Pols need to stop being so online

In the era of social media, Democratic and Republican politicians have grown hyper-sensitive, and responsive, to activists who seemingly live their lives online. Whether on X, formerly Twitter, where the right ruminates over every alleged infraction committed by the left and demands swift and often constitutionally questionable action; on Bluesky, where the echo-chamber boomerangs in the opposite direction; on Truth Social, where President Donald Trump ruminates over, well, everything; or on Facebook and TikTok, Democrats and Republicans appear only too eager to satisfy the digital mob, convinced that social media is simply a gathering place where constituents are communicating their priorities.

They're wrong.

I've long argued as much, based on years of traveling the country and talking to voters, including those interested enough in politics to attend campaign rallies or knock on doors for candidates. But fresh polling from the Democratic firm Global Strategy Group adds some data to bolster my conclusion.

As pollster Angela Kuefler explained during a presentation for Third Way, the centrist Democratic think tank in Washington that commissioned the survey, just 37% of Democratic primary voters post on social media platforms weekly, with 33% posting less often and 31% never posting.

That's nearly two-thirds of Democratic primary voters — even at a moment of major political discontent and anxiety over Trump, to say nothing of the future of their party.

"This is the most important slide," Kuefler declared, as she introduced these findings to reporters last week, during an expansive PowerPoint presentation. How so? Because Kuefler's (and Third Way's) goal ahead of the 2028 presidential contest is to convince Democrats to stop choosing rhetoric and policy proposals based on what they're hearing and reading from a minority of activist voters on social media.

"People who post the most often," Kuefler added, "are fundamentally different than the vast majority of these Democratic primary voters," leading many elected Democrats to embrace "far left policies" that even most Democratic voters oppose, never mind the broader electorate.

Kamala Harris, the former vice president and 2024 Democratic nominee, might wish she'd had this data, and heeded that advice, when seeking the White House in 2020. In 2024, Trump wouldn't have been able to run effective television spots against her like this one. But as mentioned, Democrats are hardly the lone offenders.

Top GOP figures, too, often mistake the rantings of right-wing activists and influencers for political gospel. But only a minority of GOP voters and those who lean Republican "regularly" rely on social media for news.

At 40%, Facebook is the most frequented social platform for news by Republicans and GOP leaners. At 14%, Elon Musk's X is among the least used for news, per a Pew Research Center poll conducted in late August. This survey data matches my experience with Republican voters.

But to check my priors, I consulted with Washington Examiner columnist Salena Zito, who lives just outside Pittsburgh and covers Republican voters in Rust Belt battlegrounds (and elsewhere) like a hawk, and keenly understands their connection to Trump. Zito's verdict?

"It has been my experience as a reporter to take everything that I see online with a grain of salt. In other words, the audience tends to skew more toward people who are, what I call — and what other people call — ‘the very online,'" said Zito, author of Butler; The Untold Story of the Near Assassination of Donald Trump and the Fight for America's Heartland. "What I see online rarely gives (an accurate view of) what I see with voters, in particular in the places that decide elections."

"What happens on social media does not dictate how people are feeling. There's so much nuance that's missing," she added. "You really have to get on the ground and be much more granular with people as opposed to letting social media dictate how you think the country is feeling."

American politics appears to be drowning in combative commentary and internet memes. Republicans revel in "owning the libs." Prominent Democrats, intent on proving to their activist base that they're fighting to stop Trump, have dialed up profanity in their rhetoric. And yet, none of this is how most voters, left or right, are living their lives day-to-day. Worried about the economy; illegal immigration; Trump's multifaceted executive overreach? Absolutely. Angry and rude to their neighbors while fearing the end of the republic? Hardly.

During the final weekend before Election Day last year, my colleagues at The Dispatch and I fanned out across the swing states. At both Harris and Trump rallies, we asked supporters of each candidate how they would react, and what they would do, if the opposing White House contender won. They told us they would be disappointed and yes, worried, about the future. But virtually all voters we interviewed told us they would go about their everyday lives and hope for the best while looking ahead to the next election — as they always have.

Our leaders, and those interested in joining them in elected office, would do their political ambitions and the country well to realize that.

(COMMENT, BELOW)

David M. Drucker is columnist covering politics and policy. He is also a senior writer for The Dispatch and the author of "In Trump's Shadow: The Battle for 2024 and the Future of the GOP."

Previously:
• Trump is not as unpopular as his opponents think
• Government shutdowns never help the instigators
• Crime stats aren't the best way to make people feel safe
• Misdiagnosing Dems' destruction
• Firing Powell is too risky --- even for this White House
• Black men's shift toward the GOP may not be fleeting
• Unpopular Dems can still win the Midterms. Here's why
• Gen Z is politically old before its time
• Woke baggage weighs down Dems' economic message
• Congress began ceding power to presidents long before Trump
• Reagan Republicans didn't disappear. They were just demoted