You can see and talk to politicians of both parties only during election periods. Congress is out of session now; surprise, surprise.
If you have a problem with the government outside the election periods, you talk to the staff of the elected Democrats or Republicans because their back in Washington voting and acting as either a Democratic or Republican block.
I’m at a loss with this article and its headline. I’m also curious as to when and where this reporter found his interviews - Chick-fil-A on a weekday? As a single professional woman in Omaha, I am not unaware of Washington nor do I believe I’m an outlier here. After 20 years as a moderate Republican voting in every national election, I switched parties after 2016. With Trump as the leader of the party, I knew I no longer belonged there. I don’t agree with Eastman on everything but I’ll vote for her because our federal government needs balance and because Nebraska’s congressmen and woman (and our governor) seem to not believe they are accountable to their constituents. During the Kavanaugh hearings, I wrote both of my senators. Sasse’s website sent me an auto reply and Fisher’s office never replied. I may not be out protesting, but I’m voting and those who get my vote won’t be the politically posturing or tone-deaf candidates. I’m reading and listening and my memory is long.
11
If Mrs Johnson is as ignorant as comes across I would prefer she stay home and not vote. She's liable to just cast a vote for Trump on impulse.
3
Actually, if you aren't going to vote Democratic or third party (protest vote), don't vote.
(I don't know to what degree voting for a 3rd party candidate actually can skew an election -- if one assumes a 50/50 split otherwise -- the answer seems to be not at all.)
Perhaps, the under-discussed issue is the new trillion dollar deficit created by the tax cuts for corporations and the upper 1 %. I would like the WASTE that is defense spending discussed -- in the where's the money to provide whatever- category.
The world is facing big changes with AI and people can and IMO should be replaced in functions like driving (except it is fun!) People will lose jobs; people will need $$.
The kelp forest article really pointed lots of fingers at human destruction (of the otters over 100 years ago) ... and the warming crisis.
The Democrats in many ways are nearly as bad as the Trumpites -- but only nearly. All very sad.
the fact that Trump and this administration has NOT stopped one drug dealer, rapist, or terrorist, but has...as a show of good faith, ripped infants and small children away from their parents, separating them for months on end, should tell the American people something....but...not THIS America, not the land of the free and the home of the brave America. They continue to lap up his lies and deception as if their were all on drugs themselves. Remember when Germany "woke up" to what was going on around them (while their leader deserted them and like the coward he was, committed suicide)??? When will this country "wake up????? After we've all gone to the dogs like what happened to Germany.
4
What can you do for your country, or is it just your destiny to have been born in America? Voting is rigged anyway and your voice isn't going to make a difference. It's about politics as usual, and let others fight it out. Either way, it cannot end well, and no time to stand in a long line. Your office needs you, and more complications ahead.
These are just a few reasons not to pitch in, and I did not vote until age 30. Working for children in an international community for a decade, we would get bomb threats on occasion, and find ourselves in the street in front of the building, talking about where to go for lunch or wait for the all-clear signal to go back to our desks.
Why don't you vote, asked a man in a bank, where I worked later. He told me that when he was 14, the Nazis were looking for his family. His parent who was driving in a forest in Occupied-France had false papers, was given wrong guidance, and ended up in a long traffic line where the security guards were waiting. It was the wheel of fortune, but a guard lit up a cigarette and flagged their car by.
Fortunately we are not living those days. The Democrats are 'Carpetbaggers', from a Republican friend recently, a term for people who were paid to bribe and talk smart to liberated black Americans. 'No'.
This may be your last chance to vote; but if you sit at home, or the weather is sad, you will never know the real outcome; call it 'The Lottery', call it what you will, but use your Right to Vote.
1
I agree with the Dem candidates who are trying to discuss issues rather than Trump. People long ago decided what they think of Trump.
The apathy and/or ignorance around issues is appalling.
Worse still, people who are familiar with the issues and are still too befuddled to vote (i.e., the lady who attended a Womans March, the legion of Bernie Sanders supporters who sat out the general election.)
VOTE PEOPLE!
1
Humph. Perhaps Nebraska is too far from Washington to think about, well, Washington, but out here in Oregon, which is considerably farther from Washington (D.C., that is- I'm 15 minutes away from the state of Washington), I can assure you we are extremely aware of what is going on in Washington. And we are not happy about it. Which is why I'm donating to Carolyn Long in Washington State, and to Jamie McLeod-Skinner in Oregon, even though she is not running in my district. I am horrified at the thought that the Republicans might maintain their appalling hold over this country.
2
Some of these "ambivalent," "indifferent," voters who don't find the coming election "relevant" will wake up some day a social security payment that won't even begin to pay their expenses, and with medical expenses so daunting that they will be forced to forgo necessary treatment. Their taxes will have to go up dramatically just to pay the interest on our titanic national debt, huge and growing fast because of tax breaks for the very wealthy. If they don't realize how these issues concern them, well I just don’t know what to say. It seems to me a lot of people in the country are giving out free hugs even while their pockets are picked.
3
I always vote, but I understand these voters. Nothing ever changes. No matter who gets in, it seems we've been stuck in gridlock for decades. And we will be stuck in gridlock after this election. We need a leader who can unite us, but that leader is nowhere to be found. Of course, we can't all agree on all the issues, but some things like our crumbling infrastructure, our messed up health care system need addressing right away. It seems like there should be a middle ground somewhere.
1
This is an opening for Democrats if they stop letting Republicans set the agenda.
Workers aren't represented by a party of the rich, and the other party of the rich.
If the Democrats stopped going to the Hamptons to raise money from the rich, but rather passionately and clearly promoted policies aimed at making workers lives better, then turnout would go up.
The Republicans cater to a voting block that is .1% of the population, plus the 20% of the population that is paid to spread their message.
Workers make up more than 60% of the population.
If the Democrats aimed their policy at workers and gave workers a reason to vote, they would be unable to lose. Even the electoral college can't beat 60 to 20 odds.
This used to be how elections worked. Democrats used to dominate.
But ever since the 1990s the Democrats have been trying to be the other party of the rich, and turnout has dropped and Democrats lose 2/3 of all elections.
