit and the fighting.

Last edited Tue Jul 16, 2024, 02:30 PM - Edit history (1)

American politics has been a giant circular firing squad since the Rush Limbaugh days, and we’re sick of it. We’re sick of nothing getting done. We’re sick of the fighting and the mudslinging and the name calling. There hasn’t been an amendment passed since 1973. The highest court in the land is corrupt as hell. One “news” network thinks it’s entitled to control all three branches of government.

There are less than 100 billionaires in the United States, and they control all the wealth. 2 men have more wealth than the combined GDP of entire continents. And, the greedy assholes just want more. There’s a playbook for a literal fascist empire complete with concentration camps, state run TV, and a literal dictatorship. It seems like we’re going backwards. Something’s got to break this cycle. Rush Limbaugh is dead. It’s time for Limbaughism to die with him.

[Deminpenn]

33. My belief is that Americans just want government, at all levels, to

work in their interest and get useful things done. That's why Tom Wolf was elected and re-elected governor here in PA. The same for Josh Shapiro, he's getting useful things done. Dems control the state house and Rs the state senate, but they managed to get a pretty good budget passed even if was a couple weeks late.

[BlueCheeseAgain]

34. Our biggest possible salvation is abortion.

Republicans have passed abortion bans in just about every state where they had the power to do so.

Maybe the threat of a nationwide abortion ban will shake people out of their complacency.