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In the weeks since the election I think about the woman who told me she heard Kamala Harris “let in the illegals who killed those cops.”
I met her when a few of us left. PodSafeAmerica It was knocking on doors in Las Vegas on Sunday before the election. She is listed in the voter file as a 72-year-old registered Democrat who has not yet voted. So we rang the doorbell. and was greeted by a small Asian woman and a very large dog. Her broken English was not easy to understand. And barking doesn’t help. But her concern about immigrants killing police is clear.
We skipped fact-checking and assured the woman that Vice President Harris promised to crack down on illegal immigration and close the border if it gets out of control. She seemed to have gentle support. But it wasn’t sold. We told her Harris wants to make prescription drugs cheaper for her and lower taxes as well. Then she pointed to the photo of the vice president in the campaign literature we were holding: “Is that you?” We nodded, and the woman gave us a thumbs up. and promised to vote for Harris.
This is not the type of exchange we expected. But only because the results were successful. Most interactions with voters are not as pleasant as you might expect. And some of it is bizarre. At the time I was hosting a focus group for the podcast I was hosting. wilderness– A Latino voter in Vegas told me his two favorite political leaders are Governor Ron DeSantis and Rep. Alexandria. Ocasio-Cortez Because they were both “outsiders” willing to “take on the responsibility of founding,” an older Milwaukee voter said he voted for Barack Obama and then Donald Trump because ” They both felt like they wanted to change,” said one young black man in Atlanta. Because of crime and inflation So he regrets voting for Joe Biden and that “at least Trump is an honest liar.”
The show has at times received harsh criticism from Democrats. The reaction to these focus groups I charitably describe as frustrated disbelief: “infuriating,” “depressing,” “unlistenable,” “why don’t you fix them?” “why don’t you just walk away. What about it?”
I understand why people feel this way. I understand why people like it. we It probably feels like this. If you’re interested enough in politics, read this. atlantic ocean or listen PodSafeAmerica Or endlessly scroll through strangers’ comments. You often find cohesive political identities on a broad scale. Even if we disagree with the views of leftists or liberals or Never Trumpers or MAGA Republicans, we understand them. (Or at least we think we do) people with our opinions. do not I understand that there are often people who don’t follow politics closely.
But that’s the majority of Americans.
The majority still votes. But not in every election. They generally vote for the same party, but not always. Their political beliefs are all over the map. There are some points left. Right to some point Be willing to compromise on some issues. Not at some point. They tend to be less partisan. (Which does not mean that they are central) less ideological. (Which doesn’t mean they’re moderate) and are less likely to see politics as black and white, life and – fights with clear heroes and villains. (Which doesn’t mean they don’t care.) They’re also less likely to complete a four-year college degree. It is currently the best predictor of how Americans vote and fuels divisions in American politics. This is a divide that continues to grow.
Democrats are now facing an unforgivable math problem. Fewer than four in 10 Americans have a college degree. And that number is smaller than in the battleground states that decide the presidency and control of Congress. In each of the past three elections Trump received millions of new votes from uneducated Americans who had previously supported Democrats, and every time, Democrats consoled him by explaining that Even though it’s possible But it saves us from the hard work of winning back these voters.
In 2016, we told ourselves that the only reason white working class Obama voters were able to choose Trump over Hillary. Clinton is misogyny racism Or misinformation? In 2020, Trump’s gains from working-class Latinos were blamed on Cubans in Florida and COVID-19 lockdowns. In 2024, Trump received support. from working-class Latino voters Asian voters and even more black voters. He won new votes from working-class Gen Z and Millennial voters. He made huge gains in working-class border communities and in immigrant neighborhoods in big cities.
Democrats can again choose to take comfort in an explanation that requires very little from us: If the party loses in 2024 because the public is fed up with high costs and old officeholders, maybe we’ll win in 2024. 2028 if people are still fed up with high costs Cost and former office holders Or perhaps Democrats can encourage economic populism. or sand on the edges of identity politics or create better ads Or hire smarter officials. Or run for office younger than you, or search for Joe Rogan, but none of the things that make liberals crazy and Rogan popular, surely someone on Bluesky has the answer.
