Polls show Trump winning key swing states. That’s partly a failure of the press | Margaret Sullivan
www.theguardian.com
Polls can’t predict – but they can warn. And I’m not sure our horserace-obsessed media are heeding the warning

Polls can’t predict – but they can warn. And I’m not sure our horserace-obsessed media are heeding the warning

…

One of the things these numbers suggest is that the journalists are not getting the truth across to citizens on some key points (or if they are, that truth is being ignored).

The poll respondents claim that one of their big concerns is the economy. If that’s the case, they should be happy with Biden. Among the factors: low inflation, significant growth and low unemployment. Paul Krugman, the Nobel laureate economist, wrote recently: “The economic news in 2023 was almost miraculously good.” (Even the cost of a classic Thanksgiving dinner, he notes, was down 4.5% last year.)

If the economy is that strong and that important to voters – and if Biden can take at least some of the credit – why isn’t it coming across? That’s something for the Biden campaign, primarily; but it’s also something for media people since journalists are supposed to be communicating information so that citizens can vote with knowledge. That should be a higher priority than generating profits, ratings and clicks, but one eventually despairs that it ever will be.

Another major voter concern, of course, is Biden’s age. He’s 81; Trump will be 78 in June. They’re both old; both have memory gaps and both exhibit confusion at times.

Only one of them, however, talks about some migrants as “animals” or predicts a “bloodbath” for the country if he loses. Only one is facing dozens of charges related to crimes including trying to overturn a legitimate election. Only one has promised to be a dictator on day one of his presidency and only one has allies that are meticulously plotting a radical revamping of how America works.

      • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
        6·
        9 months ago

        If you want Biden to win then figure out how to get him to make material compromises with progressives or leftists.

        EDIT: Look at all these Trump supporters!!

          • go_go_gadget@lemmy.world
            3·
            9 months ago

            This is why people won’t take you seriously.

            You sure? This is regularly why people take liberal and moderate voters seriously.

          • Count042@lemmy.ml
            2·
            9 months ago

            Biden decided that it was more important to commit a genocide then to prevent Trump from likely winning.

            It’s not the people unwilling to vote for someone committing genocide that is holding the Presidency hostage.

            Israel has doctors amputating Gazan prisoners limbs off because their limbs have died from being zip tied for months on end.

            That is what you’re supporting.

            • Count042@lemmy.ml
              1·
              9 months ago

              Out of curiosity, for those downvoting this:

              What does the word intersectionality mean to you?

              What minority group are you willing to throw into the wood chipper next to prevent Trump from winning?

        • Veneroso@lemmy.world
          15·
          9 months ago

          Can you imagine if Obama did January 6th? You people would burst into flames!

          Remember, if Trump is immune, so is Biden, Obama, Clinton, and Hillary! Oh Hilary wasn’t president? You sure about that? Lol.

        • flying_sheep@lemmy.ml
          7·
          9 months ago

          Hahaha OK I have to update: this is the most shit take I’ve seen on Lemmy so far.

          Truly the dumbest garbage. How did did you manage to register here? After all you have to be able to type your password twice in a row.

        • SoleInvictus
          5·
          9 months ago

          You’d have to be blind, deaf, and dumb in both senses of the term to believe any of this. Like, bro, you’re on the internet. You can learn all about Trump there, good and bad, and there’s tons of bad, even before his sojourn into politics.

          You and all the other MAGAs are getting scammed so hard and the rest of us are just astounded that not only are you falling for it, you’re actively fighting to get scammed some more. It’s like watching a man kick the shit out of himself while screaming about how he’s winning.