Undecided voters say they now support Joe Biden after debate ( www.newsweek.com )

A group of undecided Latino voters said they would vote for President Joe Biden after watching his Thursday night debate with former President Donald Trump.

...

A clip posted on X shows the group being interviewed by a journalist. One man said he would vote for Biden because "Trump sounded like a crazy liar," according to Matt A. Barreto, professor of Political Science and Chicana/o & Central American Studies at UCLA.

The man being interviewed said Trump "said the same thing time after time" and was not answering questions or "saying how he would fix things," according to a Newsweek translation.

He went on to admit that "Biden was indeed a bit slow in talking," saying the president "has a stutter" but believes Biden explained "what he has done and what he is still doing while president.

"After being undecided for a little while, I think today, I switched to Biden," he added.

BobGnarley ,

Are the undecided voters in the room with us right now?

UnderpantsWeevil OP ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

You laugh, but I still have no idea what I'm going to do in November.

I'm in Texas, so it doesn't really matter. But its not something I enjoy thinking about.

Specal ,

I mean I'm from the UK but votes in Texas absolutely do matter, arguably more than most states. Get your shit together man, it's not just a presidential issue, it's the entire government and the supreme court appointment at stake.

Wilzax ,

Texas is more purple than you think. PLEASE vote and PLEASE spread the word that every vote matters, because Trump supporters are far less defeatist than Biden supporters. Don't give them the illusion that your state is any more Republican than it already is by not voting.

UnderpantsWeevil OP ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Texas is more purple than you think.

Fool me once...

Wilzax ,

let me put it this way:

Texas will likely NOT flip blue this year for the presidential election. The presidency is not the only thing on the ballot. Other positions are easier to flip blue, which will give democrats incumbency, prior experience, etc. that will make it easier for them to hold higher offices later. If you're going to foster up-and-coming politicians whose beliefs align more closely with your own, you have to vote for them early in their careers. So you have to vote. So you might as well make your state LOOK a little more purple so fewer doubters choose not to vote next time around

UnderpantsWeevil OP ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Other positions are easier to flip blue

Not under the current gerrymander.

Wilzax ,

Being a defeatist isn't helping anyone. Gerrymandering is a problem but it isn't bulletproof, and broad changes to voting patterns will overcome gerrymandering. Those district borders are drawn from historical voting data, which will become inaccurate if you charge your own status from non-voter to voter

UnderpantsWeevil OP ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

Being a defeatist isn’t helping anyone.

Being realistic means not spinning yourself up into a lather and bashing yourself against a brick wall until you break.

Blackmist ,

Who is "undecided" after 8 years of dealing with this clown? Have these people been in a coma?

Or is it the usual I'm embarrassed to tell you I'll be voting for fascism "undecided"?

Rekorse ,

Some people are actually torn between the two, their close family and community lives are so intermingled with both that they actually are both seen as reasonable choices and are waiting to hear more about them to make a decision.

I don't see anything wrong with people waiting to see the candidates speak unassisted for nearly 2 hours in a rapid fire debate setting where they had to:

  1. Lay out their vision for the future
  2. Defend past decisions since both were/are president
  3. Handle the juvenile bickering that is bound to happen

Its one of the most honest and open displays of exactly who these candidates are, and even though I was already likely to vote Biden, I do feel better after hearing his IDEAS and THOUGHTS despite how he said them.

Doom ,

Switch undecided with unmotivated.

They might not care to remember to vote in November

kaffiene ,

Wait til the media have carped on about it for months

IchNichtenLichten ,
@IchNichtenLichten@lemmy.world avatar

It’s hard to vote for Joe Biden but it’s really fucking easy to vote against Donald Trump.

Rekorse ,

Why is it so important that everyone vocalize exactly how reluctant they are to vote for Biden? Has his administration really done so poorly? I understand the frustration with Israel but that has more to do with us as a country historically as well as with how strong our ties with Israel are. I don't know how fast everyone expects us to break all those bonds, and they somehow expect there to be no backlash either?

Apparently patience is just gone in the internet age.

