Immigration is such a horseshit issue. Why are people dumb enough to fall for this shit?
Immigration will be “solved” come January, but not because Trump will actually do anything about it, but he’ll just say the problem is solved and then stop talking about it.
Because the Democrats picked it up and used it as an issue as well. Instead of dispelling the myths of “Bigrant Crime,” as if that would be a challenge, they took an anti-immigration stance as well. Honestly, Trump had a rare master class attack on the Dems with the whole “they’ve been in power for four years, why haven’t they already done everything,” because it called out just how shallow the Dems bending to conservative anti-immigrant policy was. It was almost certainly an accident on his part, especially since his party was the reason Dems couldn’t be as hard on immigration as they wanted, but it turned into effective messaging.
I don’t think those were choices on the exit poll😂
It’s always about the economy. Every election period.
The economy is actually great. Most people just don’t have the brains to understand why when they feel like it isn’t. Sentiment is king.
This is the kind of out of touch thinking that is why Harris lost.
It literally doesn’t matter how great the economy is if people are struggling, and they are.
No one gives a shit about how much the GDP grew, they can about the price of eggs and milk.
Harris repeated biden saying the economy is great and ignored that there are people struggling and focusing in on messaging to help them.
I know her policies might have helped the average American, but no one reads policies anymore, unfortunately.
I’m a Harris voter.
The economy is stable and we’re at a new normal. People are hoping to take things back to how they were before even though that’s not how economies work.
Looks a lot like lack of awareness to me. The price of pretty much everything has at least stabilized or is down from the peak. Individuals are better off today than recently.
However prices are shockingly high compared to four years ago. Many are worse off than four years ago. The economy is trending much better at the individual level but people can’t get past the four years of buildup to realize that it has turned around
If you look at the average salary, it has kept up or exceeded inflation, but it has taken some time to catch up. But again, it’s the sentiment. If people feel poorer, they are poorer, even if they are not actually poorer.
What? Who is the economy great for? Many Americans are one missed paycheck from bankruptcy.
Which is exactly my point. Many Americans don’t feel like the economy is better in their own lives. But, overall, from a macroeconomic perspective, the economy is doing great.
Who gives a fuck about the macroeconomic perspective
The economy, to any person with a pulse, means “can I afford to live”. If the dictionary definition of an economy is different, then speak the language of the people.
Then you have to be willing to do economics like in Europe and redistribute (the GDP) wealth to basically make everyone middle-class. But Americans are also unwilling to do that. That’s “socialism” or “communism” or whatever label conservatives like to add to it. The US may have a somewhat higher GDP than many European countries, but most Europeans feel much more financially secure than most Americans.
Another thing that’s barely on the chart: Foreign Policy, some fraction of which would be the genocide.
It just wasn’t the influential issue that much of Lemmy wished it were, and clearly not the reason Harris lost.
Exactly. For all the talk of the Palestine/Israel genocide being a reason people didn’t vote Harris, this poll certainly makes it seem like less of the issue. What the fuck happened? I’m genuinely ashamed to live in the States.
What the fuck happened?
Four years of a milquetoast, centrist Democrat telling the American people what they’re living isn’t the actual reality of the situation. Biden’s admin kept rolling out the “soft landing, economy is doing great,” schtick despite numerous news outlets reporting Americans don’t feel like it’s an economy working for them.
Then that Democrat finally stepping aside, too late for his constituents to have a say in who they want representing them. And then she ran on a centrist, return-to-the-status-quo platform that didn’t inspire the majority of Americans, who are so apathetic based on decades of being ignored by politicians they just don’t vote. Because what’s the point?
99.9% of US voters wouldn’t even be there if it wasn’t for genocide
Foreign policy isn’t important to the workers, doing political work in my local area people will sooner talk about the dog shit sproon around theyre street or litter, the closure of public toilets or the removal of public bins as they all have a noticeable and tangible effect on day to day life. Sadly Gaza isn’t a broad issue to none gazans. I’m not advocating for this behaviour btw, just pointing out what I’ve noticed and spoken about in political circles.
