this post was submitted on 14 Aug 2023
186 points (91.2% liked)

politics

19132 readers
4144 users here now

Welcome to the discussion of US Politics!

Rules:

  1. Post only links to articles, Title must fairly describe link contents. If your title differs from the site’s, it should only be to add context or be more descriptive. Do not post entire articles in the body or in the comments.

Links must be to the original source, not an aggregator like Google Amp, MSN, or Yahoo.

Example:

  1. Articles must be relevant to politics. Links must be to quality and original content. Articles should be worth reading. Clickbait, stub articles, and rehosted or stolen content are not allowed. Check your source for Reliability and Bias here.
  2. Be civil, No violations of TOS. It’s OK to say the subject of an article is behaving like a (pejorative, pejorative). It’s NOT OK to say another USER is (pejorative). Strong language is fine, just not directed at other members. Engage in good-faith and with respect! This includes accusing another user of being a bot or paid actor. Trolling is uncivil and is grounds for removal and/or a community ban.
  3. No memes, trolling, or low-effort comments. Reposts, misinformation, off-topic, trolling, or offensive. Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.
  4. Vote based on comment quality, not agreement. This community aims to foster discussion; please reward people for putting effort into articulating their viewpoint, even if you disagree with it.
  5. No hate speech, slurs, celebrating death, advocating violence, or abusive language. This will result in a ban. Usernames containing racist, or inappropriate slurs will be banned without warning

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.

That's all the rules!

Civic Links

Register To Vote

Citizenship Resource Center

Congressional Awards Program

Federal Government Agencies

Library of Congress Legislative Resources

The White House

U.S. House of Representatives

U.S. Senate

Partnered Communities:

News

World News

Business News

Political Discussion

Ask Politics

Military News

Global Politics

Moderate Politics

Progressive Politics

UK Politics

Canadian Politics

Australian Politics

New Zealand Politics

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

A good in-depth discussion of media bias in political reporting, or why is it that Biden voters are encouraged to understand an empathize with Trump voters but Trump voters are never asked to understand Biden voters?

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 92 points 1 year ago (20 children)

As a liberal, I don’t need to idolize my president. I don’t want to have a beer with them. I don’t buy Democratic President merch.

I do want them to be competent. I do want them to respect the rule of law. I do want them to be truthful though I understand politics means they sometimes aren’t. I want them to govern for the good of all, even conservatives that didn’t vote for them. I want them to respect history and science, rather than spouting bullshit conspiracy theories with zero basis in fact.

By those criteria, Biden has been as good a president as I could hope for.

Trumpers just seem to care that Trump hates the people they hate. They seem to love the bullshit he spouts; the endless lies, the conspiracy theory nonsense, all of it.

I think I understand Trumpers well enough, without reaching out and trying to understand their point of view. If they could coherently form complete sentences that didn’t involve regurgitating Trump lies or rightwing media conspiracy nonsense, I might try — but they can’t and don’t, so it’s a waste of time. Two groups who can’t agree on the difference between up and down might as well be speaking different languages, so, just no.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago

It's more basic than he hates the right people. Trumpets love trump because he's a bully. He makes people upset.

That's just how authoritarians work. The reason the other Republicans are failing at the primary is they all appear weak. To ACTUALLY take down Trump, a Republican candidate needs to out bully him. They need to call him an orange asswipe.

But they won't because that will upset trumpets. And that's why they are doomed to lose the primary. Trump can call their wives ugly and they'll just take it for fear of upsetting his mob.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If you love a politician, you are in a cult. I voted for Joe Biden but I think he's basically a Republican, and wish the democratic party would field a candidate who is better. But this is politics. You don't trow up your hands like a baby and demand better, you work with what you have.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (18 replies)
[–] [email protected] 72 points 1 year ago (19 children)

Trump voters are never asked to understand Biden voters?

They can't. They can't understand anything outside of their tiny sphere. Everything else angers and terrifies them. Otherwise they wouldn't be conservatives.

