Submitted photo Some of the Biden administration’s policies, such as the bipartisan infrastructure bill, scored well among voters surveyed about them. But political observers said not many people knew about it, depending on how people get their information. (Adobe stock photo)
The public’s frustration with American politics is nothing new, but last week’s presidential election has fueled debate about the kind of reporting voters want.
A North Dakota expert said the outcome offers clues. Gaining support among Latino voters and opposing inflation have been cited as factors behind Donald Trump’s victory.
Mark Jendrysik, a political science professor at the University of North Dakota, said Kamala Harris’ campaign had a good base in swing states but appears to have been swept up in the anti-incumbent wave seen in elections elsewhere in the world . He also thinks Trump’s simplistic statements appeal to those who feel out of touch with public institutions.
“I think part of it is a reality of society where so many things are impersonal, and so many things are done by machines now, that you’re not really talking to a living human being,” Jendrysik said.
He pointed out that right-wing media influencers are increasingly targeting those who feel that way “powerless,” namely young male voters. Trump’s approach resonated with rural voters in 2016. Jendrysik acknowledged that this contributes to narratives claiming that people, especially low-propensity voters, are less interested in policy and more convinced by a candidate’s feelings.
Trump’s legal issues, including a criminal conviction, were seen as liabilities for his campaign. But Jendrysik noted that because Trump was not part of the incumbent administration this time, he was able to narrow the focus on issues that voters were concerned about. He said lingering anger over the government shutdown during COVID played a role in the short-term memories voters sometimes have, possibly forgetting that Trump was still in power during the first year of the crisis.
“He got a lot of people to pretend that his presidency ended in February 2020.” Jendrysik said.
He said Trump’s simple messages, such as ‘Make America Great Again’ allows his supporters to fill in the blanks on policy, rather than hearing a candidate talk about it. Jendrysik added that racism and misogyny cannot be ignored in the outcome, given Harris’ racial and ethnic identity and his failure to become the first female president in US history.
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