Thursday, February 6th, 2020
Stephan: This article was first published on 9 August 2018. I am running it as my lead in today's edition because, with the Republican senators spineless ethical failure, with the exception of Mitt Romney, voting in November is the only way to get Trump out of office, and sweep away his entire band of grifters.
My main take away from Iowa, is that the Democratic establishment has to be replaced, and the paltry turn-out, while not dispositive because it was such a mess, should alarm anyone who has an interest in creating a society that fosters wellbeing. In the upcoming year even as this administration continues, if Trump stays true to form, there will be covert and overt revenge moves, further degradation of people's lives, lack of preparation for climate change, and on and on until 20 January. The one variable we cannot calculate is Bolton's book or whether the House subpoenas him or others to testify.
Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump shakes hands as he arrives at a campaign rally on Aug. 30, 2016, in Everett, Wash.
Credit: Evan Vucci/AP
Most of our assessments of the electorate in 2016 are dependent on estimates. Polling before the election that suggested where people were leaning; exit polling after the fact that gives us some sense of who actually turned out. When more than 137 million people vote, understanding exactly who they were and why they voted the way they did necessarily involves some guesswork.
On Thursday, though, Pew Research Center released an unusually robust survey of the 2016 electorate. In addition to having asked people how they voted, Pew’s team verified that they did, giving us a picture not only of the electorate but also of those who didn’t vote. There are a number of interesting details that emerge from that research, including a breakdown of President Trump’s support that confirms much of his base has backed him enthusiastically since the Republican primaries.
Let us hope the Democrats nominate a decent candidate. Clearly the last one didn’t inspire enough people to get to the polls……