There Are More of Us Than There Are of Them

[babylonsister]

http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/lucian-k-truscott-iv/107884/there-are-more-of-us-than-there-are-of-them

There Are More of Us Than There Are of Them
by Lucian K. Truscott IV | October 1, 2023 - 6:41am

— from Salon


The 14th Amendment isn't going to save us from Donald Trump. Nor is a ruling in New York state that he defrauded multiple banks and insurance companies over a ten-year period. Nor are the 91 charges against him in his four criminal indictments. Nor is another ruling by a New York judge that he raped E. Jean Carroll and is liable for $5 million in civil damages. His base loves him for every scam he pulled, every norm he trashed, every law he broke.

There may be red state after red state across the South and Midwest voting for Trump every time he says "jump," but there aren't enough of them, and they don't have enough electoral votes. What will save us are our numbers. Republican presidential candidates have won the popular vote only once in the last 35 years, when George W. Bush beat John Kerry in 2004. In every other election, Democrats won the popular vote, even when they lost the election overall because of the electoral vote count. Put simply, there are more of us than there are of them.

snip//

Republicans are holding onto red states with gerrymandered majorities, but their control is slipping, and it is beginning to weaken in presidential election years. Georgia isn't going to go to the Republicans next year. Neither is Arizona. The abortion issue is beginning to turn reddish but competitive states like Ohio into toss-ups. Abortion is also costing Republicans votes of women in the suburbs and across the board in states like Kansas, which recently voted to keep abortion legal in the state by voting down a state constitutional amendment that would have made it illegal. Voters affirmed by referendum abortion rights in 2022 in California, Michigan and Vermont, and turned away statewide referendums that would have further restricted abortion rights in Kentucky and Montana.

Even if Republicans wanted to do something to appeal to voters more broadly, they are hamstrung by what we call the Trump base – voters in thrall to the man more than to the party. That base is White, and it's old, compared to voters in general, and they are headed into two decades when this country will get increasingly younger and less and less White.

This is not a good trend for the Republican Party, because politics is a game of numbers, and the numbers are going against them. It's good news for Democrats that there are more of us than there are of them, but only if we turn out and vote. We can't sit back and let the actuarial tables and the issue of abortion carry the day for us. There is power in numbers only if we exercise it with our votes. It's either that, or we won't have a vote that's worth anything anymore. Stand up and be counted. Vote.

[samplegirl]

1. Great post!

To the greastest page!

[liberal N proud]

2. The key is voting

Get the vote out!

[Fiendish Thingy]

3. Everyone should read the entire article

It details the inevitable, unstoppable demographic shift, both in young voters (who vote Dem 63% of the time) becoming a larger part of the electorate, and the shrinking proportion of non-college white voters who tend to vote GOP.

The increased COVID deaths in red states has accelerated that shift, as well as the shift of whites becoming a minority. Already, whites are in the minority among Americans under 18, and they will be in the minority nationwide by 2045, if not sooner. Before COVID, this shift wasn’t projected to happen until 2050.

It’s a great article, full of hope inducing data.

[Beartracks]

9. "Before COVID, this shift wasn't projected to happen until 2050."

Wow.

============

[erronis]

13. And they way overreached with their SCOTUS implants reversing Roe v. Wade

That all by itself has energized a huge portion of the electorate that otherwise might not care.

The problem with these types of people (RW/Repuglicon/libertarians/etc.) is that they just aren't very smart and don't look at the unintended consequences. They are in a self-echoing bubble that lets them believe they know everything. They really should get out more.

[slightlv]

17. Not only do they think they know everything

they never stop to consider knock on effects. They never think to consider how their actions today will affect the consequences of tomorrow. They assume it will all be roses all the time for them! They never figure on lemons, and they never learned how to make lemonade, and those that try always make the most sour lemonade around!

The most hateful among us can't seem to grasp the simple concept that when you denigrate everyone who doesn't look, act, and believe as you do... that when you thrust these people into closets and cages and demonize them they'll come out against you every single time. Furthermore, those who side with these "underdogs"... and for good reason... will turn against you with even more fervor. They will see you as the demon you are, and turn 10 more against you. Even if demographics aren't against you, those of good character will be.

