In one of my political conversations with a very liberal friend, we tried to find a common ground starting point. I thought we both could agree we want all Americans to be healthy. He thought we both would agree that everyone deserves dignity. I said that while we can agree on some measure of health, there is no similar measure for dignity. I thought if what drives the left is amorphous intangibles and the right, empirical data, are we doomed to never find common ground? That prompted me to look closely at what voters were saying in this year’s election process so far.
I have been watching the early caucuses and primaries and am especially interested in the interviews with the voters that take place both before and after the voting. Of course, if you only have one news source, you won’t get a very good picture and even if you do have a multitude of sources, you can’t count on your observations being accurate. Still here is what I found to be at the crux of this year’s Presidential election.
Many of the Democrat voters after saying who they voted for and then asked why, did not offer many policy positions as their reason. Rather it was temperament and style. If they chose Sanders, he is consistent and passionate. If Warren, she’s a fighter and determined. If Buttigieg, he seemed steady. If Biden, he can beat Trump. Very few cited Medicare for All or eliminating college debt. Several went on to say we need a “nice” President. All were universal in their zeal to replace President Trump but again, citing temperament and style, not policies or programs.
If Republicans make their appeal on data, as they seem to be doing, they may be singing to a half empty concert hall. The left plays in the emotion sandbox and the draw of this or that percentage is not enough to get them out. Perhaps the President is getting that message as he used many emotional tugs in his State of the Union Speech. Perhaps putting faces on lower unemployment among minorities and higher wages for entry level workers is the key to get those on the left to see how nice may not always get you effective.
Current Day Publius 