Voter turnout among lowest on record for midterm election

[grahamhgreen]

http://fox8.com/2014/11/05/voter-turnout-among-lowest-on-record-for-midterm-election/

[onehandle]

1. Obama voters fail to support the President again. nt

[grahamhgreen]

3. How's that Iraq war, extended version, working out for us?

[riqster]

5. Horse shit. Obama is doing no such thing.

[grahamhgreen]

6. We get clobbered in the midterms and you think Iraq has nothing to do with it????

25 years of losing in Iraq takes it toll.

[riqster]

7. I have seen no data suggesting this was a significant factor.

Much less THE significant factor.

[sabrina 1]

8. Then you missed the poll where voters were asked what were their most important issues.

ISIS, Iraq, and the rest of Bush's Foreign policies, got 19%. So yes, since all we heard over the past few weeks was 'ISIS' 'TERROR' etc, it most definitely was a huge factor.

Now maybe Dems can start LISTENING TO THE VOTERS WHO ELECTED THEM, instead of the Neocons and the Wall St CEOs who now need to be tossed out of this Democratic President's cabinet, along with all the Bush holdovers, in the NSA, in the State Dept in Finance, and anywhere they are weilding power, and let's get a PROGRESSIVE, DEMOCRATIC CABINET for a change. THAT is what we voted for, we did not vote for Republicans like Chuck Hagel, Gates, Clapper and all the rest of them, did we? But that's what we got when we voted for Democrats.

[Puzzledtraveller]

16. ^^this^^

[truebrit71]

51. x2

n/t

[Sheepshank]

46. I'd be interesting in seeing the poll that ties this all together

with votes being cast.

Because with your thinking the REPs should have lost big time based on the national polls refelcting the popular desire to control guns and to have Medicare/Universal health/Socialized medicine for all.

Thanks.

[grahamhgreen]

54. Looks like gun control ballot measure was a win:)

[Sheepshank]

61. polls touted here was that a majority of Americans favored gun control measures

....putting the Reps in the majority does that?

by all justifications for Dems losing on this thread (Iraq), the gun control issue should have put Dems in the winners circle.....as should have ACA.

The presumption that the Dems lost because of Iraq is patently false.

[grahamhgreen]

62. LOL. The entire 2008 election was a referendum on Iraq. Perpetual war is killing us.

[sabrina 1]

63. OR, voters were discouraged from voting by those telling them over and over again

that THEIR issues were 'ponies' and 'unrealistic' etc etc, deliberately discouraging people from voting, which ended up with what was essentially, a Vote of No Confidence in one of the worst voter turnouts for midterms.

Congrats to all those who repeatedly discouraged voters from expecting THEIR issues to be addressed, for telling them over and over again they were wrong to focus on issues and should just Shut Up and Vote, and expect NOTHING.

There was no big win for Republicans, there was a Vote of No Confidence from the people, caused by the negative attacks on VOTERS that have been a pattern now throughout the past decade or more.

Voters knew what they wanted, but were told to 'forget about it'. What a great Campaign Message that was.

One thing we know, all that negativity led to a Wall St Victory so who knows, maybe that WAS the goal.

[Sheepshank]

65. or the apathy and therefore the lack of turn out, was a result of "they're all the same" rhetoric

try and back up your opinion with some real stats instead of blah blah opinions, or simply realize your opinion is worth no more than any other and your replies mean nothing.

[sabrina 1]

66. I took the trouble to look at the available stats so far. Clearly you did not. Again, congratulation

to those who suppressed the vote despite the warnings people gave that this is what would happen when voters are told their issues are 'ponies' etc. I'm beginning to think it was a plan frankly, to destroy the Dem Party. It just never seemed right, those outrageous talking points, the same ones, over and over again. 'Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good', remember that one? Which Think Tank do you think thought that ridiculous pos talking point up? And how were they paid to attack the Left with talking points do you think?

Well, we were right, there WAS something wrong with the continuous attacks on the Left from their own party.

The Left is always right about politics. Which is why they are such a threat to those with nefarious intentions.

But one good thing will come of all of this, the game is up, and now it's time to move forward, to rebuild the Dem Party. It will take time, so the sooner we begin the better.

[Sheepshank]

69. yeah? Well congrats on keeping the info all to yourself

and padding your post #'s with empty rehtoric.

[Sheepshank]

45. bullshit speculation with no supporting data

this doesn't help and isn't useful in anyway.