The truth is that 2024 should be a moment of clarity for those of us who have spent the past decade trying to keep Trump from power. Half the country just lashed out again against a guy who attempted a coup. , a convicted felon who received 16 million more votes than he did in 2016, Democrats are about to have less power than ever before. Over the past two decades, the reason is simple: Most Americans do not believe they would be better off under democratic rule. That’s it. And there is no shortcut to returning to power that avoids the difficult task. To persuade people to change their minds
Democrats need to get back into the persuasion business. Interacting with voters, which is as frustrating as it gets. Guns are always a good reminder of how different it feels to talk politics with the people you’re actually trying to influence. You don’t phrase a candidate’s overly polished speech or careful interview answer. You don’t sound like an ad that expects to test well. But it looks like any other democracy ad. that you have heard And the conversation certainly doesn’t sound like people talking and debating politics online. Imagine if the woman we met in Las Vegas posted a question about her police killing of an immigrant on social media. Does anyone think that the resulting rhetoric will get her any votes or votes? I can’t say I would respond the same way I would in person.
Convincing voters is the main job of politicians and political experts. But now we live in an era where the average voter has only occasional glimpses into American politics. It’s less likely to be a candidate’s speech or campaign ad than an algorithmic take on picks and arguments from prominent figures in the media. activist And anyone who has an opinion and social media accounts which means Whether we like it or not A small percentage of us follow, discuss, and post obsessively about politics. It plays a role in shaping the views of the majority of Americans who don’t: the multiracial working-class majority. Believe that politics is mostly irrelevant to their lives.
And can we really blame them?
Trump has been a mainstay of American politics for nearly a decade. So that definitely doesn’t help. But there is no tired drama that he draws us in over and over again: he acts, we react, and sometimes we overreact. Politically obsessed people will see debates where the stakes are total and clearly right-wing. But often people who came to investigate saw battles that sounded both silly and holy. Nonsense and exaggeration Unreachable and tired All of this feeds into the autocrat’s empty promises that he can free us from the messier parts of A system where everyone has a say and nothing seems to get accomplished.
Democrats can no longer insist that this path is wrong. We need to show that there is a better way. Yes, in the policies we propose and in the facts we present. but also how we approach the important work of democratic politics.
When someone expresses an opinion that we find immoral or offensive. It’s not that they don’t deserve to be scolded or shamed. Making people feel unwelcome or unwanted is self-defeating and contradicts the project of democratic governance. It is the strong belief that all people are of equal value and deserve an equal voice in establishing a society that tolerates dissenting views. The rights of minorities are protected and progress will come only if minds are changed.
The last time Democrats lost this big was in 2004, when George W. Bush was elected to a second term. and Republicans control Congress. Some pointed out that at the time, the smart money was on Democrats nominating a swing state centrist in 2008, a black man from Chicago named Barack Hussein Obama, who Breaking up with his party over the Iraq War doesn’t really enter the cards. The suggestion is that maybe Democrats should be less concerned about where our next candidate falls on the political spectrum. And they should be more concerned about whether they can put together a loyal party.
But that’s based on a misunderstanding of why Obama was the last Democratic president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to win majorities in two elections. For his interest in charisma and his ability to inspire. The underrated aspect of Obama’s appeal is that he struggles to empathize with the people he seeks to lead. Even if they weren’t for him. But he made it clear that he was there for them. Part of this ability comes from traveling to different worlds. lots when he grows up But part of it is his background as a community organizer.
Organizers understand this better than anyone else. in the political circles about things that need to be changed Because they spend their days talking to people who aren’t like them. don’t know them and don’t think like them I’ve spent too much of my life debating politics online and on the mic. But the conflicts I admire most—the conversations that make me think differently—tend to occur with people who have a background in organizing for a cause or campaign. It doesn’t matter if that person’s politics are to my left or to my right. Their experiences are more likely to make them patient, understanding, and interesting than 95 percent of social media interactions. That’s because the organizers didn’t want to show people who already agreed with them. They want to convince people that they won’t. They don’t just want to be right. They want to win
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