SkyezOpen ,

I think that some of us hoped "strong ties" would maybe stop at "enabling genocide." Biden has signaled disapproval, but the US is also basically threatening the ICC for making a warrant for bibi. Absolutely unhinged shit. Dude is unquestionably a war criminal.

Rekorse ,

It sort of makes sense if you see it as trying to salvage Israel as a partner, although a lot of people, myself included, would rather just cut ties with Israel altogether.

UmeU ,

After watching the debate, it’s natural for many of us on the left to feel a little queasy about voting for Biden. The man’s time has long since passed. It makes sense that many would feel compelled to vocalize their reluctance while still voting for him.

I will vote for Biden, but this whole situation is a shit show and I worry for the future of the country. Hopefully the DNC can get their shit together and drum up some solid candidates moving forward because the republicans show no sign of moving away from the far right.

Rekorse ,

I will admit it is especially embarrassing on the global stage, but I guess the US is t the only country right now dealing with some nonsense.

I wonder if the propaganda from other nations is really that good or if we really just love to argue.

UmeU ,

Yes it is embarrassing, yes other countries have similar issues, yes propaganda was and is very good at sowing dissent, and yes it does appear that we argue more when tensions are high.

Rekorse ,

Even like to argue about how to relive the tension! Oh well I still think things are moving forward, maybe a lot of this is the backlash of all the moneyed interests against the people.

BobGnarley ,

For fucks sake the dude couldn't even make a coherent point during the debate, even forgetting what he was talking about mid sentence.

You really don't see a problem? No problem at all?

KevonLooney ,

You're talking about Trump right? Here's the transcript:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/read-biden-trump-debate-partial-rush-transcript/ar-BB1p2fcX

There's a reason why most of Trump's cabinet from his one term don't endorse him for a second term. He's nuts.

Resol ,
@Resol@lemmy.world avatar

Now I wish there were other candidates.

nondescripthandle , (edited )

Weird title when the split they cite is 45% and 44% not going to lie. I cant find out why that implies what the titles says.

taiyang ,

I mean, a sample of 8 is not really a sample, but I can see it being true for some undecided voters if those voters are savvy to know a lie when they see one (plus not everyone cares about the age narrative).

That said, how is anyone undecided at this point? I wouldn't exactly trust them to breathe and walk at the same time, let alone vote informed.

Doom and gloom aside, we're still a few months out so things happening now aren't going to make a huge difference. I just wish this wasn't all up to indecisive people in indecisive states...

Atom ,

I agree with you. My thinking is, as a politically active person who is around politically active people from all over the spectrum, that no one has really heard from Trump in the past 3 years, besides the ones that wanted too. I've heard his voice maybe 10 times? Heard about him, of course, but not from him.

While the debate was an absolute shitshow, Trump was Trump. He reminded everyone for 90 minutes what it was like to have him in every room, on every channel, at every dinner table, and in every conversation. Undecideds are who they are, but they didn't like that in 2020 when they voted for Biden. People's memories are short and I think they forgot how terrible he was.

tiefling ,

Not saying I get it, but most undecided voters I know are undecided between voting for Biden and not voting. They don't seem to care about the implications of a Trump presidency, and nothing can get through to them. They just don't want to vote for Biden.

Obligatory, I'm holding my nose in November

greenskye ,

Agreed.

'undecided' = "unsure if I give a fuck enough to go vote for my side"

This seems to have been true for awhile now. The two parties are so different, it's hard to imagine anyone bouncing between the two as if they were close enough to compare.

Which is honestly why I find a lot of the democratic campaigning and rhetoric weird. It seems to still be trying to cater to a group I don't think exists, instead of trying to excite their existing voter base enough into actually voting.

Rekorse ,

Wow imagine that someone might not have all the time you do to research politics in America. Or maybe they just aren't smart enough right?

How are so many replies here full of this blind nonsense.

