Summary

Gender bias played a significant role in Kamala Harrisā€™s defeat, with many votersā€”often womenā€”expressing doubts about whether ā€œAmerica is ready for a female president.ā€

Some said they ā€œcouldnā€™t see her in the chair,ā€ or questioned if a woman could lead, with one even remarking, ā€œyou donā€™t see women building skyscrapers.ā€ Though some voters were open to persuasion, this often became a red line.

Oliver Hall, a Harris campaign volunteer, found that economic concerns, particularly inflation, also drove voters to Donald Trump, despite low unemployment and wage growth touted by Democrats.

Harris was viewed in conflicting ways, seen as both too tough and too lenient on crime, as well as ineffective yet overly tied to Bidenā€™s administration.

Ultimately, Hall believes that Trumpā€™s unique appeal and influence overshadowed Harrisā€™s campaign efforts.

  • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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    12 days ago

    I think for a lot of people the choice ended up being between a quick leap into fascism or the ongoing painfully slow fascism temperature being risen one degree to keep the other guy from blowing it to 100, and I think more people than Iā€™d have hoped decided to let the bandaid be ripped off

    • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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      12 days ago

      Less people than you think thought that was the choice. Americans are big time ignorant of politics and even on this site we had people asking if this was a normal election.

      According to those who voted, this election was about the economy. šŸ™„

      Most people probably couldnā€™t tell you the first thing about fascism or even capitalism.

      • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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        12 days ago

        I wouldnā€™t say 5 million people thinking this way would be out of the question thoughā€¦ Would you? And are they polling the people who voted for Biden but didnā€™t show up this time? Because that data would be wildly valuable

        • aesthelete@lemmy.world
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          12 days ago

          It really wouldnā€™t shock me if a lot of the loss could be attributed to the fact that they couldnā€™t mail it in from the couch as easily this go around. I also think that people in this country are not as progressive socially as some of the most ardent people online like to pretend. Some simply didnā€™t want to vote for a womanā€¦which is part of what the article says.

          • Wes4Humanity@lemm.ee
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            12 days ago

            I got 2 ballots mailed to me, and just had to fill one out and send it in. Thereā€™s no reason it couldnā€™t have been that easy for everyone. Anywhere that it was harder than that, Iā€™d guess Republicans were behind it, but if it was Dems they should be kicked out of the party, if the party wanted to start leading the widely varied left.

            No one on the actual left wouldnā€™t vote for a woman because sheā€™s a womanā€¦ These are mutually exclusive things