So there's no point in asking them. It's like asking a turtle to fly.

load more comments (19 replies)
[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 year ago (6 children)

It's not hard to understand Trump voters. They love the way Trump is portrayed on Fox "News," and they love licking boots. Getting them to understand that a convicted rapist, six-time bankrupted, twice-divorced irreligious grifter makes a bad president can be quite challenging.

load more comments (6 replies)
[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago

A good in-depth discussion of media bias in political reporting, or why is it that Biden voters are encouraged to understand an empathize with Trump voters but Trump voters are never asked to understand Biden voters?

Same reason why during BLM, lots of media showcasing the looting or police brutality. But 90% of protests were just people standing there politely and cops standing on the other side.

Media wants blood for ratings.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (14 children)

Are there Biden voters or just Anti-Trump voters? The Biden Administration has been dealing with inflation that just now is leveling out. While his policies match what the majority of voters want, the voters don't want him. The downside is there is no one better to choose. Essentially it is meh Biden is better than anything the GOP has to offer.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago (1 children)

There's been places that I really dislike Biden on, but overall he's been a pretty good president

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 year ago

I have no problem with Biden. He has had a good administration. The media likes shiny objects though. This is once again why we need the Fairness Doctrine back with a 21st century spin on it including all media.

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I obviously don't speak for everybody but my Biden vote in 2020 was very much a not-Trump vote. And if Trump end up against Biden in 2024 I will make that same vote a second time. Like you said, I'll take a meh Biden over the crazies in the GQP.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd vote for Biden over anyone the GOP is running.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (8 children)

I’d vote for Biden over anyone the GOP is running.

I'll die of old age before I vote R for any position at any level. They can't possibly reform themselves enough to be trusted in my lifetime.

If I see an R candidate running who doesn't seem like a whackjob I'm going to assume it's a trojan horse. They spent the past several years trying to convince me that they are a bunch of crazy bigots who will destroy civil liberties, destroy our educational system, and ban any history or books that they deem as undesirable. I have chosen to believe them.

load more comments (8 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The article addresses that. Because the media doesn't report on Biden supporters, the public gets the impression that no one likes him much. I also think approval ratings are not contextualized well, because you rarely see how many people who disapprove of Biden's presidency are right-wing and how many are leftists.

From a personal perspective, while I was not a reluctant Biden voter (would have never voted for Trump), he was far from the top of my list in the 2020 primary. I think, considering the obstacles he's faced, Joe has been a much better president that I expected. That's in spite of Republicans ratfucking student loan relief and robust electoral reform.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

He's been actually one of the best we've had. They're never going to be perfect since you can't be an angel and get to be president, you gotta make some deals with the devils.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Not an American, but I think Biden has been the best US president since at least Clinton, and perhaps even since Carter.

(Although I do agree he is too old... Does the democratic party really not have a younger equally capable candidate?)

Obama was a very popular and charismatic guy, but I think he kind of squandered his popularity and failed to achieve results.

Obama wasn't successful with the ACA, or Iraq/Afghanistan or the Supreme Court. He didn't even achieve a minimum wage increase after 2009. Didn't tackle wallstreet.

He should have been a bit more confrontational and twisted some arms to achieve results.

Meanwhile Biden is just steamrolling a lot of successes with a razer thin Senate majority.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

We're on the same page I think, he's done some amazing things and no one talks about it. Clinton wasn't a great person but he was a good president. Carter was a great person but had some issues with being too nice for politics imo. He couldn't make any deals with the devils but he can definitely sleep at night. We have so many corrupt people in our upper government that I don't wish that job on anyone.

I hope this guy runs someday: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Swalwell

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

I was an anti trump voter in the last go around, but this time I'm voting FOR Biden. He's done a lot with a bare minimum Senate majority and a hostile supreme court. And I love his unconditional support of Ukraine.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

My vote for Biden was an anything but trump vote, but given Biden's current record as president he has my vote again.