Did it ever occur to any of you spoiled fucks that politics usually ranks below:

  1. Work
  2. Taking care of family members
  3. Cleaning/maintaining property and equipment
  4. Spending free time with family
  5. Taking care of personal medical conditions

You can't imagine a single person who say works 2 or 3 jobs and has no time left for politics? Oh right they should probably just know already who's the right person to vote for, huh? How stupid they must be right?

And then y'all use that as evidence the country is going to shit and full of stupid people. Y'all are so fucking arrogant and none of it is earned.

greenskye ,

I'd be impressed if someone was so busy they literally couldn't decide if they were pro-racist or not pro-racist. Politics is no longer a complicated question of policy but a simple division of core ethical values in America.

Rekorse ,

Right, because half of america is racist. Got it. Good take.

greenskye ,

It's less than half, but ya pretty much

Rekorse ,

Well I guess I hope they die off soon then huh!

finley ,

i didn't want to vote for Biden in 2020, either, so i voted Green.

i was in NY at the time, so my vote didn't matter, but now that i'm a in red/swing state, I'm def voting Biden just to cut across that Trump edge.

chakan2 ,
@chakan2@lemmy.world avatar

I don't get it. Why kid yourself that Biden can still win this? This is like watching Hillary drop in the polls all over again.

The D's need to pull him now.

Varyk , (edited )

People were pissed at me calling this yesterday.

I was wondering why they all abruptly stopped messaging me a couple hours ago.

The decided voters are where they are.

If you're undecided, and you watch this debate with an open mind, there's only one logical conclusion if you want your life to get better, and that's to vote for Biden.

It was 4 years of trump damaging the US, telling lies and objectively being shown not to follow through on what he says, then being found liable for rape and treason.

Even though Biden mumbled some words, his answered questions were believable because they were in line with the last 4 years of his administration, that have been great for civil rights,the environment, sustainable technology, infrastructure and the economy.

No-brainer for the undecided.

ABCDE ,

Really? He shuffled on and was so incoherent I was shocked. I turned it off after ten minutes as it was embarrassing to watch. They need someone better.

Varyk , (edited )

Absolutely absurd.

He's been doing a great job for 4 years, standing next to dumps, who can't string two sentences together, and being asked palatable questions that basically mean nothing, I think he did pretty well for an 81-year-old.

Also, biden's a great president, they don't need anyone better.

darkmarx ,

He's 81, not 88.

Varyk ,

Cool, thanks.

ABCDE ,

I'm not commenting on the four years, I'm not American, but on what I saw. It was not a pretty sight. "pretty well..." isn't a great measure, is it? Not many are saying he came out looking well

Varyk ,

Are you going off the two five-second clips that are being repeated everywhere or the entire debate?

For an event that means so little substantively, "pretty well" is a good metric.

If you walk through a manure mister and look pretty well at the end of it, you're good.

Also, he has regular public performances before and after that event, if you watch any of those, he's fine.

4 years of effective administration is more significant testament to biden's ability to lead than standing on stage next to an idiot for 90 minutes.

ABCDE ,

I watched the first ten minutes of the 'debate' and had had enough.

I don't know how many watched the ones prior and subsequent to this, but... 68m people (if I remember rightly) watched this.

The past four years don't mean much for the forthcoming election at the end of the year when the concerns of people are not being addressed, by someone who struggles to walk and speak coherently.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0jXKYxpaiUE5fSPyiHKnQN?si=42896b8bbce34857

There are plenty of people worried about this, and calls for him to step down are significant. If he's like this now, what's he going to be like in his mid-80s? This does not look good.

You can say: the past four years! as much as you like, it won't matter if Biden loses, which is a more realistic prospect than it was last week.

Varyk ,

Many people who didn't watch the debate, don't regularly watch his public appearances and read internet comments feel the same way you do.

Calls for biden to step down are not significant in the real world, they are baseless epithets repeated on the internet by anonymous strangers or established conservatives.

The concerns of people are being addressed, any claims to the contrary are not based in fact.

"what's he going to be like in his mid-80s"

Not as important to holding the office of the President as people are misapprehending. Biden's not a car salesman, he is administering a country, and he's good at it. He can wear polka dot bow ties for all I care. FDR was in a wheelchair and often couldn't speak at all.