Remember that people who considered foreign policy (aka Gaza) to be the most important didn’t vote. People who voted Harris did so because they either thought some other issue was more important or just didn’t care. I think you’ll get better insights from a “why didn’t you vote” survey. That said it’s definitely not the only reason Harris lost; it was her complete and utter failure at campaigning that allowed Trump to go around collecting swing states like they’re fucking MTG cards.
People who voted Harris did so because they either thought some other issue was more important or just didn’t care.
Or realized that Trump would be far worse for the Palestinians than any Democrat has ever been.
Worse maybe, but not for worse. That said that’s not really what I’m trying to say; my point is that people whose number one issue was Palestine overwhelmingly didn’t vote. Democrats went to vote despite Biden/Harris’s Israel policy, meaning they considered something else to be more important and so they wouldn’t answer this poll with “foreign policy”.
I think we have to accept that the American electorate actually wants fascism.
Let’s give them leftist fascism and see how they react.
Leftist fascism is called communism.
Leftist fascism is called fascism, because the term leftist doesn’t actually mean anything but fascism and communism do.
They elected the candidate backed by Russia, which is still the shining beacon of a global superpower for the Tankies out there. So I guess Trump is a perfectly fine representative of fascism, left or right.
It’s more that Harris did such a terrible job that even the other side being literal Hitler didn’t save her.
Bro, in don’t care how bad Harris is/was. If you prefer trump to her, it’s on you.
As always, mathematically not voting is equivalent to voting for the winner, since it’s a vote that didn’t change the result. So yeah. The above statement rings true.
As easy as it is to blame voters, the American electorate didn’t want fascism. That’s just false. Harris dug her own grave by actively discouraging voters who didn’t want fascism. This electorate is the same one that elected Biden in 2020 and (mostly) the same one that elected Obama in 2008 and 2012. They just wanted a real candidate and Harris wasn’t that.
It’s neither “their” problem not one that was manufactured and shoved down throats
Economy
This is Trump’s economy, you idiots. This is the fallout from his incompetence and malice. But heaven forbid voters understand basic principles which rule their lives.
i think you give too much credit to Trump. the economy has been rigged against the working class for a long time. it’s just getting progressively more brutal which makes people feel increasingly insecure.
an insecure working class elects strongmen who promise simple solutions
The best, simplest summation I’ve seen. Thank you. I’ve been searching for something to make sense of it and this is definitely it. Being forced into voting for the “least worst” candidate obscures where that path is headed by either candidate.
Worse: Congress purposely intended for the president to not have direct control over the economy.
Right, but the administration’s actions typically get attributed to the president, plus the president does have a measure of control through executive orders, or proposals which get carried through the house and Senate. The president will obviously sign any initiative that they themselves proposed.
No, sorry, but you don’t get to say that four years later.
The economy got trashed in his last year… but remember how the sparse economic relief that were carried through the democratic congress got completely wiped out as soon as Biden took office? When the democrats took away the child tax credit childhood poverty doubled overnight. And you may say the cause of the inflation was Trump’s mismanagement (And it wasn’t. The supply chain breakdown would have happened no matter who was in office.) what was the democratic response? Fucking Chicago school.
What’s happening is the US empire is not so slowly rotting and material conditions are deteriorating. That’s independent of what party is in power. But both parties are wedded to capital. And voters are hopping from one foot to the other while standing on that hot skillet trying to find relief. You’re not going to find it without overthrowing capitalism. This is the barbarism we were warning you about.
And it wasn’t. The supply chain breakdown would have happened no matter who was in office
if i remember correctly, COVID brought our inflation up to roughly 6%. then the Ukrainian war took it the rest of way where it peaked near 9% (over 10% in my home state)
these things would have happened anyway, although choosing to prolong the Ukrainian war as long as possible most definitely increased inflation. people think we only gave 2 or 3 hundred billion, but realistically the American public has paid more than a trillion in the invisible tax that is inflation. hundreds of thousands of layoffs because of higher interest rates are also connected to this
Let’s not forget that a large part of the inflation, and especially on food and housing, was driven by pure greed and opportunism from the capitalists that control those basic necessities. And that’s something that could have been prevented with tools that capital permitted under Ronald Fucking Reagan.