But even though this has been going on for 25 years, the Democratic leadership refuses to learn from their vast experience at losing, and keeps doing the same thing over and over. They sacrifice their principles to enter negotiations with a party that lies, cheats and never compromises, and tell workers that "nothing can be done in today's political climate."
Telling workers that what they need is "unicorn dust" is a losing strategy.
Stop trying to understand Trump voters and start trying to understand your own base.
3
Let's see:
One party against Food stamps.
One party against infrastructure.
One Party taking away pre-existing condition health coverage.
One party blowing up the deficit for gifts to out os state billionaires.
One party taking away clean air, water.
One party taking away Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security.
Vote them out.
4
“Stay-at-home moms in Nebraska who have a limited grocery budget to live off of — no politician can understand that,” one woman said. “Especially on a federal level. How could they?”
She is exactly the person who must get out and vote DEM if she has any hope of improving HER situation. Apathy is death.
6
Perhaps the grand answer to the epic question, “What portends to the fall of empires?” is the indifference of a meek, disgruntled and careless society. If that indeed is the case then we deserve no better than what we currently got and we’ll be lucky to hold on to that if the level of apathy continues to grow.
4
When the dust settles after this election, it will be seen that the Democratic candidates who did the best were those who hewed to local concerns, such as those voiced in this article. Jobs, education, healthcare, retirement security, taxes, school safety and the opioid crisis are among them.
NOT among them are the divisive identity issues, such as gender, immigration, guns, abortion, and Donald Trump. These are issues that just drive people away.
Putting Christine Blasey Ford before the Senate panel not only failed utterly to stop Kavanaugh's confirmation, but it put the Senate, already a long shot, beyond reach.
It may also have imperiled some Congressional districts that were ripe for Democrats to flip, putting control of the House, itself, in doubt, despite predictions of a blue wave. “They stupidly handed us the best issue they possibly could going into the fall election…" Mitch McConnell said afterwards. And he was right.
The bottom line: Pick your fights! You want to stop Trump, or make progress on women’s issues, win the House first. And prioritize! No matter how you feel, vote blue no matter who!
6
@Ron Cohen
Notice that Bernie pushed economics, while centrists are pushing identity politics.
The center is toxic. Go left to win.
Ms. Johnson, I hope you are reading the comments. If so, PLEASE vote! You've been living under Republican rule, they do not care about you or your family, only about their power and wealthy overlords!
Ms. Johnson, Nebraska does need healthcare, which is the number one reason folks file for bankruptcy; they need clean air, clean water, good schools so your kids can compete in a global market!
Ms. Johnson, help America move forward by voting straight Democrat! Democrats will strive to protect our environment, and create a more fair and just nation!
Remember this "D" for forward...."R" for reverse! PLEASE VOTE!
7
When you don’t vote you are giving your representatives the right to ignore you.
10
There’s a false equivalence here that many people can’t seem to shake despite the overwhelming evidence of Republican moral rot. And it’s because those ordinary Americans just don’t pay attention. Republicans control the presidency and Congress. It is they who’ve separated children from their mothers at the border. It is they who’ve tried over and over to take health care away from millions. It is they who denigrate women by making fun of their looks. It is they who support tiki torch-bearing Nazis in Charlottesville. It is they who are trying to suppress the vote in Georgia because they know the majority doesn’t support their agenda. It is they who give tax cuts to the ultra-wealthy and want to pay for them by cutting Social Security and Medicare. It is they who want to take health care away from people with pre-existing conditions. It is they who stand with Putin against America. It is they who encourage Russian hacking into our voting. It is they who call the FBI and law enforcement corrupt. It is they who are rolling back decades of environmental protections. It is they who deny climate change in the wake of 100-year hurricanes. It is they who are rolling back voting rights. It is they who call the police on black people for just being black. It is they who are too thin-skinned to put up with kneeling at football games.It is they who curry favor with despots in Russia, North Korea and Saudi Arabia. All the Dems ever did was try to give you universal health insurance.
12
@AlNewman
Exactly, centrist Democrats and corporate media keep telling us both sides are extreme.
The left wants what the most competitive countries in the world already do. That is not extreme.
What is extreme is making corporations into people, letting them make secret dark money contributions to politicians, and taxing workers more and slashing investment in our children to subsidize global corporations and their global billionaire shareholders.
An article pointed out the other day that the extremes of both parties are relatively wealthy. They insinuate that makes us the same. The different is, the right wants to cut their own taxes no matter what effect it has on the rest of the population, while the left wants to raise our own taxes (and their taxes) to invest in the rest of the population. They are thinking about only themselves, and we are trying to help everyone. They can't see beyond the next quarterly report, while we want to invest in posterity.
The right bases its policies in hate, greed, and violence, and say so proudly.
The left bases our policy in love, sharing, and peace, and say so proudly.
The media and centrist Democrats keep acting like these positions are equivalent. They are not.
The right is incorrect and the left is correct.
Stop trying to understand the Trump voter and start trying to understand and help the working people of America.
That is not only the way to create Justice, but the way to win elections.
1
Nebraska...it’s not for everyone. Never a truer statement.
5
Well Ms. Johnson, the representative you do or don't vote for in this election may not make much of a difference in your immediate life... But I can guarantee you it will have a big impact on your life in the future. And more importantly, your choice to vote or not vote, is going to have a huge impact on your toddler's life after your gone.
By the way, I'm a 53 yr old dad of two, a 10 & 11 yr old, just trying to make the ends meet every month. I get it... Not enough hours in the day. But this election is one of the most important of our lives. You can't sit this one out.
14
ms. Hadaway has it right: just vote. That said, everyone who is not rich should want to vote for a democrat because that party wants to reduce the cost of everyone's medical care by expanding the pool of participants. yes, it may seem that the dems are forcing people to into something, but we either act like one country and care about each other or we don't. Democrats also want to keep social security and medicare available for the people who are in their 40s and 50, the way it has been there for people who are now in the 60, 70s and 80s. Democrats don't want to send our young people off to wars. They do want a strong national defense, no matter the lies the president and others spew. Democrats don't want women to have abortions, but they also don't want a religious test/lens put on medical procedures the way some republicans do when it comes to birth control. Democrats don't want more crime no matter the lies that republicans spout. who would want more crime? That's ridiculous. Just read the facts for few minutes each day and vote. you'll find the vote cast for a democrat makes the most sense.
