I think you're dead right. Reading Ezra Klein's book "Why We're Polarized" (Reply #17)

In the discussion thread: Tell me I'm wrong about the messages Virginia voters sent [View all]

Wed Nov 3, 2021, 08:16 AM

Mike 03 (16,616 posts)

17. I think you're dead right. Reading Ezra Klein's book "Why We're Polarized"

radically altered my views about how we can win more elections.

I wish we could get rid of this stereotype of Democratic families sitting around the dinner table carefully going through proposed legislation, discussing how each provision in a bill might save us a few dollars a month. I no longer believe policy is what gets us out to the polls in droves.

Like you are saying, we are emotional beings just like Republicans. We like to be motivated by aspirational ideas and visionary goals. And just like Republicans, we are sometimes more reliably brought out to vote by anger or even rage than by agreement with our own side.

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89 replies	Author	Time	Post
Tell me I'm wrong about the messages Virginia voters sent [View all]	maxrandb	Nov 2021	OP
You're wrong...	PoliticAverse	Nov 2021	#1
I don't think they are completely wrong.	FrodosNewPet	Nov 2021	#5
As someone once said "It's the economy stupid"...	PoliticAverse	Nov 2021	#8
Agreed	SmittyWerben	Nov 2021	#58
The Virginia economy has done very well under Northam	Marius25	Nov 2021	#68
Well, they will be the ones most hurt by their idiotic votes.	ananda	Nov 2021	#89
agreed, they didn't care about any of that	Amishman	Nov 2021	#28
Let's all take a couple of deep breath's....	Omnipresent	Nov 2021	#2
Not enough people see the Republican Party as the evil entity it is.	BlueStater	Nov 2021	#3
I'm an independent.	mahatmakanejeeves	Nov 2021	#15
I'm starting to think like you	moose65	Nov 2021	#32
I think if we can get our "allies" to stop comparing Biden to a BOWL OF SHIT; and...	NurseJackie	Nov 2021	#4
+++	brer cat	Nov 2021	#45
I'd say that you have it wrong - even backwards	FBaggins	Nov 2021	#6
AGREED. And this was a win for the Republican Establishment in Virginia.	onenote	Nov 2021	#54
Re: that "time will tell"	FBaggins	Nov 2021	#76
Parents	drexelkathy	Nov 2021	#7
We have a winner!!!!	Jon King	Nov 2021	#56
Except they didn't have to stare evil in the face	BeyondGeography	Nov 2021	#9
Very well said.	Evolve Dammit	Nov 2021	#60
Just wrote to Senator Mark Warner saying basically the same thing, plus	Mike 03	Nov 2021	#10
We suck at Politics!	njhoneybadger	Nov 2021	#11
I think you're dead right. Reading Ezra Klein's book "Why We're Polarized"	Mike 03	Nov 2021	#17
Well said.	njhoneybadger	Nov 2021	#18
".....how each provision in a bill might save us a few dollars a month."	jaxexpat	Nov 2021	#19
McCauliffe didn't generate excitement	bucolic_frolic	Nov 2021	#42
+1	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#65
That's for sure.	Mike 03	Nov 2021	#67
+1, we can "Go High" while stoking emotions and tell the truth !!	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#62
That is seriously a good book	Sympthsical	Nov 2021	#73
THIS !!!! ☝🏾☝🏾☝🏾 We blame our bad message on slogans from the poor and oppressed then run	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#21
Sometimes, it seems like it	moose65	Nov 2021	#33
We are so busy trying to not be like the Republicans we've crippled our avenues of response.	hadEnuf	Nov 2021	#47
Like 1994 and 2010?	Wednesdays	Nov 2021	#82
That's apples to oranges. We're coming off of one of the worst presidencies in history,	hadEnuf	Nov 2021	#84
So you	Rebl2	Nov 2021	#61
No, we can "go high" stoke emotions and tell the truth. We leave out the "stoke emotions" part for	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#66
We've got enough truth to smash them to bits. We don't need to lie.	hadEnuf	Nov 2021	#85
Sometimes, Democrats underestimate how deeply entrenched racism is in our country	dlk	Nov 2021	#12
I think you can add ignorance to that list.	luvtheGWN	Nov 2021	#48
Cultivated ignorance...	dlk	Nov 2021	#83
I listened to fourteen hours of coverage and Joy Reid was the ONLY	Mike 03	Nov 2021	#13
THANK YOU !!!	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#23
It does seem Younkin didn't want any part of Trump except	Tomconroy	Nov 2021	#14