it’s an eternal battle. every once in a while we pass legislation to try and reign in corporate power. like for example the anti trust act in the early 1900s
the issue is that public attention is temporary. eventually we move on to the next crisis and people forget. grow complacent.
corporate interest, however, is eternal. it’s persistent and never gives up. it keeps pushing, infallibly, in order to weaken the structures meant to reign in their power. whether by legislation/policy (AT&T and friends unilaterally killing Net Neutrality some years back, Disney signing into law expansion of copyright, etc) or through more subtle methods (buying politicians and getting people into positions of power that have no intention of enforcing the laws)
this is inevitably what happens with every democracy. eventually the vigilance fails and the structures of power are hijacked by opportunists.
although having said all that, I don’t think greed had much to do with the inflation we saw. Sure, some companies took advantage and raised prices more than they needed to just to inflate that extra juicy profit margin.
but realistically we’re headed to war and war means massive government spending which means inflation
You’re separating government from the capitalists and I don’t think that’s an accurate way of looking at the world. Capital will eat itself even more voraciously than it does right now without some mediating force on itself. Government isn’t a hedge against capitalism that mediates its excesses. It is a PART of capitalism that mediates its excesses. The anti-trust act wasn’t for us; it was for them.
But the reality that capitalism is a fundamentally unstable system can’t be fixed by blunting it. And as the rate of profit goes down, the very restraints that capital put on itself to ensure its survival must be destroyed in pursuit of that profit.
i think most legislation is explicitly for the capitalist class. that much we probably agree with
but i do think every once in a while, when there is a ton of pressure and the elites are scared, they throw a bone to the working class.
it happened with the antitrust act, it happened with the New Deal, and it happened in the 1960s with the Civil Rights era and the end to Vietnam
yes, capitalism will eat itself. it’s what we’re essentially seeing right now in slow motion. but there is something there in democracy beyond just capitalism. even if it’s buried deep down and impotent
it happened with the antitrust act, it happened with the New Deal, and it happened in the 1960s with the Civil Rights era and the end to Vietnam
The thing that ties all of these exceptions together is the immediate threat of ideologically organized revolutionary cadres mobilizing the masses into a socialist revolution
That’s the advantage of the 2 party system. There is no other way out except revolution. In most European countries there is still an irrational but valid hope for regular reform through regular political means. Those countries are fated to linger on like this a little longer.
How can hope be both irrational and valid?
When it’s based on emotions or tradition. “We’re too big to fail” or “We’re the best, so we’ll get there”. Those are good motivators, but completely unbased
It’s the pattern in American politics that has existed since I was born: Republicans fuck the economy, Democrats do their best to fix it, people blame the Democrats for the bad economy and elect Republicans who fuck it up even more.
Ironically Republican presidents are the worst for the economy, https://www.jec.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/democrats/2024/10/the-u-s-economy-performs-better-under-democratic-presidents
The news says the Republicans are better at [the economy] because they are. How are they better. Because they are better for the economy. Who crashed the economy the last four times it’s happened Republicans. They’re so good at economy!
They’re never around for the rebound though. They leave the Democrats to pick up the pieces and the stupid fucks that voted for trump only see that gas was cheaper 5 years ago, so that must mean that trump’s economy was better!
Remember when gas was cheap because the entire country ground to a halt due to Trump mismanaging COVID? Those sure were the days…
Yeah, let’s not overreact today. It’s not like we were all sequestered in our homes while riots raged across the country and ash fell from the blood red sky because of out of control forest fires. Oh wait, that’s exactly what it was like!
racism should be represented across the board
Economy? Ah yes, let’s elect the person that wants to put 100% sanctions on literally everything. Masterful gambit sirs. Ya’ll can rot in hell!
Also side note, America’s economy is held up by cheap immigrant labor, so way to double dunk.
When the most important is something that isn’t even real…gj America. Fools.
Immigration isn’t real?
If I have to spell it out for the slow folks “immigration”=“border crisis”.
Happy to help!
Honestly, I hope Trump and his republican dumb fucks go through with their tariff plan to “save” the much improved economy. Americans deserve it.
I wanted Bernie some years ago but also believe that we deserve this.
Americans deserve everything that is about to happen.
I feel kinda sad for them.