[riqster]

4. Yep. Repubs turned out,Dems did not.

[riqster]

2. GOTV messages were ignored. That's why we lost.

[sabrina 1]

9. Well, that sounds simple enough. So why do you think voters were so unenthusiastic??

[polichick]

10. They don't trust the party anymore imo.

[sabrina 1]

11. Exactly, thank you!

[woo me with science]

22. This is the correct answer.

[Atman]

29. Pretty much nails it.

Too many saw none of the change and hope Obama promised. We got more war, we got more Wall Street, we got more Democrats voting with Republicans while maybe half a dozen Republicans voted with the Dems. We compromised every step of the way, and compromising with belligerent, hateful assholes is no way to win the respect of your party. Maybe the Democratic leadership will finally wake up. But then, that assumes there is actually Democratic leadership.

[Sheepshank]

48. how does this jive with the last midterms where Dems got a Shellacking? n/t

[polichick]

55. Young voters felt they got burned after working so hard for Obama...

They didn't show up in 2010 either. Now they feel burned and screwed, quite an unpleasant combo.

[Sheepshank]

56. so the 1st time was stupidity and the 2nd time by design?

not buying it.

Kids just don't believe their vote has an impact and they have no clue what the platform is, with their elected officials.

Their apathy has nothing to do with disappointment, it has everything to do with apathy.

[polichick]

59. The kids I've spoken with say the system is rigged...

or broken, so let it burn.

[Sheepshank]

60. oh so your anectodal tales are broad spectrum facts? Great lol

[AgingAmerican]

31. We lost because of centrism

There is no center in American politics. Given the choice between a Republican and a halfpublican, folks will:

1. Vote for the Republican
2. Not bother voting at all

This will continue as long as the Democrats continue sitting in the meaningless middle.

[riqster]

33. Disagree completely.

That is projecting one's own attitudes onto the broader electorate.

[AgingAmerican]

35. We controlled both houses 40 years from 1954 - 1994

In that time period we were solidly the party of the left. Since 92 we have been the party of centrism. Since 1994 we have been steadily losing ground, especially since Obama doubled down on third way halfpublicanism.

The experiment with the middle has failed. Democrats are not half Republican, sorry.

[riqster]

41. And that is true. But it is NOT proven to be the #1 reason we lost.

[AgingAmerican]

43. So it's the #2 reason we lost?

[riqster]

47. It's not quantified, so it has no ranking.

Haring off down a path with no factual evidence or plan is foolish. Better to do our research and act on data, than to make assumptions based on emotion.

[AgingAmerican]

49. It has ranking

Democratic ideas have proven popular in poll after poll. Democratic politicians ran away from them and got their asses handed to them.

[riqster]

52. Inference is not evidence.

[Sheepshank]

50. he's been attempting to sing this same tune all day

it's getting tiresome.

[Puglover]

12. Minnesota has 55-60

turn out and went all blue.

So what is the difference here? Norwegians?

[riqster]

14. Good a reason as any.

Higher turnout = dem wins.

Uff da!

[FSogol]

32. They were smart enough to ignore the calls to stay home.

The same way they were smart enough to vote for McGovern and Mondale when almost no one else did.

[Puglover]

37. Mcgovern was my first vote my freshman year in college. :)

[FSogol]

38. You rock then. My first vote was for Jimmy Carter. n/t

[Puglover]

39. LOL I'm just older.

[AgingAmerican]

44. My first vote was Carter too

At age 18

[AZ Progressive]

15. The flood of negative advertisement has just this effect

to suppress voter turnout, especially for everyone except the Republican base.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

17. When the voters want change it's not wise to offer them "more of the same".

[Le Taz Hot]

18. As I've been saying for over a decade now,

you have to offer up candidates that people can vote FOR, get excited FOR, to work FOR, not just "he's/she's not a Republican."

[Chathamization]

19. I dunno, we had a person advocating statewide single-payer in Mass during the primaries, and just

about no one even bothered to vote at all in that election (so Coakley won it with just ~6% of eligible voters voting for her). Same story when Rush Holt was running for the senate in New Jersey. People very often don't bother to show up and support good candidates.

[Le Taz Hot]

20. So, we should continue to offer up Republican-Lite?

We need to get back to the party of FDR, not WJC and run some good hellfire and brimstone liberal candidates. This is what I do know, the third-way has been getting their collective asses kicked for several election cycles now. How about we try a different strategy 'cause this one is obviously not working.

