When a negative choice is positive
by digby
Among Clinton supporters, 57% view their choice as for Clinton, rather than against Trump. The share of Clinton’s backers who view their choice positively is less than the share of pro-Barack Obama voters who did so in 2008 (77%) or 2012 (73%), but much higher than the level of positive support for John Kerry in 2004 (39%).
Why do I not remember the press going on and on about how Democrats were having to hold their noses to vote for John Kerry? Maybe there were such articles and discussions but as a member of the new lefty “blogosphere” of the time, I was pretty immersed in the election and there was very little sense among activists that voting for Kerry was a terrible sacrifice of our integrity even if he wasn’t our first choice.Trying to stop Bush was enough to get us excited and energized.
Trying to stop Trump is enough too. It’s rare to have a candidate you love the way Democrats love Obama. And Clinton is a mainstream Democratic candidate who will also be the first woman president so it’s not like it’s such a terrible sacrifice of integrity to vote for her.
And frankly, I think the media is making way too much of her alleged unpopularity, which contributes to the sense that it’s very, very uncool to say you like Clinton. It reminds me a lot of the way they used to always refer to Bush as “this incredibly popular president” long after he had ceased to be popular. They have their narrative and they’re sticking to it.
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