Feel bad for the rest of the world who still rely on the unreliable American voters.
Eh. Russia doesn’t rely on American voters. We know Putin will draw 80% votes with 80% turnover.
You should. Our country was just flushed down the drain by 37% of the voters who are all a bunch of dumbfuck morons.
Don’t disagree and I honestly hope all of their promises come true this time, abortion restrictions at the federal level, the gutting of government, putting Herschel Walker as the head of the DoD, all of it.
Americans will never learn unless they suffer.
TIL that trump is Leto Atreides II
Trump isn’t even 10% as competent as Leto Altreides II.
As a german i can tell you that the learning effect doesn’t last forever either
Obviously. It didn’t even last 4 years for us…
As an American, you’re right. I guess Trump won’t see consequences, but maybe the country will. And MAYBE voters / non voters will learn something.
The problem is the consequences are not immediate. This is like making a child sit in their room because they scribbled on the wall in crayon last week. They don’t have the capacity to make that connection.
If renewed inflation takes another four years to really build up, guess whose fault that becomes? If the climate gets worse over years, decades, generations, no blame here. If Russia invades the Baltic states after consolidating Ukraine, it couldn’t be due to appeasement here. If they succeed in replacing the merit-based civil service with partisan hacks whose only skill is “loyalty”, clearly it’s the swamp that needs to be drained.
I guess Trump won’t see consequences,
Probably not given his age, diet, and general level of fitness.
And even if he does live that long, I doubt he will remember it given his clearly declining mental health.
It’s simple, and history has borne this out many many times.
In a bad economy, no one cares about your politics if you’re the candidate of change. There’s a reason why Harris spent two months repeating memes instead of defending Biden’s policies, because it’s impossible to defend the fact that you had four years to rule and there are more people working 2-3 jobs just to survive.
They knew they needed to appeal to workers. Instead, they spent most of the campaign repeating this meaningless platitude about joy to people who are being worked to death.
Also, there were plenty of people who were never going to vote for a woman, no matter what.
Then maybe don’t force a woman onto the ballot in “the most important election of our lifetime”. I’m all for progress, but you don’t win elections by forcing ideals upon people who won’t have them, and if this was truly the most important election of our lifetime, then the Democrats should have fielded their most appealing candidate.
Yeah if the DNC really gave as much credence to the vote power of racism and misogyny as they do when complaining about election losses, then why would they deliberately step on that landmine by selecting kamala only 8 years after HRC? It’s not like we think idealistic dreamers run the DNC right? That’s silly.
Why did Dems lose the Senate? Keep the house? Cuz its more than just Harris here… What we’re seeing is voter repudiation of the last 4 years.
Don’t forget immigrants who hate immigrants.
If that’s why Kamala lost, then explain why Tammy Baldwin is winning Wisconsin and Elissa Slotkin is winning in Michigan.
Plenty of people will also never vote for a black man, but that worked spectacularly for the Democrats the first time.
I’m sure that’s true too, but that’s not the reason she lost, and Democrats will continue to stack losses if that’s the narrative that they go with.
Democrats haven’t been ceding male voters to Republicans for 16 years because they hate women. It’s because, in the liberal and activist communities, it’s become customary and accepted to treat men like shit.
It’s because, in the liberal and activist communities, it’s become customary and accepted to treat men like shit.
this is just as dumb as the opposite “they didn’t vote for Kamala because she’s a woman”
people don’t like Kamala because she’s an extension of Joe Biden and Biden has been a failure. that’s why she lost. she offered status quo when people want change. the DNC is incapable of changing quick enough to avoid fascism
Democrats will continue to stack losses if that’s the narrative that they go with
$20 says that or race is the narrative they go with.
I wouldn’t be surprised.
I’d never take that bet, they already started today You can find them in threads across the fediverse.
In a bad economy, no one cares about your politics
That’s no excuse for electing someone whose stated policies and politics will fuck the economy even further and faster.
Sure it is, if you don’t understand economics, which few Merkins do. The evidence is right in front of us.
Also, I love how no one gives a shit about the ecological apocalypse. This is why I kept telling you guys: let the hurricanes destroy everything. No more FEMA. Americans clearly don’t care.
