New polling to make you even more anxious than you already are:
When it comes to the 2020 presidential election, Democrats are nervous wrecks and Republican excitement has grown.
That’s according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research as Americans look ahead to a high-stakes election that is 10 months away but still very much top of mind. While emotions could change in the coming months, the findings give Democrats one more worry to add to the list: Will anxiety or enthusiasm be a bigger motivator come November?
On the verge of the first votes being cast in a primary contest with no clear leader, 66% of Democrats report anxiety about the election, compared with 46% of Republicans. Democrats are also more likely to feel frustration. Republicans, meanwhile, are more likely than Democrats to declare excitement about the race, and the share of enthusiastic Republicans appears to be rising.
The findings aren’t surprising to anyone who’s talked to an undecided Democrat about the crowded primary field. Behind an intense desire to oust President Donald Trump, Democrats often describe deep uncertainty about what sort of candidate has the best chance and whether the party will be able to win the votes. There’s also hard division over policy and whispers about a contested convention. It can all feel a bit too much for some.
The poll found that 43% of Republicans say they’re excited about the election, up 10 percentage points from October. Meanwhile, 33% of Democrats reported excitement.
I’d say they are feeling something akin to dread. This is not surprising because there are fresh memories of 2016 and also the knowledge that Trump will cheat again. Indeed, he’s being waved through by his party to do whatever it takes.
And I think we are all coming to see that relying on any Republican’s patriotism, decency or honesty to observe what we used to believe was the rule of law is a waste. Those who have any of those characteristics are no longer in the party. Every last one who is left is a Trump true believer who will obviously do anything to preserve their power.
Yeah, that’s the kind of thing that makes you feel a little bit anxious.
About three-quarters of both Democrats and Republicans say they are highly motivated to cast ballots this year. But that only raises the question of which emotion will be stronger in turning out the vote around the margins.
A party usually wants its voters excited rather than anxious, said George Marcus, a political scientist at Williams College who has studied the role of emotion in politics and polling. Marcus found that voters who report fear and anxiety are more likely to be confused and split their vote.
“sigh”. I wish I couldn’t see that happening.
Anna Greenberg, a Democratic pollster, said the contrast between GOP excitement and Democratic anxiety and frustration is not a surprise.
“In general, supporters of the party in power are going to be more optimistic and hopeful, while supporters of the party out of power are going to be frustrated and angry,” Greenberg said.
She also noted that Democrats have been stressed since Trump won the White House. “Since Trump was elected, Democrats have been particularly anxious about both the idea of disinformation and election interference in 2020 and what could happen in a second Trump term,” Greenberg said. However, she added, “there is no evidence that Democrats are any less enthusiastic about voting in 2020, and the results of the 2018 election would suggest that they are highly motivated to vote.”
Indeed, the poll suggests that the feeling among Democrats might be a driver: About 9 in 10 anxious Democrats say they feel very motivated to vote this November, compared with about half of those who are not anxious.
They talked to some Democrats who are worried about a fair election. Gee, I wonder why?
“I’m just not sure we can have a fair election right now,” the 65-year-old Democrat said. “That’s probably my biggest anxiety right now.”
Trump voters, oddly enough, don’t have the same worries:
Domingo Rodriguez thinks these worries are ridiculous. The 75-year-old retired translator lives in Fort Myers Beach, Florida, and, though he’s not affiliated with either party, supports Trump. “I think Trump will win again. I’m not nervous,” Rodriguez said, chuckling as he thought about Democrats’ view of the election.
They don’t care how he wins. Because if you like Donald Trump and think he’s a great president you must, at this point, believe in winning by any means necessary.
I’m riddled with anxiety 24/7. At times it’s overwhelming. I think many of us are. But we can’t allow ourselves to become confused and disoriented. We must keep our heads clear and focused like a laser on removing this monster from office and disempowering his accomplices. He is an existential threat.
This coming election is in danger of foreign interference but since Trump is so inept, it’s fairly likely the Republicans haven’t been able to rig it fully. So it’s important to win big enough that they can’t steal it.