4
@newyorkerva
Yes the whole point of health insurance is to spread risk across the largest risk pool. Private insurance companies break up the pool, plus complicate everything endlessly, plus spend more time trying to cancel insurance for sick people then paying for their care.
Every country that has universal healthcare provides better care at lower cost.
In every other industrialized country healthcare costs 60% (or less) of what the U.S..pays. Coincidently, the U.S. government already pays for 60% of the cost here.
We could insure the entire country for the same amount the government already pays for our inefficient system. We could cancel everyone's premiums and pay for everyone's care with what the convergent its already spending!
The only thing standing in the way is political donations to politicians that come out of your premiums
And yes, we are entitled to Entitlements because we have been paying into the system all of our lives. The Republicans want the CEOs that caused the great recession to have direct control over your retirement savings so they can turn your retirement into their wealth.
If Democrats spent more time promoting smart policy and less time begging Republicans for compromise and telling workers there is no money (because of Republican Tax cuts for the rich) they would win more elections.
1
“Lauralee Grabe, a retired librarian who lives in Mr. Bacon’s district and plans to vote for him, said she did not blame the insult-slinging president for the breakdown in civility. Democrats, she insisted, are the ones “telling people to harass people in restaurants.”
So, Ms. Grabe, you blame the Democrats for the creation of incivility because some frustrated powerless citizens shouted at federal elected and appointed leaders, who authorized the forced separation of babies and children from their parents or guardians?
So, it's Democrats, not nine years of GOP's attacks of President Obama not being a US Citizen, their five decades southern strategy that used non-whites, non-Christians, and liberals as the source of all ills or 3 years of Donald Trump's vile & divisive rhetoric during the campaign or his hateful verbal attacks of brown and black skinned human beings, non-Christian, progressive Christians, or non-white immigrants. Or, his hateful speech towards the press or anyone who does not support him at his rallies? Or, The President's praise of despotic autocrats who kill, maim, and imprison innocents? Or, GOP's top leaders and WH advisors, whose actions created a climate, inside ICE that produced agents,who ripped nursing babies from their mother's breasts? It's not uncivil to advocate for imprisonment of toddlers & preschoolers to push your anti-browned skinned immigrant agenda. And, it's not uncivil for a President to call Nazis and KKK, "good people."
5
@Elizabeth
Exactly, there are actual mobs of actual right wing terrorists going around and actually beating people up. They get invited to the organization that hosts all of the NYC campaign headquarters, and breast someone up outside. White Supremacists carry torches yelling "Jews will not replace us," then beat up a handful of unarmed country protesters and Trump calls them fine people. A right wing terrorist ran over a crowd of people the next day.
Right wing terrorists have killed more Americans than international terrorists, while the left kills no one. But somehow, the media is all aghast that someone would yell at Ted Cruz in public. Ted Cruz is from the Tea Party, and when the Tea Party was yelling at people in public and pushing and shoving, Republicans and the media treated them like heroes.
The real moons are Republicans from tree Party of Trump.
The other day Trump said a Montana politician that pled guilty to assaulting a reporter was his kind of guy BECAUSE he slammed a reporter to the ground, a clear attack on the First Amendment, at the same time he was trying to cover for the Crown Prince of a country that exports terror all over the world, because he ordered the murder of a Washington Post Journalist.
Those of you that work for global corporate mass media better realize that Trump is just like every banana republic dictator that tortures and murders most of the journalists before they start murdering and torturing all of their critics.
1
How about reminding these willfully apathetic Americans, that Republican Mitch Mc Connell has vowed to take down Obama Care, and attack social security and Medicaid if the Repubs keep the House. Of course much of this is argued as necessary, all because the poor put upon rich needed a tax cut that is causing the deficit to skyrocket. (And now our demander in chief is calling for another one). This article was depressing. Talk about having your head in the sand ...
10
“I VOTED TODAY” That’s the badge of honor I proudly wear on election day. Would these ladies proudly wear the sticker “I DIDN’T VOTE TODAY?” What are they teaching their children? And yes, I am voting for Kara Eastman to represent me in the House and Jane Raybould to represent me in the Senate because I can.
6
This woman was so enticed by the energy of the Women’s March that she left home to join in. But when women stand up to elected officials in a public restaurant, that crosses a line into unacceptable behavior. Like many women, she enjoys the power and benefits of feminism - as long as we’re “nice” about it.
5
This is yet another article by the Times that suggests -- without declaring -- that Democrats will not gain Congressional seats in the mid-terms. Notice that the people the Times' reporters quote, if they are Republicans, blame every wrong in America on Democrats. Where does that come from? Guess.
But Democrats quoted in the article are mostly not far from the walking dead . . . somnolent, indifferent, blase. Surely in Nebraska and Iowa there are Democrats who are pumped about the election and working their tails off to get people to vote, or who at least think Democrats have better answers than Trump other than mad killers crossing the border, mob rule and misogyny.
I sense a subtle bias in these articles. It's as if those who gather, report and edit the news have an inherent preference for poking holes in the hopes of those millions who want something better than the abysmal Trump.
2
@PaulB67
You are correct.
Every mass news organization is a corporation that just got a huge tax cut from Republicans.
75% of the shares in these corporations are owned by the global richest 1%.
These shareholders hire the CEO, who hires the executives, who hire the producers, who hire the editors.
Sure, these CEOs let markets determine much of their content (like endless celebrity gossip and the latest lottery news) but they also know what the shareholders don't want discussed (like the fact that last year the owners of corporations got $5.5 trillion in tax cuts paid for with $4 trillion in tax increases on high-tax-state workers, hiding it by calling it a $1.5 trillion tax cut).
All news is fake to some extent. The alt right just makes faker news.
We are not supposed to trust news sources. We are supposed to read between the lines and research the primary sources behind the news to find the truth.
