This is all according to a new Quinnipiac poll, and it should give Democrats hope for 2020. At this point, the election is the left's to lose.
Polls this early in the game won't necessarily mean much come Election Day, but the latest Quinnipiac numbers suggest that Americans are disenchanted with their President. They disagree on his handling of American foreign policy, including our dealings with China and Iran. The Quinnipiac poll didn't ask about trustworthiness, but I suspect that's where Americans (rightly) see Trump failing. He's a mendacious narcissist who is very much out of his depth in the White House; his administration has been plagued by scandals that would have brought down any other organization with even an ounce of shame. Any perverse entertainment value of his presidency has waned, particularly as his actions and those of his administration erode faith in American institutions and embolden some of the darkest actors in our society, including white supremacists. His asinine behavior toward China and Iran makes us less secure and threatens our economy.
No wonder voters are sick of him.
Democrats are especially over Trump and seriously motivated to get him out of office. The question now facing the Democratic Party is how. Former Vice President Joe Biden has the highest favorable results in the Quinnipiac poll, but at least anecdotally, the voters I've spoken with who support Biden all do so because of some vague concept of "electability." They aren't necessarily excited about him, but they think some other imagined voters will like him the best. One of the most dangerous things Democratic and independent voters could do right now is to read the numbers from Quinnipiac (and other recent polls about the 2020 race) and conclude that Joe Biden is the clear and obvious choice to oppose Trump in 2020.
Nominating a milquetoast, ostensibly "safe" candidate may feel like the right decision in such a crucial election. But it may also cost Democrats the White House.
Are voters going to rally en masse for Biden? Is he going to embody the spirit and excitement of a successful campaign? Do voters believe that he has a vision and a plan for America?
Voters are hungry for an alternative to Trump. But that alternative has to hit him where he's weakest. That's why whoever the Democratic nominee is needs to run on a dual message of integrity and opportunity: Return honor to the White House and restore America's damaged reputation the world over; offer a visionary, clear and specific plan for expanding opportunity for every American, scaling back inequality and improving the country. That doesn't mean returning to the pre-Trump days. That means moving forward.
Trump still draws crowds of hardcore fans at his rallies, the same people who love yelling about walls and donning red hats. But a crowd showing up to watch a showman doesn't necessarily mean that showman will win an election. Trump is deeply divisive, and those who were taken in with his message of American strength -- and those, frankly, who were mostly just amused by him -- may have soured on the idea of voting for him ever again.
If a Democrat can capture this tangible need for change and connect with those who feel it -- whether that's the voters who despise Trump or those who could be persuaded that there's a better way forward -- she will win. But the worst thing the left can do right now is what we did in 2016: Read the tea leaves and conclude that the election is in the bag.
2020 could very easily be a big win for Democrats. But complacency, and even reliance on the perceived safest choice, could mean another four years of Trump.
Bagikan Berita Ini
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