Anyone who believes there's any reason to replace Biden as the presidential candidate at this point is either allowing themself to be fooled by internet trolls or is a troll themselves.

ABCDE ,

Calls for biden to step down are not significant in the real world, they are baseless epithets repeated on the internet by anonymous strangers or established conservatives.

They may not be "significant", but you have political commentators (see: The Rest is Politics, former British MPs, a commentator and Scaramucci) thinking it would be for the best.

You may not think it is important that Biden is struggling to string answers together, but I assure you that the public does, of which tens of millions will have come out of it thinking: shit, the Republican cries that Biden has lost it will ring true.

I think your last comment is misconstruing what a lot of people think; I do not have any opinions because of trolls, I have only posted a few times here and spoke to a couple of friends (and listened to The Rest is Politics) about it... it does not look good at all.

He is older than my grandparents than when they passed away, and is less coherent than my grandma was, by far. There is no reason he should be in this position, the Democrats need someone better who can articulate themselves (regardless of any stutter, that is not what I'm referring to) and respond to things they have practiced on in mock debates behind closed doors.

The more this goes on the worse this gets for Biden; September is going to be very worrying for the next debate.

Varyk ,

"They may not be "significant", but you have political commentators thinking it would be for the best".

Yup. Insignificant performing pundits.

Still insignificant.

Trump stumbles over his words or says nonsense, was an absolute s***show of a president who constantly lied.

Biden stumbles over his words or says nonsense, has been a great president and has done what he said he was going to do.

The Democrats do not need anybody better, Biden is achieving all of his policy aims that are in line with progressives in the United States

If you want to see somebody tap dancing, go to Broadway.

As far as the administration of the country goes, Biden is doing a very good job developing and supporting civil rights, the environment, sustainable technology and the economy.

ABCDE ,

If you want to see somebody tap dancing, go to Broadway.

What part of any of my posts has suggested I need entertainment?

No one is saying Biden came off looking like he did well, many in politics have admitted it went badly:

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cv2gx7d0qwdo

Yup. Insignificant performing pundits.

I'd suggest not ignoring this, but then we are insignificant. Actual politicians are saying this is worrying.

Varyk ,

I'm definitely going to ignore insignificance.

laverabe ,

First ten minutes were the worst, after that Biden started to make at least some reasonable points.

ABCDE ,

Fair. Initial impressions can be damning.

Repelle ,

People also seem to be completely brushing off him having a cold like it was just some campaign lie. To me that’s exactly what he looked like: completely out of it from being sick. I get like that when I’m ill and I’m not even half his age. Given his campaign events and state of the union have not been the same it seems pretty clear to me that it wasn’t simply him being old unless I’m missing something.

citrusface ,

Did you see the other fucker up there? Did you hear him at all? Did we watch the same debate?

ABCDE ,

A little bit, he sounded less insane than usual; don't be surprised if he's voted in again, with this seen as one of the pivotal reasons why.

JakJak98 ,

Two party system is too vague and horrific. Will never vote for anyone in either party.

I might just be a drop in the pond, but I'll vote independent for the rest of my life.

Varyk ,

That's the way,, I usually vote independent.

This time, though, Biden is doing everything I was looking for from the green party so yeah, I'm good this round.

Do you have a single issue that you're voting on , or is it just independent on principle regardless of the issues?

JakJak98 ,

It's never just a single issue, it's a broad scope of ideas from outdated people. We keep consistently voting for people in their 70s who should retire. They don't know what's best for the future because they won't have to live with the consequences of their actions.

For the executive office at least,

For congress, both parties taking huge swaths of lobbying money and corruption by huge corporations.

Lobbying should be illegal and we need an age and term limit.

Varyk ,

I've spoken to a few single issue voters.

They might identify with the conservatives as a group, but they are definitely voting Republican for a single issue.

One lady was abortion, and three off the top of my head were guns.

I wholeheartedly agree and have been ranting about lobbying and term limits for ppfffff I literally don't even know how long now.