Global Corporate Mass News, including the NY Times is owned by the mega rich, and it has an agenda.
It is not liberal, it is neoliberal, which its the opposite of what Americans think of as liberal.
“The reporter is telling a narrative different from the party line. Therefore, it’s biased. Any challenges to my preferred narrative are always wrong. These reporters are biased against my preferences.”
1
People who are that insular are idiots. They need to understand that what happens in DC will affect them eventually. I just don't get it. So incredibly stupid.
8
With the state of civic education in the country, I'm not so sure we want everyone to vote. That facetious comment aside, I think we see a need to teach civics in every grade.
When people don't understand how government works, who is responsible or how laws affect their lives -- and especially whom to complain to -- then they can comfortably worry about potholes and not who controls the senate.
But the senate confirms judges in Iowa and Nebraska and across the country so their lives will be affected whether they want to think about it or not.
I would much rather we had an informed and engaged electorate that can shape government locally and nationally.
9
The sickest crime in a society occurs when decent people do nothing to stem tragic events. Lukewarm ambivalence and complaints about politics in America as reasons to not vote are not acceptable or reasonable. We are a nation and a community. My sons are going to have to make a living in this world, a world we are leaving them, and I condemn those who don't vote: you don't get to pretend that your actions (doing nothing is also an action) have no consequences, and not voting has had and will have profound consequences.
the Iraq War
the war in Afghanistan
No Child Left Behind Act
Massive tax cuts (part I = George W.; part II Trump)
Citizens United
The Affordable Care Act
Whatever your feelings, your vote has a profound impact. Don't be craven, don't be a coward. Be a member of the community. Educate yourself on what you care about and vote based on those issues. Please.
6
People need to stop prevaricating about voting every time an election rolls around. Let's stop pretending that it is some odious task or some generous act of condescension on your part. It's your country, your family, your life. Take a little responsibility in the decision making. Your chances of picking a winner are greater than playing the lottery.
11
"But she also criticized the Democrats over the way they handled the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, saying they had used the woman who accused Justice Kavanaugh of sexual assault as a tool.’’
It's only been two weeks since the Kavanaugh vote, and people don't even remember Christine Ford's name. And in the two weeks between now and election day, the entire ugly incident will fade from voters' minds. Not good for the Democrats.
2
To understand how divided aka localized a nation we've become, we see that, in this point of their respective administrations, Barak Obama and Donald Trump's popularity and unpopularity ratings among Americans almost exactly mirror each other.
These two Americans hardly talk to each other. When they live in seeming family or neighborly harmony, politics is often better left off the table as neither side wishes or bothers much to hear the other.
So many people are close to seeing each other as neo-Fascists or Eisenhower era socialists, politically correct or others insensitive. States once again, ever more reactionary, tend to rub each other the wrong way, stereotyping and mocking one another. Even within each state, we have the urbane, suburbanites and rural folk at similar odds.
One clings to the hope that we have not yet reached a point where the only change that will bring us together again has to come from outside. One step further in such darkness, would that take the form of a massive adversarial threat involving a disruptive ecological or political armageddon?
Current domestic politics -as never before experienced save with slavery and the ensuing Civil War, invite dissonance and disrupt our nationhood, institutions and solidarity.
At this point in such musings, I feel less objective and point that deterioration squarely on a self-absorbed Donald and his spineless Republican Party.
1
Here in south central Pennsylvania it’s GOP business as usual with huge campaign signs and GOP Ads on TV/ radio. Nobody appears concerned about national issues either. Jobs are plentiful and restaurants are always full , car dealers are doing well too, indicating good times are here. So why worry...?
3
There have always been those who don't pay much attention to national politics and who don't vote. This article focuses on half a handful of them. Nothing new here.
Most Iowans take politics very seriously, are active, and vote at one of the highest percentages in the country. (My neighborhood is full of yard signs, and canvassers are out in force.) Contrary to the prevailing opinion of those on the coasts, there ARE Democrats here -- leagues of us. Among the many issues we care about is the mess Iowa Republicans have made with privatized Medicaid, which is causing real harm to real people.
Sometimes there are significant local issues that animate people just as much as national problems, so it's not surprising to see Iowa candidates focus on Iowa issues. Regardless of the issue, every Republican we can send home is one more seat that can serve as a brake on Trump's corruption.
8
Michigan and Kansas are worth watching. Kansas has learned a hard lesson from Brownback and my old rowing colleague, Kobach and Snyder taught us Michiganders all about business heads in government. Local isn't irrelevant. The beltway bandits just don't travel much these days to make their haul.
8
It just boggles the mind how anybody could be undecided or ambivalent about voting,let alone whom to vote for. Many politicians love people like this because they understand that citizens' apathy and ignorance means they can enrich themselves without repercussions; the intellectuall sloths are easy pickings. What they don't know will hurt or kill them.
8
Trump "won" by fewer voters than would fit in University of Michigan's football stadium. Your vote matters.
9
My offer still stands: If people don't want to exercise their "right" to vote, then let me vote for them. I know exactly what I believe in, and my values are solidly grounded in reality, not some fantasy about "making America great again." If people don't want to participate in the political process, they should turn in their citizenship and move to another country. They have no right to blame "coastal elites and dems" for their problems because they've probably never bothered to vote.
14
I think the comments from the locals who think that high school equals football, correlates with the abysmal state of education throughout most of the United States.
This is of course do primarily to the fanaticism about "no taxes."
Go to the first world Asian and European countries where the focus is on learning.
5
So much of our shared history can be understood as a struggle for the right to vote from “No Taxation Without Representation” through to the enfranchisement of those without property, women and the formerly enslaved. We can’t expect every voter to be interested or passionate about distant events in Washington DC but a perusal of my ballot just received by mail here in eastern Washington also reveals many local issues including local candidates and referendums relating to local libraries, schools and taxes. Every eligible citizen needs to vote. How can you say that you are consumed by your family’s daily struggles and note want a voice in the local, state and yes even national policies and persons who will determine what you pay in property, income and sales taxes, where and how your children will be schooled, whether or not there will be local public transit or libraries or potholes and all sorts of decisions that will affect your or your spouses employment or small business? Of course I would love for you to agree with me and elect the candidates or vote for the referendums and bond issues as I would, but I am even more passionate that you vote. Think about it. If only 30 - 40% of eligible voters actually vote and we are closely divided on issues or by party affiliations, the results are going to be determined by only 15 - 20% of eligible voters and it is easy to see how we can end up with the most extreme and partisan of viewpoints. Vote, please.
