General Discussion

A large segment of voters are not very well informed and/or approach voting like deciding which shows to watch on TV. Unless really attracted to something, they switch channels or just tune out.

Certainly not an adult approach of taking seriously the privilege and responsibility of a citizen engaged in representative government.

Of course, this observation does not apply to everyone who waffles between parties or not voting. One size does not fit all.

After the unprecedented Jan 6 assault on our nation's Capitol, I thought Trump’s political career was at an end. What decent or rational person would vote for him after that? Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, because I thought GW Bush was finished after no WMD was found in Iraq and the occupation turned into a bloody fiasco.

Of one thing I'm certain: perception trumps reality in politics. During the Vietnam war GW's connections got him a cushy post with the Texas air national guard (which he didn't even finish), while John Kerry volunteered for two tours in the most dangerous assignment in the Navy and was highly decorated -- yet his service record ultimately was a negative in the campaign. He got "swift-boated" by the rightwing noise machine, which is very effective at shaping public perception.

The Biden administration engineered a great economic recovery from COVID. Inflation was a global phenomenon, but was improving in the US in 2024. The Economist magazine (by no means a liberal publication) called the US economy under Biden "the envy of the world" -- but the rightwing noise machine and Trump in particular constantly characterized it as an unmitigated disaster.

History has shown that a big lie repeated often enough -- especially echoed by major media like Fox News -- is perceived by many voters (not just diehard MAGAts) as the truth.

And yet, it still amazes me that so many otherwise normal adults can be fooled into thinking the Republican Party actually looks after the economic interests of folks struggling to get by, despite their long record of opposing policies that actually help people while providing the wealthy with massive tax breaks and financial legislation which has led to the ever widening chasm between the rich and everyone else.

Well, FAFO is really going to bite those easily fooled voters in the a$$ this time. Will they be able to connect the dots to Trump, and remember in future elections that the Republican Party does NOT serve their interests?

I'd like to think so, but recent history does not give me confidence. All we can do is try to help them open their eyes, without turning them away by venting our anger at them.