Jeff Passmore, CACOR Board of Directors, suggests:
As requested re Trump’s 2020 election support, four things come to mind:
1] History and family – There are those that vote Republican no matter what – especially if the alternative on the ballot is Democrat;
2] Single issue voters. For example, if you agree with Trump on abortion, you will forgive his corruption, if you agree with him on immigration, you will forgive the fact that he slept with a porn star and then tried to bribe her to keep quiet. If you think Trump should be tough on China, then you will support him, etc., etc;
3] The “deplorables.” Non college-educated white Americans are tired of being talked down to by “Progressives” who know what’s best for them better than they know themselves. This is not a Trump phenomena, it has been going on since Bill Clinton. In the opinion of many Republicans (not the 8% that voted for Biden), they have been disenfranchised by Progressives in DC (and in California and New England). The progressive wing of the Democratic Party is completely tone deaf. Witness the fact that the Dems thought there were going to take control of the Senate (including defeating Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who actually won by ~20 (?) points), increase their majority in the House (they actually lost ~12 (?) seats) and win in Florida.
4] Latinos in Florida – Trump had them convinced that Biden is a socialist and would turn the US into Cuba. I guess no-one there has heard about Canada.
Of these four, #3 is the most important, and will require some soul searching on the part of the Dems.
Biden’s challenge now is not only going to be uniting the country, but uniting the Democratic Party – the moderate wing, with what could easily become the impatient Progressives. Check this recent quote from Bernie Sanders: “Biden’s success would not have been possible without Progressives.” There are already whispers and accusations in some Dem circles asking how could they have done so poorly and who’s at fault (tone deaf). Nancy Pelosi, Dem Speaker in the House, could easily bear that burden and be replaced as Dem House Speaker. And if the Reps hold the Senate (pending two runoffs in Georgia), the Progressives can forget about a Green New Deal or expanding the Supreme Court (which under any circumstances would be a bad idea). To get things done (COVID recovery), Biden wants to work across the aisle and to do that, he is going to have to be a moderate, something for which he is quite qualified.
Hope this sheds some light.
Jeff
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