37
It would seem to me that, especially in heavily agricultural states, NAFTA, TPP, and other contentious trade issues would be near the top of local concerns.
8
"Asked whether she planned to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, Ms. Johnson was ambivalent. She said she doubted that any candidate in either political party would make much of a difference in her life now." That's because she's been living with Republican rule for the last two years. Of course Republicans do not have her interest at heart. They never have and they never will. If she doesn't vote to at least try out the other party, she deserves what she gets.
24
@Paul in NJ
Many Americans don't realize the differences - large and small - between the Republican and Democratic agendas, which do have an effect on their day to day lives. Even something as relatively small as the consumer protections Democrats back can have a significant impact on the lives of average Joes and Janes. But apparently if you are a church-going conservative, you are a one-issue voter. As long as this is the case, the GOP will continue to cynically exploit these God-fearing individuals to line their pockets and consolidate their power.
7
Many people around here are very angry at Dems, they tried to smear a good candidate, they want socialism and to destroy our great economy, they have no real solutions. So they are voting Republican as is logical and reasonable to them.
4
@vulcanalex - What great economy? Your state's economic ranking isn't that great and you rank near the bottom when it comes to health care and education.
7
The thing about logic is, if your premises are nuts, all the logic in the world won’t straighten them out. If anything, it’ll make matters worse. GIGO, dontcha know.
3
Unfortunately, few people seem to realize the effect that a strong economy has on midterms. For most people in America their primary concern in politics is their money. This makes sense, it is an issue that cuts across all demographics. Whether you agree with Trump and the Republicans or not (I am staunchly against), no one can deny that the economy is doing extraordinarily well. It is difficult to argue against this, but there still are troubling statistics for America. Democrats should be screaming from the mountaintops that this economic boon has only helped the richest and pointing out that many Americans cannot cover a $400 emergency expense. Every issue is important, but a strong economic message is necessary for winning in the future. Every time that we jump to the next outrage and the next issue we allow Republicans to distract us.
I hope ambivalent voters change their minds and vote. I hope millennials will vote. I hope Gen Z votes. This is not a time for apprehension, this is a time for action.
48
@Sam what solution do the Dems have to get people the $400 that is better than a good economy? Why is the current flock of Dems unable to come up with pro-worker solutions based on a good economy? Identity politics and socialism take their eye off the prize.
2
its not difficult to argue against if the person you are talking to understands "long term consequences" all you are describing is greed.
2
I think most Americans have concerns that are "personal, everyday issues that had only a tenuous attachment to President Trump." Trump imposes himself on the lives of all Americans. If you read a newspaper or watch TV, there's Trump, bellowing about something that most Americans don't care about. So, I can understand the ambivalence of these voters. But, if they really are concerned with "pre-existing conditions, prekindergarten, school safety, inequality" then voting is the only way to try to address those concerns. Especially in state government races. All of our lives can be impacted a lot by who's governor in our state, or who's elected to the state House of Representatives. They make the decisions about education spending in the state, they decide if Medicare will be expanded in the state, or if Obamacare will go away. I always encourage people on the fence to at least vote for local school boards and in state races. Otherwise, you're letting all your neighbors make decisions that can have a big impact on your own life.
71
Well said @Ms. Pea. The Nebraska Democratic Party has been very focused on down ticket races. For the first time ever, they mailed complete slates to all registered Dems to take into the ballot box, in addition to voter registration and applications to vote by mail. It's working. The numbers of early voting Democrats are way up, some days more than Republicans, which is amazing in a Red State. I tell everyone I know 1) our next Public Service Commissioner will be the swing vote on the KXL; 2) our next state legislature gets to vote (again) whether Nebraska will accept Medicaid expansion funds; 3) our incumbent Republican governor vetoed Medicaid expansion, but I know that Democratic challenger Bob Krist will not; and 4) the next Secretary of State will be in office for the redistricting after the 2020 census and challenger Spencer Danner will keep it fair. I agree, the down ticket races do matter, and we volunteering for the Nebraska Democratic Party are trying our darnedest to get that across to a population who is tired of the media circus (and who isn't). The least and for some, the most, they can do is vote. I understand that. But I am aiming higher and so are a lot of other folks in the midwest.
3
@Ms. Pea, you are right on the money. I wish that the fake president would just shut up!
1
@Ms. Pea The level of ignorance in this country about how government works is mind boggling. Do they really think that the cost of food or child care or whether the schools are safe are just random occurrences? Do they really not understand anything about how voting elects people who develop and implement policies that affect all of us, every day? I guess those of us who had American History and Government classes, and studied, should be the only ones allowed to vote.
2
As long as people refrain from voting, they are letting others make big decisions on healthcare, education funding, taxes, Medicare, Social Security, etc for them.
I implore those who are thinking of sitting this election out, especially in key races like North Dakota, Iowa, Arizona, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Missouri, and Nevada to make the effort, get to the polls and vote. Democracy dies when you give your vote, your choice, to another. We need to have a more engaged electorate, and the Democrats need to be more engaging with the electorate: like Beto O'Rourke or Jamie McLeod-Skinner, candidates need to visit and listen to everyone and stop taking corporate money (which both Beto and Jamie have in common - neither has taken corporate money).
People over profits. Politics is about your children's futures. Please, I humbly ask you: Vote.
113
Let's just say it: the voters described in this article are not sincere about why they don't vote. They are poorly informed and intellectually lazy. They are indifferent to which candidate gets elected, despite the fact that it is that government that decides on the issues they cite as important to them.