[Chathamization]

24. No, but it's also not as simple as just having people with better positions. Because people also

aren't showing up and turning out for candidates with better positions a lot of the time. So yeah, I'm all for getting third-wayers out and trying different strategies to get more progressives (and I've been trying that here), but we should recognize that the issue is a lot more complicated than simply "there aren't any progressive candidates" (which often isn't the case, especially if the primaries are taken into account).

[Le Taz Hot]

26. I wasn't suggesting that be the only

remedy but it has to be first among many other reforms, all having to do with stop with the triangulation. It doesn't win over the center and it pisses off the base.

[Chathamization]

27. Well, that's true. The other issue is we're going to be better off with 52 progressives in the

Senate than 45 progressives and 15 third-wayers. We need individuals prepared to reform the filibuster and push through progressive legislation, so getting real progressives in is just as, if not more, important than just getting more Democrats in.

But then the question becomes how, and like I said, a big part of the problem is that most people don't bother showing up and supporting progressives. Progressive networks like Democracy for America and the Working Families Party could be useful there.

[Le Taz Hot]

30. On the other hand,

think about how popular Elizabeth Warren is. THAT'S the kind of progressives we need -- people who will not back away from a fight. We need 500 more like her.

[riqster]

34. Until we all get involved in the primaries, it won't happen.

[Le Taz Hot]

36. I'm not sure who "we" is

but I think most people on DU get involved with all facets of the electoral process. But the Democratic Party needs to keep their nose out of showing preferential treatment to their favorites and let the people decide who the nominee will be. I watched from the inside what they did to Dean and it was gut wrenching. And speaking of Dean, the other thing the Democrats need to do is set up a 50-state strategy. There were far too many seats that went uncontested this year and that is unconscionable.

[riqster]

40. Can't argue with any of that.

I don't, though, assume that all DUers are involved in the entire cycle. Or the activist community as a whole; because I rarely see it on the ground myself.

Basing my concerns on anecdotal evidence isn't precise, I know: but I have no statistical data to assuage said concerns.

[Le Taz Hot]

53. I think the reason you rarely see it on the ground

is because you are working with Democrats (I assume). Activists and reformers whose focus is usually a specific cause work with all different groups including unions, LGBT groups, etc., and although most are left, they are not necessarily interested in signing up with a political party unless the candidates support their causes. That's where progressive candidates come in.

[riqster]

58. No, actually, I'm not.

I'm working pretty much in the manner you advocate. But I see larger participation starting a month or so out from the primaries, far too late to be effective.

The Ohio Dem party has been the enemy for all of Redfern's tenure. When he is gone, we might be able to work with them in the future. Meanwhile, the organization is in such a sorry state, we couldn't find a candidate there with both hands and a spotlight.

[KamaAina]

21. Vote suppression among highest on record for midterm election

[randys1]

28. I actually worried that turnout wasnt record low which would be even worse news

If turnout was low then as angry as we are at the people who didnt vote, it does mean there is still hope they will vote in 2016

This is life and death, Women will die if Cons take all power, thousands of them will die.

People without Health insurance will die, by the thousands.

Not to mention people who will die from lack of proper food, etc.

This is a war, make no mistake, these cons hate you and they hate you because you elected and reelected that Black guy

[marions ghost]

64. +++++

People are just not getting the difference this made.

[Retrograde]

23. Voting is easy in California. Turnout was 30%

County by county breakdown here. Santa Clara county, home of Silicon Valley, with a highly educated population, is less than that, despite early voting and vote by mail. Short of going to peoples' homes and forcibly taking them to the polls, what more can be done?

[Le Taz Hot]

25. Fresno County: 28%.

Uggghh!

[JI7]

42. on du there was more about 2016

So how can people be surprised that those who don't pay much attention to politics don't have much interest to midterms.

[still_one]

57. Then the people get exactly what they deserve

[KingCharlemagne]

67. That was my initial reaction (anger) last night. It quickly morphed into

a deep sadness and disappointment. If we can agree that last night's result will cause more children to suffer than would have had results been diferent, then I think we can agree that some victims (thinking children specifically) will not be getting what they deserve, save perhaps in some Calvinistic 'original sin' sense of 'deserve.'

Really very distressing.

[Odin2005]

68. The American People see no reason to vote when both sides are corporate stooges.