PROJECT SYNDICATE: Misinformation Decided the U.S. Election

The bulk of Trump voters voted for him out of love for us...

The bulk of Trump voters voted for him out of love for us...

If more than half of the electorate wants to be misinformed, human civilization is in serious trouble. But I see Trump supporters are good-hearted, well-meaning people genuinely worried that the country is heading in the wrong direction, even though they themselves are doing fine. Nothing that Democrats say will be believed by those who need to hear it. So Republicans need to look at themselves and adopt the project of Viscount Sherbrooke after the 1867 franchise extension: We – or, rather, you – must educate our masters.

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Do Trump voters express misinformed beliefs about violent crime rates, the inflation rate, the stock market, and border crossings because they are Trump voters, or are they Trump voters because they truly believe these falsehoods and are genuinely fearful for their country’s future?… We need to figure out what to do about an information ecosystem that hoodwinked millions of people and turned our politics into a clown show…. I will grant that people might not know how fast things have changed or know the difference between high inflation and higher prices. But everyone knows that you can always pan a camera to find a few examples of just about anything…. Most Americans who look around their own neighborhoods or check their retirement accounts will know that they and their real-world friends and colleagues are doing just fine. Their 401(k)s are way up, and no Haitians are barbecuing cats…. If Trump asks his supporters whether they are going to believe him or their lying eyes, will they choose him?… If the answer is that more than half of the electorate wants to be misinformed, America – and indeed human civilization – is in serious trouble…. [But I see] the bulk of Trump supporters are good-hearted, well-meaning people who worry that the country is heading in the wrong direction, even if they themselves are doing fine. They voted for Trump more out of love than hate…. In our broken information ecosystem, nothing that Democrats say will be believed by those who need to hear it. Well-meaning, patriotic Republicans need to look at themselves and adopt the project that Viscount Sherbrooke articulated after the 1867 extension of the franchise in Britain: We – or, rather, you – must educate our masters.

Read MOAR at Project Syndicate: <https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/2024-election-surveys-show-trump-voters-misinformed-on-major-issues-by-j-bradford-delong-2024-11>