In my younger, more idealistic days, I always believed good wins out over evil. As I grew older, it seemed that evil won out over good. Now that I'm old, I grow more pessimistic. It seems that evil has the upper hand for some reason. I want to be optimistic. I can't help but hope that good wins. But these days, it seems like strength favors evil because nothing stops them. Still... there is this seed of hope in me, and I work to nurture it. And I pay it forward wherever and whenever I can. I ask you do the same. Small things multiply in big ways.

[erronis]

18. Nicely stated. And I truly believe in "pay it forward"

I also believe that evil eventually turns against and destroys itself - but never totally - always embers ready to flare up and consume everything around.

[crickets]

16. Wow, indeed.

This has done the country a favor overall, but what an awful, awful way for it to happen.

We all know who was ultimately responsible.

[LiberalFighter]

19. As time goes each age category transitions to the next

And older category transitions out. Meaning those in the 65 and older group become less Republican or conservative. Due to the younger age that is less conservative transitioning.

In some places like Florida though it may have the opposite effect. Unless there is a way to reverse what DeSatan has done with education.

[Fiendish Thingy]

23. Normally that is true, however, with Millennials...

They aren’t getting more conservative as they age.

[2naSalit]

4. K&R

[brooklynite]

5. Doesn't matter...

...unless the "more of us" are in PA, WI, MI, AZ, NV and GA.

[MyMission]

8. There are more of us every day

Younger voters (and all Dems) understand their votes matter, with regard to reproductive and basic human rights. We've seen this in recent elections, large turnouts.

And older GOPQ voters are dying off at a faster rate than they are being replaced.

No guarantees, no crystal ball, but I have hope and will work to get the vote out. I was raised in Brooklyn, but live in NC now, a totally different political environment. I believe we have the support here to turn blue, but need to increase voter turnout.

[Sneederbunk]

6. That was true in 2016, but. . .

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. We can out vote TFG supporters

[Sky Jewels]

10. The dwindling of the Silent Generation has been very good for Dem prospects.

They skew/ed quite conservative, much more so than the Greatest Generation did (yes, plenty of exceptions, blah blah). They love/d 'em some Ronnie Raygun (yes, in general). Now they make up well under 10 percent of voters. Progressive-skewing Gen Z is replacing them in the voting booth and in vote-by-mail, and that's a wonderful thing to see. Disclaimer: this post is not a slam against the many wonderful liberals and Democrats who were/are Silent Gen members.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

11. GOTV! We are still paying for past election apathy. End the Repuke nightmare.

[IronLionZion]

12. Many of them died to own the libs

I don't know any libs who feel owned but that's OK.

Several studies support red counties having way more excess deaths than blue counties. Since red vs blue states will still have plenty of both liberals and conservatives, the county difference is more significant.

I'm convinced it already made a difference in Georgia, Arizona, and other swing states. Those states going blue was unthinkable years ago.

[KS Toronado]

14. We need to get rid of the Electoral College

and go with whoever gets the most votes. Maybe after this next election when we control both Houses again
we can put some new rules/regulations in place to shove the reQublican party on the back burner and
leave them there until they figure out they need to care about the middle class before the super wealthy.

Take them about 30 years to figure that out.

[redqueen]

20. Very much this.

It's bad for many reasons.
https://archive3.fairvote.org/reforms/national-popular-vote/the-electoral-college/problems-with-the-electoral-college/

[KS Toronado]

21. Thanks for the link

[ExWhoDoesntCare]

22. It won't happen for a long time, if ever

If it were easy to change the Constitution, we wouldn't have passed only 17 Amendments since 1791, and only 12 since 1868.

That's the problem. We're bound to a foundational document that is difficult to change.

[mountain grammy]

15. K&R

And we’re being led by an 80 year old man who appears to have more energy than many half his age. Go Joe!