Another group of polls concerning Senate races have been released by The New York Times:
Senator Martha McSally of Arizona, a Republican, trails her Democratic opponent, Mark Kelly, by nine percentage points …
But Other is 16%, an important factor.
… Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina is behind his Democratic rival, Cal Cunningham, by three.
Other is 19%.
In Michigan, which Senate Republicans viewed as one of their few opportunities to go on the offensive this year, Senator Gary Peters, a first-term Democrat, is up by 10 percentage points over John James, who is one of the G.O.P.’s most prized recruits.
But Other is 29%, which is somewhat astonishing.
In summary, no candidate is over 50%, so no race can be considered safe; these results are merely encouraging for Democrats. I would consider Cunningham the most vulnerable leader, but the fact that he’s ahead at all is surprising.
But the entire trend speaks to the political depravity displayed by the Republicans since the election of President Trump. The electorate, in the 2018 midterms, demonstrated a growing awareness of the Republicans’ fallen state, as it were, and the ongoing mendacity and mismanagement associated with the coronavirus appears to be enhancing that repugnance. While the Republican leaders continue to express public optimism about the November elections, I don’t think it matters how many members of the Republican base refuse to talk to pollsters, a claim that some GOP state leaders use as justification for their belief in another November surprise; without an amazing turnaround in the practices and numbers of the Republicans that strike independents as responsible and positive, this could be a very bleak November for the far right fringe.
This is what comes from living in the epistemic bubble. The definitions of norms for the bubble occupants slowly drifts from the overall societal norms, until the bubble occupants express amazement at the general norms, beliefs, and expectations of their fellow citizens at those rare moments when they encounter them. The epistemic bubble has been recognized since roughly 2000, if not before, and we’re seeing the results of living in isolation from the mainstream now. Chuck in this little gem if you’re not so sure:
White House spokesman Judd Deere brushed aside concerns that dismantling Obamacare could worsen the pandemic crisis, saying in a statement to The Post, “A global pandemic does not change what Americans know: Obamacare has been an unlawful failure and further illustrates the need to focus on patient care.” [WaPo]
Source: Gallup
“… what Americans know: …” may not be a brazen lie. Deere may actually believe what he’s saying, despite the fact that the ACA (“ObamaCare”) consistently gains the approval of a small majority of Americans.
I worry that social media tends to amplify the tendency to not stray beyond one’s comfort zone. Back when we didn’t have innumerable news sources tailored to to sooth our delicate senses, newspapers and TV stations, few as they were in any given market, necessarily served up news that might grate on us, but also cross-pollinated and gave us a basis for understanding one another. Their loss is our loss, in a way: we drown in a glut of news that makes us happy, rather than being updated on the state of the world, as uneven as that often proved to be.
The future depends on people being willing to stray out of their bubbles.