Lobbying is absolutely insanity.

Term limits, age limits, like you can kind of see why those bad decisions had been made in the first place and need to be rectified, but lobbying is just insanity.

A lot of advertising in the states is crazy.

Like did you know that there's only two countries in the world that can advertise prescription medicine, and one of them is the United States?

The other is strangely New Zealand.

Marketing medicine is bonkers, like absolutely bonkers.

mozz Admin ,
mozz avatar

If "hey look at this poll of left handed middle income women in swing states, Trump is ahead 86 points" is bullshit

Then "this one focus group of 8 Hispanic voters thought Biden did great, time to stop worrying" is also bullshit

Wait to see the polls. I am anticipating them showing some loss for Biden because the average American would rather have a vigorous insurrectionist running the country, than a visibly old person with good policy ideas. I would love to be shown proof that I am wrong in that but this isn't it. I think Biden's great, but he does still have to win the election, and the debate wasn't a good showing for him, and one little focus group doesn't change that and doesn't justify the broad sweeping headline here.

NoSuchAgency ,

Hey, look!!! They found a couple people that are voting for Biden

Captainvaqina ,

The majority of American patriots will be voting for Biden.

We will not allow the traitorous child raping fascist to deface America, shred the constitution, and install a filthy magat dictatorship.

Anyone who still supports Benedict Donald is no longer an American.

AllNewTypeFace ,
@AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space avatar

OTOH, this is Newsweek. Take it with a grain of salt, pending confirmation from a more credible source.

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@lemmy.world avatar

What, really?

I mean, holy shit, I'm not going to question divine providence from fucking Jupiter or whoever the fuck it is watching over elections, so, hey, you know, what convinces you convinces you.

turbowafflz ,

I feel like even though biden didn't perform well, trump just said way too many obvious lies. Like saying the nazi rally in charlottesville was just a lie made up by biden?? Despite there being photos of it???

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@lemmy.world avatar

I guess I'm a cynic - I didn't expect anyone not already convinced that Trump was a liar to be convinced by his usual performance. But I guess most people don't spend their time chewing their fingers down to the bone religiously watching political developments like some of us do.

Probably healthier for them.

treefrog ,

I opened lemmy a few days ago to check the news after taking a break for a few days.

I hadn't even read anything yet and I felt my adrenaline start.

GladiusB ,
@GladiusB@lemmy.world avatar

It's also early. We still have 5 months and way more debates.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA ,
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world avatar

I don't think my liver can take it.

NoSuchAgency ,

He was saying that the Dems saying that he said there were fine people in the KKK or that the people coming out of the woods carrying torches swastikas were fine people was a lie..

mosiacmango , (edited )

It was a nazi rally organized by nazis where they literally marched down the street in columns at night with flaming torches shouting "blood and soil" and "the jews will not replace us," both Nazi slogans. One of the nazis rammed his car into a crowd a anti racist protests at high speed, killling 1 and injuring dozens.

This is the rally he replied to with "there are fine people on both sides." He then hedged and said he didn't support nazis, seconds after supporting nazis.

It's almost like the man could have flat out condemned nazis with no intentional ambiguity, but nah.

njm1314 ,

It's basically just depends if you stayed tuned. I mean I have perfect sympathy for someone who watched the first 15 or 20 minutes and then turn it off because you know damn. However the longer it went the worst Trump got and Biden kind of leveled out though never got impressive by any means.

NJSpradlin ,

I mean, I stayed until the end but my drinking skyrocketed. I honestly don’t remember the end. It was rough. Being a little informed I knew good and well that Trump was absolutely dodging the questions and laying down outright lies and propaganda, but every time I looked at Biden… holy fuck.

shalafi ,

My exact scenario and feelings.

Rekorse ,

Y'all need to figure out how to regulate your emotions better.

Is everyone posting in this thread an alcoholic or something?

I'm starting to think the takeaway from this entire post is how irrational and emotional Americans are, regardless of who they support.