If my sister marries a pedophile	maxrandb	Nov 2021	#16
...	markie	Nov 2021	#20
What would you expect her to do?	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#27
Except, apparently the Retrumplicans do want him at the party	maxrandb	Nov 2021	#69
Metaphorically speaking, if Youngkin sleeps with Trump on Monday, it will not go well with his	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#79
I'll let you know if I figure something out, but I am	BootinUp	Nov 2021	#22
The exception would've been the dem winning in VA and he almost did closing the gap ...	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#24
So if its a predictable thing because of national politics	BootinUp	Nov 2021	#29
We got voters out, the turnout numbers were record IINM. The issue is 15% swing in white women	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#34
McAuliffe's entire campaign was painting Youngkin as secretly Trump	Sympthsical	Nov 2021	#71
So McA defined Youngkin early AND HARD as a Trumper? I didn't see that, how was Youngkin able	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#77
You are wrong	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#25
100% agree that VA rejected Trump again seeing Youngkin ran away from him like he stank	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#26
Youngkin will do what his constituents tell him to do	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#31
Like Abbot, like DeathSentence, like Ducey? tia	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#35
No, there is a detectable difference between them and Youngkin.	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#78
Most Texans don't want to get rid of abortion, Abbot did it because he doesn't have to pay a price	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#87
Most Texans are OK with Trumpism. Most Virginians are not.	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#88
Nope!	atreides1	Nov 2021	#46
Then he will do so at his peril.	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#80
He will do what Donnie Dipshit tells him to do	maxrandb	Nov 2021	#70
Apparently not in Virginia.	Beastly Boy	Nov 2021	#81
I am the a acceptance point	CrackityJones75	Nov 2021	#30
Yes there is messaging that can change that and dems need to implement it the way the GQP does	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#36
Ok get back to me when you figure that out.	CrackityJones75	Nov 2021	#38
I posted it already, stoke emotions like the GQP does but with truth. We don't do that ...	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#40
They are good at it BECAUSE they lie	CrackityJones75	Nov 2021	#41
100% agree that the GQP doesn't have to tell the truth to stoke but we can stoke AND tell the truth	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#43
That seems like a good plan but...	CrackityJones75	Nov 2021	#50
I feel like you do but relating more to implementation than tactic, the tactic works ... look at	uponit7771	Nov 2021	#53
"Trump the traitor" is not a lie.	Justice matters.	Nov 2021	#74
The message I got from the Virginia race was white grievance.	Lonestarblue	Nov 2021	#37
Really, there's a soft coup going on, and Trump is all over it	wildman76	Nov 2021	#51
Biden has spent the year cleaning up the Trump mess, including the pandemic	bucolic_frolic	Nov 2021	#39
No your not wrong, the devils walk among us	wildman76	Nov 2021	#44
Yup. The voters had a simple choice.	old guy	Nov 2021	#49
Retrumplicans: "When do we finally start killing these people"?	maxrandb	Nov 2021	#72
Suburban parents hated the Covid closures and blamed Democrats.	Jon King	Nov 2021	#52
Virginia voters voted their values. i don't get the shock over this.	Autumn	Nov 2021	#55
Maybe we need to face the fact that we are a greedy, vindictive and fascistic nation that	world wide wally	Nov 2021	#57
As far as I know, Trump wasn't running for governor	Steelrolled	Nov 2021	#59
Also,	ancianita	Nov 2021	#63
Empty Greene, Hawley, Ted Cruz, and a host of others	Bettie	Nov 2021	#64
I think you would have to look at exit polling to reach any conclusions	Apollo Zeus	Nov 2021	#75
It's the party	moondust	Nov 2021	#86

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