"... A new analysis by Nate Cohn of the New York Times sheds some light here. Despite President Biden’s unpopularity, recent Times polling shows his surprising resilience in swing states — and Cohn suggests this partly reflects backlash against MAGA-fied state parties in these places. By embracing Trump’s efforts to nullify his loss, they are only reminding voters that democracy is once again in peril, including whether their own votes will be counted next time.
"All of this syncs up with what political science tells us: Issues become salient for voters when elites talk about them a lot. That has certainly been the case with democracy and that will surely continue next year. Big events — such as Trump’s prosecution for Jan. 6, 2021-related offenses and the GOP’s continued devotion despite those criminal charges — will only reinforce what’s at stake.
“'As long as the MAGA-Trump faction remains a threat to free and fair elections, a consequential slice of the electorate will continue to vote on this issue,'” political scientist Lee Drutman told me.
"If there’s a silver lining, it’s that the MAGA doom loop might keep on working its magic — all the way through 2024." -- Greg Sargent in the Washington Post, on how MAGAt Republicans' continuing efforts to re- litigate the 2020 election and override the will of voters in their own states will result in a "MAGA doom loop," convincing swing voters that the Republican threat to our democracy is real and continuing. The threat to our democracy, abortion rights, and the bogus impeachment "inquiry" all look to be forming into a perfect storm for 2024.