The government has a huge role in deciding how much, and for whom, healthcare coverage is allocated. Government has a huge role in deciding who pays, and how much, for that coverage. The government decides how much assistance, if any, families receive for child care and prekindergarten support. The government decides who pays and how much they pay into the social security system, and to whom those payments go to. The government decides how much taxes to raise, and who should pay those taxes. The government decides on issues that affect school safety.
The argument that there is no difference between the parties is a declaration of ignorance. The argument that a single vote won't matter is usually true; rarely is an election decided by one vote. (But one could envision a scenario where a single vote in Florida in 2000 determined who became president.) In aggregate however, politicians listen to their constituents.
They will get the government they vote for, not the government they deserve.
32
For those who are too lazy to walk or drive to the polls to vote, next time apply for a mail in ballet. If you love our country, you must vote these crooked politicians out of office.
The real problem with the supporters of that person in the White House is that they think he is a stand up comic and applaud his repulsive rantings and ravings. Too bad they don't realize that their future and their children's future is at stake. He has managed in a fairly short time to divide our country like no other president in history.
13
While I appreciate the focus of this article on the point of view of some of my neighbors about state legislature races between incumbent Republican white males and their white Democratic female challengers, your writer missed a great opportunity by staying down ticket. There is a Nebraskan mom running for US Congress! It is unfortunate that Jessica McClure was not mentioned in the article as an aside, especially since she matches the demographic interviewed and is running on the issues that they said concern them: healthcare and families. That the interviewees felt unconnected to young political activists and white collar workers, even though they are female, is not surprising. That the NYT writer was not aware of this is. The message of this article is that the passion of the women's March has succumbed, at least in the midwest. It could have been about why female voters are not getting the message that there are candidates running on issues that are important to them.
2
I am in error, those are all US Congressional races.
When voters choose to be bamboozled to vote for a candidate based upon the strong economy as a decisive factor, it is a nearsighted choice. The stock market may be soaring today and crash in a week. An international trade war might wipe out employment gains in the long run. The bubble of a strong housing market might burst tomorrow .
One need only look back to
the financial crisis of 2007–2008 considered by many economists to have been the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression of the1930s. We hedged our bets on the economy at the ballot box at that time as well.
The economy is ephemeral and unpredictable but one thing is certain. Those who will most be affected by its negative trends is the middle class and not Donald Trump and his wealthy cronies. His erratic and reckless policy decisions both here and abroad can greatly determine which way the economic pendulum in this country may swing in the coming years. We must not just vote for the continued good fortune we share today for it can be gone tomorrow.
14
These women need to try to understand how not voting for Senators or Representatives at the national level or for candidates for state or local positions — and blocking at least the worst policies coming down the road— will on fact undermine precisely what they claim to worry about.
Will they be happy about another war or conflict somewhere in the world, and will they send their daughters and sons off to fight?
Will they be happy when Betsy DeVos destroys public education in the country?
Will they spend $& they may not have pn bottled water when water safety and other environmental regulations are gutted, rendering so many water supplied unpotable?
Will they willingly cede their own women’s rights to old white men—and how will they feel about what the future may hold for their daughters?
And how will they feel if they, or a child of theirs, or a parent cannot get the health care needed because current protections are gutted?
Fine, don’t pay attention to “national” issues. Don’t vote. But do not complain later when these matters come home to hurt you and yours.
There won’t be as much leverage, if any, in the future to do much on the way of protecting democracy here, let alone your own backyard. Hope you will be happy with that, but I suspect not.
14
Can't we see this a make-believe system based on pious folks sexually repressed, unable to control a rigid set of prohibitions counter to human needs, and in a position of power, abusing their station in the name of an all loving god? Actually, this sexual abuse is not, by any means, restricted to the Catholic Church, as a large variety of jobs, when in power, are royally abused when bo sensible regulation is in place. Can't we see we humans are all corruptible when given a chance? So, why allow this ongoinf outrage? Are we really this stupid?
2
The word 'ambivalence' does not mean indifference; it means having opposite, mixed feelings.
4
The latest Economist reports that Trump's trade war with China is already affecting farm states like Iowa and Nebraska. In response to Trump's tariffs on imports from China, the Chinese have imposed tariffs on an array of American farm exports like soyabeans. As the price of soya shot up, Chinese farmers cut back on soya content in their pig feed. The Chinese Feed Industry Association has now proposed new standards for pigfeed that cut the soyabean content to just 11-13%, reducing annual consumption by 10 million tons. That's a huge loss to American farmers, one that may never be regained once the Chinese decide their pigs do just as well on cheaper feed.
13
"All politics is local" - except when Koch, Adelson, Russia et al control both the messaging and the politicians delivering the messaging.
12
Worth the effort? Honestly? It boggles the mind how this simple civic duty can be considered a big deal, when you consider how many people around the world give their lives to secure the opportunity.
Wake up, folks!
16
They are selfish white women who have zero concern for anyone other than other white people like themselves. They assume either way the status quo will protect their interests as it always has.
7
As a 60-something woman I am demoralized by the women in this story who isn't sure she'll vote (after being moved enough to go to Omaha for a Women's March). If you're reading the comments I hope you'll vote and I hope you vote for the Democrat in the race because there is no question that Democrats are vastly more likely to vote in the interests of the average person, whether she lives in the Heartland or New England, Texas or the West Coast. If nothing else, don't you want to preserve Social Security and Medicare for your own old age? Surely you've worked hard and deserve those programs, into which you, your husband, siblings, parents and children all pay into.
12
OMG!! Might this imply that attitudes outside the “coastal elite” cities are different?? That everyone is not “maintaining a tight focus on gender” (quote from NYT) as much as the editors of TNYT?? Quelle horreur!! Or, is it possible that obsessive focus on the more extreme fringe concepts of liberal or progressive thinking is actually turning people off, and driving them away??
13
@stevevelo Right on!
3
@stevevelo - Only if you don't bother to pay attention to things like wages, health care, clean air and water etc. All of the things Democrats fight for.
5
@DR, I agree, but honestly so what?? Democrats can fight and stand for many things, but if the message they are putting out doesn’t resonate with voters, or even worse, alienates them, change won’t happen. The point of the article is that their message is not motivating voters outside the liberal “bubble”. That’s a recipe for failure.
