The Pennsylvania Democrat recalled his time serving as a Hillary Clinton surrogate in 2016, even after he supported Bernie Sanders in the primary.

  • hydrospanner@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    What areas did Trump carry in 16 that then went “hard blue” (I guess that’s dependent upon your definition of hard, but let’s say, breaking for Biden by 10+ points) in 20?

    No doubt there were places that flipped, but I doubt too many flipped “hard”.

    2020 was decided by three groups:

    1. Moderate Republicans repulsed by what they’d seen through 4 years of trump.

    2. Democrats and moderates who were put off specifically by having Clinton on the ballot in 16 and didn’t vote.

    3. Independents who underestimated how bad Trump would be and voted for him to “shake things up” over Clinton who was the picture of Establishment Politics.

    In 2020 I think you also had the effect of complacency among some of Trump’s far right base. Many of them hadn’t voted for years, if ever, until 2016 and likely didn’t realize the perfect storm that had to happen for him to win.

    Meanwhile in 20, defeating Trump basically required two things: don’t be Trump, and don’t be someone lots of people hate.

    Nobody likes Biden, but nobody really hates him either. That’s how he won the primaries and it’s how he won the general.

    And if 2020 is a rematch, it’s how I think he’ll win again. Biden’s biggest strength is what he’s not.

    • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      I’m thinking of Wisconsin and Pennsylvania who flipped back Blue for Biden, but have also flipped other seats that have been long held by Republicans. The PA house flipped, as well as a seat in the Senate in the US Congress. Democrats held on to the governorship of PA for the first time since 1963. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court also flipped for the first time in nearly two decades. I don’t know how many point they won by, but there is a clear direction the states are both going that extends beyond just Trump.

        • phillaholic@lemm.ee
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          1 year ago

          Not sure they comment was meant for me, but I agree. People that still say they are independent either aren’t paying close attention or just don’t want to label themselves. Some just love to complain and not take any responsibility for the consequences of their own voting.