Auli ,

Or the lovely didn’t have sex with a porn star.

alilbee ,

It's newsweek so probably not, unfortunately. They reference a single Unilever focus group of Hispanic/Latino undecideds. Not sure that's enough to justify this title at all.

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@lemmy.world avatar

I mean, I'd count ANYONE being convinced by the other night's performance as a surprise at this point. Was not a high moment for democracy.

The_Picard_Maneuver ,
@The_Picard_Maneuver@lemmy.world avatar

Unfortunately the title makes it sound like they're talking about undecided voters in general, when the story is about a specific group of people that were interviewed.

Reading that article felt like I had fallen for a bait and switch.

(edit: "Clickbait and switch"? Is that a thing?)

treefrog ,

Yeah my mom bought into the narrative. I was telling her what a disaster the debate was and of course she doesn't want to accept that.

So she latched onto headlines like this one.

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA ,
@HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world avatar

Any port in a storm

Wxnzxn ,
@Wxnzxn@lemmy.ml avatar

It's a single focus group of specifically undecided Latino voters. Only more standardised and statistically significant polling will give a better estimation. Could there be an unexpected, seemingly paradoxical effect? Maybe, shit is complicated, yo. Politics are a chaotic system at times. I personally doubt it, but, hey, we will see.

But this article in particular? To be blunt: It is cope.

KevonLooney ,

This is exactly how you do experiments in social sciences. You need one off events like a debate or Supreme Court decision. Gathering people in a room like this ensures they all watch the debate and don't change the channel or something.

"Cope" is listening to talking heads and ignoring actual experiments like this one. Donald Trump loses among Latinos when people listen to him. That's what this tells me.

Wxnzxn ,
@Wxnzxn@lemmy.ml avatar

True, thank you for pointing that point out, because this actually does show an important angle of messaging ahead. What makes the article itself cope in my opinion, is its misleading headline and overall presentation. It's tabloid-level of presenting the message, your interpretation is actually a lot better.

disguy_ovahea ,

At least Biden attempted to directly answer questions. Trump repeatedly evaded them to talk about whatever he wanted during his allotted time.

Biden struggled to recall accurate information.

Trump effortlessly ranted and lied.

Both were embarrassing. One was worse.

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@lemmy.world avatar

Both were embarrassing. One was worse.

Oh, no doubt. I'm just not used to 'swing voters' agreeing with me on the subject.

disguy_ovahea ,

That’s true. It’s crazy to consider. They’ve both served one term. There is a proven track record of successes and failures. Anyone undecided must not have been paying attention.

Auli ,

Trump has never proven if he can recall accurate information either though.

disguy_ovahea ,

He doesn’t need to do that for his own camp. He just needs to sound like he’s winning an argument.

The undecided voters may have been waiting for clear substantiation of goals and accomplishments. Biden did a terrible job explaining his own, but Trump was clearly evasive with the majority of his responses.

NuXCOM_90Percent ,

I mean, this is pretty standard for Biden. He has had that stutter and aphasia for decades.

And yes, if your goal is a Reaction video or to call him weak and push an accelerationist agenda, that is horrible.

Anyone else? "Okay, he said th-th-thousands when he meant millions. It happens and it shouldn't but people should also not be taking hard statistics from political speeches. Wait, they made fourteen fucking million jobs??!?"

There is no argument that Biden did not accomplish what he needed to on Wednesday. He and the Democratic Party fucked up. But trump also did not accomplish what he needed to do and I think we mostly came out net neutral. Is net neutral at all acceptable at this point? No. But Biden has shown, time and time again, that he is really good at winning people over over time.

PugJesus ,
@PugJesus@lemmy.world avatar

Hope you're right. I'm all-in for a Biden victory, of course, because I'm not a lunatic or a fascist, but God, Biden ain't good for my nerves, that much is for sure.

Dkarma ,

If you were listening for actual policy Biden crushed trump.

Rekorse ,

I see a lot of up votes so there's gotta be people who agree, but this sentient is rare in the comments here.

For the record, I agree.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • random
  • politics@lemmy.world
  • test
  • worldmews
  • mews
  • All magazines
    •