The growing polarization by the lack of maturity and leadership by BOTH parties is getting people very mad. The Democratic Party has pretty much abandoned the average blue collar worker in favor of non-Americans and that makes zero sense, too. Additionally, cops have been demonized along with the US flag, only a decade after 9/11. How is this possible? This country, even with it’s warts, is better and more generous than any country out there. The average person sees it and just can’t understand the stupidity of our polarized leaders (in name only). Most people want to be treated with respect and get along with their neighbor. That’s what it is all about. Someone grow up, please.
7
Cops have not been “demonized”; they are finally being held accountable.
7
I'm a Democrat living in Steve King's district, and when canvassing for the Democrats, I talk about the issues going on in Iowa that are at stake should we not win the governorship and at least one of the houses of the legislature: k-12 and public higher ed, which have been underfunded or cut by Iowa Republicans for years, privatized Medicaid that is a disaster (and won the Des Moines Register a Pulitzer for exposing), a tax cut that mirrors the federal one and is tilting our tax system further in favor of the wealthy and corporations, and depriving the state of revenue to meet critical service needs. I don't typically say come out to vote to defeat King, who most people acknowledge is Trump's Mini-me in Iowa. I talk about the change needed to regain our quality of life in Iowa.
82
These attitudes do not surprise me. I live in a small rural town. It is overwhelmingly republican, conservative and religious. The phrase heard most often here in the workplace and public spaces is,"There's only one thing that matters." That "thing" is the abortion issue. Even with a Supreme Court now packed with conservatives that seem likely to overturn Roe v Wade, the good folks of this area will continue to vote based on the abortion issue.
I moved here right before the 2016 election and was shocked to find out that churches hand out palm cards to their members that list the candidates they support (all republicans).
Due to this overwhelming attitude from the majority of citizens, those that do not align with them feel that their vote does not count. And they simply do not believe voting will make a difference in their lives.
For me, I enjoy being in the 18% of my precinct that voted for Clinton in 2016.
10
I recently became an US citizen and this midterm election will be the first election I will be able to vote on. I have been ecstatic about voting and finally making my voice heard instead of just being forced to sit on the bench and watch.
It's mind-boggling to me that people that are born in the US aren't exercising their right to vote! One single vote won't make a difference, sure. But lots of those one single vote will. It adds up!
Doesn't matter which side you are on. Just get out there and vote.
93
@JZ actually, here in VA it was just a few votes in a single district that tilted the house of delegates to the republicans. So, yes, a single vote does count.
6
Oh, great. Here we go again. More "no need to vote" propaganda.
Stop trying to demoralize people, NY Times and other media people. Every time you run an article like this you are putting another nail in the coffin of democracy in OUR United States of America.
Why? Do you think the WW3 International Mafia Robber Baron/radical religion Good Old Boys Cabal are trying to start would create more readers?
Is the the legacy YOU want to leave to your children/grandchildren and future generations?
19
How foolish to think it doesn’t matter. It reminds me of the people who only if the candidate looks like them. If you don’t vote don’t complain.
40
I get it, many of us despise Donald Trump & all he really stands for (corruption, dishonesty, selfishness & greed), not what he pretends he stands for (make America great?) But the Democrats need a better message to get many of these people to care enough to vote. Trump baits us and we spend too much time reacting to his latest stupidity. Got to do better than that to win in fly over country.
15
@John Chastain
You don’t think the platforms of the candidates differ? If people bother to engage and educate themselves they can easily compare positions on policies that matter to them and choose a candidate that represents their circumstances.
7
All this reminds me of an editorial that I read roughly 30 years ago. The writer observed that the media keeps close track of national issues because it's part of their job, and that they're often surprised that normal people do not do the same thing. This causes them to think of normal people as stupid, and they say so. This causes normal people to regard the media as arrogant and elitist.
26
How depressing to read about women who aren't aware that they need to vote out Republicans to preserve what they have. I'll bet they all have plenty of time to be on social media.
96
> Asked whether she planned to vote in the upcoming midterm elections, Ms. Johnson was ambivalent. She said she doubted that any candidate in either political party would make much of a difference in her life now.
Seriously? That’s the SAME mindset that won Trump the election. And this woman participated in a Women’s March? I’m sorry but this is just inexcusable. She should be ashamed of herself.
123
Amen.
6
Most people are apolitical and can be swayed by whoever makes the better sales pitch that effects their lives. One thing that stood out to me in this piece was the person who was horrified that they had to sit in a Chik Fil A restaurant, trolling for some candidates support. That kind of dogmatic, exclusionary nonsense does turn a lot of folks off. Trump may have ratcheted up this divide, Dems have taken the ball and run with it.
1
So if you can't get up the gumption to vote on these particular issues:
"It’s much more sort of direct impact to them — their health, their health care, maybe their education if they’ve got younger kids.”
then your gumption is lacking.
16
@David-It's hard to grasp, but many people believe that politicians exist in a world apart from their own. There are millions of Americans who never travel as much as 50 miles from where they're born, and live in the same town their entire lives. These people feel that Washington D.C. is a separate universe from their small community. They cannot grasp that they can have an effect on what goes on in Congress. Reaching these people is very difficult for a campaign and it can be almost impossible to convince them that voting makes a difference. It's not a lack of gumption. It's almost a kind of self-esteem problem, where people think they don't matter to the politicians they see on TV. Politicians can only do so much to try to reach these people.
1
Democrats have 2 weeks to convince the remaining undecided voters. How about a few simple 30 second TV/radio/online messages focusing on health care, corruption, and the dismantling of protections for clean air, water, and food.
Vote November 6
33
What does this say about non-coastal voters? How can anyone not be aware and involved in defending the United States against the incompetence and excesses of Trump and his repugnant administration? At this, of all times, why would anyone not vote? The woman who was so outraged that she took part in the Women’s March and now is ambivalent about voting at all, begs the question, if not now, when? Let’s hope that there are enough engaged, enraged and motivated voters in the rest of the country, to put a stop to Trump and his malevolent agenda. If not, God help us all.
