What are voters looking for in today’s America? The answer may surprise you.
Pundits and the Washington establishment focus on policy issues and disagreements, hoping to appeal to voters. What is the best way to reduce the nation’s debt? How can Medicare be saved? What are the threats to gun ownership or freedom of speech? All of these things matter, and we do need answers, but most voters just don’t care anymore. The endless political debates about policy disagreements are just “blah, blah, blah” to them.
A recent series of focus groups conducted by Sarah Longwell and reported in The Atlantic makes things clear. Voters don’t really care about candidates’ policy positions. What they want is someone who will fight for them, someone who is emotionally invested in helping their lives get better. Republicans believe they have found this in President Donald Trump. Democrats are still looking for a leader. Voters are tired of moderate politicians, because they have come to associate moderation with tepid commitment. Moderates are boring.
And democratic norms are boring. Many voters don’t see the value in strict adherence to the rule of law. Where does this get us? If violating the Consti...