Still not my first choice but we live in a first past the post voting system so gotta take what you can get.

load more comments (9 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Brainwashed Trumpers are in such bad shape they'd literally need professional cult deprogrammers... is that still a thing? They are utterly impossible to reason with.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Racism. It is because of racism.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

It propaganda. Propaganda creates new racists. They just race bait to get voters to vote R which in turn "creates" racists as they "learn" so much they didn't know before, especially when they get on the "affirmative action is racisim against whites!" After that they feel vindictive, they need to get back at those who are keeping the white man down! It's all gross.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

I voted for Biden as the least worst of the only two bad options, as I have in every general election I have participated in in both Congressional and Presidential races.

I've only had the opportunity to vote for politicians I actually have confidence in the ability to govern in primaries, and I could first vote in 2004.

I'm almost certain I will die without ever having the opportunity to vote for anything less than a proud crony capitalism sycophant in a general election.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I believed in Obama when I voted for him. I was sorely disappointed when he continued The Patriot Act, among other things. He was still world's better than his predecessor though.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

He meant well, and I acknowledge that. But he was and is a fervent institutionalist that doesn't entertain the notion that our Constitutional framework is failing or has failed. He's a true believer, which is why he spent all of his political capital and almost both of his terms trying to appease his proudly intransigent opposition, trying to play an honorable game by honorable rules that had been abandoned long before he became a Senator.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think this is where Biden's decades of congressional experience shows. He does the same bipartisan dog-and-pony show that Obama did, but Biden has been more effective at actually getting legislation passed.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Fascism doesn’t emphasize

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago

A very good article and the author answers their own question. Because they're the "big tent party," democrats support a spectrum of views and compromises, albeit largely unified on some issues (the author notes a few widely accepted positions across the party, like abortion)

Whereas Trump voters are in lockstep in their hatred and fear mongering (let's not pretend trump had or has any policy positions). You'll find those same views at the Iowa primaries or at that diner in Ohio. It's simply easier to summarize this relatively simplistic and basically apolitical view, so journalists took the easy out. Short, punchy articles with increasingly excessive "hot takes" got them clicks and now here we are

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Wait, I know this one --

It's because "Trump voters" have shown themselves to be lunatic conspiracy theorists prone to violence, and "Biden voters" have not.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:


CONSERVATIVE AND MAINSTREAM MEDIA don’t agree on much, but one point of consensus is that everyone should work harder to understand Trump supporters.

A common style of this coverage is the safari to “Trump Country,” in which journalists from various outlets, most of whom live in big metropolitan areas, go to a rural community or Rust Belt town and talk to Trump voters, often white, working-class men in diners.

A great example is a May 2019 New York Times story titled “There’s No Boom in Youngstown, but Blue-Collar Workers Are Sticking With Trump.” It’s such a well-trod trope that it’s inspired parodies and running jokes.

Going beyond those attempts to understand Trump voters are two recent arguments that got attention on social media.

First, in his New York Times column early this month, David Brooks argued that “elites” have been “behaving in ways that make Trumpism inevitable.” In particular, Brooks writes, “it’s easy to understand why people in less-educated classes would conclude that they are under economic, political, cultural and moral assault—and why they’ve rallied around Trump as their best warrior against the educated class.” Brooks encouraged his readers to imagine what the last half-century of American history looks like from the vantage of those non-elites.

“He’s clearly quite racist,” Yglesias conceded, “but I also think he’s written some good pieces and it’s important to read conservatives.”


I'm a bot and I'm open source!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Doesn’t get them? Or just doesn’t like them?

Biden voters just want a sane person in office. Chaos sells, and most media is profit-driven.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I mean no shit. Biden is possibly one of the most generic establishment presidents possible. It's not exactly a mystery why people voted for him.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Meh, he's actually surpassed my expectations. He's by no means perfect, but in some areas he's been shockingly progressive.

Mind you, I'd much rather a super progressive take the throne, but I'll take a Biden instead.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›