The undecided voter

The alleged political wisdom is that there are people who will always vote Republican, people who will always vote Democratic, and a small number of swing voters. Candidates have to appeal to the swing voters to win.

Among those swing voters there are the people who are undecided. This has always been a mystery to me. The parties are so far apart on so many things, it seems hard to imagine not being able to choose between them.

Frank Luntz, who does focus groups for Fox News, cleared that up for me last night.

When I consider a candidate or a party, I look at their policies. I don’t care that much about their style or personality.

These undecideds are the opposite. They don’t care too much about policies. They want to know who they like, and who they can trust.

It reminds me a little of the debates I used to have about various Christian denominations. I always focused on the doctrines of the church, but many people are more concerned about the quality of the child care during Sunday School, the friendliness of the people, the type of music they have in worship, and things like that.

These undecideds want to know who they like and trust — Trump or Biden. And I can certainly understand how they would be undecided about that!

5 thoughts on “The undecided voter”

  1. QUOTE: When I consider a candidate or a party, I look at their policies. I don’t care that much about their style or personality. These undecideds are the opposite. They don’t care too much about policies. They want to know who they like, and who they can trust.
    Assessing a candidate by their policies, in an ideal environment, likely would be an effective approach.

    Unfortunately, there’s typically a distinction between “espoused theory” and “theory-in-use” and it can a have a significant impact on how a candidate governs. IOWs, politicians, and parties can say their policy is “X” but do “Y”.

    We have a clear example of this currently that will likely have an impact on this country for generations. Lindsey Graham made a public declaration… “This will stand the test of time, if Ted Cruz or Donald Trump get to be president, they all asked us not to confirm or take up a selection by president Obama. So, if a vacancy occurs in their last year of their first term, guess what, you’ll use their words against them. I want you to use my words against me if there’s a Republican president in 2016 and a vacancy occurs in the last year of the first term, you can say Linsey Graham said let’s let the next president, whoever it might be, make that nomination and you could use my words against me and you’d be absolutely right. We are setting precedence here today, Republicans are, that in the last year of at least a lame duck 8 year term, I would say it’s going to be a 4 year term, that you’re not going to fill a vacancy of the Supreme Court, based on what we are doing here today…” So, here we are in 2020 and he and Trump are doing exactly the opposite of the new precedent they established and committed to.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kw8SSQHQitg

    So, this behavior is why it’s likely why many voters consider personality, style and a host of other character attributes. Moral leader Franklin Graham once spoke to this issue when he stated, “ If he will lie to or mislead his wife and daughter, those with whom he is most intimate, what will prevent him from doing the same to the American public? Private conduct does have public consequences…the scandal of Mr. Clinton and Ms. Lewinsky has forced us to examine the morality of public and private behavior with new intellectual and spiritual vigor. There needs to be no clash between personal conduct and public appearance. Throughout my life, I have seen consistency of the two in the Graham house. I pray this will also be true in the White House. Interestingly enough, Mr. Graham’s words didn’t age well, given he failed to apply this standard to the current president.

    Given the record of politicians of frequently having a gap between policy and practice, voters don’t want to be caught unaware by merely focusing on a candidate’s policies. Trump said it well, as he recited the poem about “the snake” (see link below). Experience has given many examples of such and it should be a powerful reminder that a politician’s charter can indeed have a significant impact on how they govern and execute policy.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QXPFI1bhzk

  2. Trump promised a new plan for medical insurance 4 years ago and delivered nothing in that respect. Now he is promising it again. He also promised to build a wall and make Mexico pay for it. He built some segments of the wall which he paid for with emergency funds from the Pentagon. So much for his “policy.”

    1. Yes, Pence lied bigly last night. He said “President Trump and I have a health care plan.”

      Yeah, right. Trump said he had a good one four years ago and that it would be revealed in the first 100 days.

      What has he revealed? Nada.

      Repealing the ACA mandate is not a healthcare plan. Say after me, “Repealing the ACA mandate is not a healthcare plan.” “Repealing the ACA mandate is not a healthcare plan.” “Repealing the ACA mandate is not a healthcare plan.”

      Yes, no wall that Mexico has paid for. He’s got 25 or 50 miles of new wall. Not a “big beautiful wall. Because, I know how to build things.”

      The very tiny bit he has added he got the funds from stealing from military families.

      I detest orange bozo from the minute he announced his candidacy. My wife is Mexican. Mexico is not sending its best? FU orange bozo. I could go into the flawed words that actually Mexico doesn’t send anybody. Individual citizens cross themselves. But, that would be using reason and logic which is impervious to orange bozo and his worshipers.

      I’m not on the Biden train, but at least he’s not that big of an ahole. I’d trust him alone with my 24 year old daughter more than orange bozo.

      Sadly, all promises by any candidate are mostly bunk. There is this group called the Congress, and they have a say once in a while.

    2. Seems a better measure for politicians would be policy (intended agenda), performance (policy execution) and personality (temperament/character)…given all of these can significantly impact the quality of life of the citizens they are “supposed” to represent. Can you imagine political leaders/President that championed policies that were primarily focused on the needs of the majority of Americans (Red and Blue states), executing them with precision and engendering trust and confidence amongst a majority of citizens…without consistent irrational, erratic, embarrassing episodes of lunacy? Many would not be in office if that was the selection criteria. Yet, the hundred million question… would Trump qualify? I suspect those who have been watching closely and made an *honest* assessment already have that answer.

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