57
@North American Citizen Some populations are being disenfranchised systematically. Unless we address the fact that Republicans are actively making it harder for black people, people of color, and indigenous people on reservations to vote, we can't just say "Go vote" and be done with it. We have to take down the barriers that make voting inaccessible.
5
@North American Citizen
Ironically, the large majority of red states voters voting for small government and lower taxes are dependent on the blue taxes federal income tax revenues. The majority of red states receive more in federal aid then they send to DC. The GOP tax cut has a greater negative impact on the blue states because we are taxed heavily then the majority of red state voters. We, also, are racially and religiously diverse & see the harm being done to our brown skilled and non-Christian neighbors and families. Sadly, the Mid-West and Western states do not realize their dependency on immigrant agricultural & hospitality labor. And, they seem to dismiss the financial support of their fellow liberal citizens.
3
For all those still "wondering" if it is worth the effort to vote--the short answer is yes.
76
The last line of the article says it all. Exactly right, Ms. Hadaway. If for no other reason than a lot of people gave all their tomorrows preserving that right for you. Exercise it.
57
@Lightning14
I like that: "...gave all their tomorrows..."
1
Republican policies will have a direct and detrimental impact on the lives of the people interviewed here. I can't wrap my head around the idea that people are politically aware, and have genuine concerns about cost of living and the like, but then waffle about actually voting. Insane! If you're moved and motivated enough to join a march you can at least march to the polls. We're counting on you!
31
Unfortunately the east coast "democrats" have better access to the propaganda machines and thus are able define the issues they want the elections to be about. Of course, these so called democrats are not really liberals but are instead simply corporatists who work to minimize any liberal effort to bring about economic justice, or justice at all for that matter. New York state is a prime example of where the democrats are really just democrats in name only. All of these unmotivated voters would actually be motivated if the democratic party actually had a progressive platform that they actually pursued both on the campaign and when in power.
I predict that if the democrats take back the house they will focus only on Trump and not on any of the damage that GOP policy does to the nation because the GOP and the DFL are selected and elected by the corporations. Just look how even the supposedly liberal NYTs hates true progressives, always describing true progressives as equally on the fringes and as bad as the far right racists. I note specifically the backlash from the Times regarding Warrens DNA test as just the most recent case.
Cuomo, Schumer and Gillibrand are not liberals. De Blasio is a liberal but he has no chance of influencing national politics.
1
It seems like people are deluded. MOST don't pay attention to the differences between parties, most don't have a clue on policy, most evidently could care less. We are losing our country to oligarchs and most will live in a form of indentured servitude perhaps obtaining the scraps from the wealthy in power. This is sad and disturbing. We could be something so much better, but people are giving up. Please pay attention.
18
Why not just say it? The American people are uniformed and blatantly naive. Does that change? This feels a lot lime 1968 to me. What did the "silent majority" give us. Nixon. TWICE. My own folks, solid Democrats, "believed" that Nixon had a secret plan to end the Vietnam War. They had to. I was heading to Annapolis in June of 69. They knew many had come home in coffins, but there were many more to come. Fooling yourself is easier than you think. There are relatively few really "bad' Americans. As the article says, they need "information." Let's be part of that solution.
36
@Mark
Many are not just uninformed, they are actively misinformed.
8
@Pat. True. We must fix that.
@Mark
When you come up with a way to do that you will win the Nobel Prize. Most people chose what to believe and cling to and defend to the death misinformation if it accords with their religious and world views. Look at what people are willing to believe today as “truth” when all science and common sense and logic and past experience demonstrate the contrary.
Healthcare, environment, and fair wages affect everyone. The two parties are different on these three issues. If you don't know that then you're not qualified to vote.
Just how hard is it to go and vote? Is that asking so much from a citizen?
16
Here is someone's description of a propaganda and disinformation strategy:
“4D” offensive: Dismiss an opponent’s claims or allegations, distort events to serve political purposes, distract from one’s own activities, and dismay those who might otherwise oppose one’s goals."
Note the last item: to dismay those who might otherwise oppose one's goals. That means to demoralize them and convince them that whatever you can do won't matter, so why bother. That's what is going on here.
This is what the right-wing wants: get their angry, false-information voters to turn out and vote, while discouraging opponents by convincing them of the futility of their efforts.
24
@Pat Hello! The democrat/media machine has manufactured the blue wave to do exactly what you accuse the other side of doing.
2
It's unbelievable that anyone can still feel ambivalent about politics. The existence of people who disenfranchise themselves reflects poorly on our political parties, educational system, and culture in general. Hopelessness and apathy are the greatest enemies of democracy.
12
Not voting and then complaining about politics is really the height of hypocrisy. Maybe if they took on more responsibility regarding their right to vote then the situation wouldn't be so dire.
Democracy only works with informed voters. What a shame that so many people can't be bothered to get up and use the only tool that gives them a real voice in politics - the vote. They are so lazy that even critical things like pre-existing condition coverage doesn't make them to reconsider.
Votes (and non-votes) have consequences, and people always get the government they deserve. With those people I fear the government they'll get will not be a good one.
18
@Wurzelsepp what if it's the case that only informed voters are voting? Happy then?
This article points to an epic fail of our educational system, which is that we do not instill a sense of history or civic engagement. The idea that people have to work so hard to get other people to vote is absurd. We need mandatory voting.
55
If Democrats running for election to represent people like Ms. Johnson are not getting their message across to the financially stressed middle class like her then we are going to be in serious trouble in the mid-turn elections.
17
@Alan 8 years of Obama doing diddly has to weigh on the belief that Democrats can do anything they say, especially when he decimated the party's representation at all levels of government.
1
And yet we get a disproportionate influence in the elections, thanks to the electoral college.
7
Consider this: Patriots who have given their lives for our country on the one hand and those individuals who believe that what happens in Washington has nothing to do with them on the other.
It is the attitudes of the latter - those who chose not to vote or those who fail to educate themselves about candidates that contribute to the mess we are in.
12
@Ray Lambert what makes you think the apathetic would vote your way?
You'll just have to take comfort in knowing that some of your fellow citizens are busy taking care of themselves, themselves!