One of the great things about our community, both online and in person, is that you are able to talk to people and get good, thoughtful analysis of what might happen next in any given series of events. One assumption that I see being made over and over with regard to the 2020 Democratic presidential primary, however, is simply not in line with the facts on the ground: The common wisdom seems to be that when a given candidate drops out, 100% of their voters will flow to just one other candidate.
This is not what happens. Voters are, of course, free to move their support to any candidate they choose. From visiting with Democratic primary campaigns in many states, I know that many of a given candidate’s supporters were not going to end up supporting the one it was assumed they would if their chosen candidate dropped out of the race. Supporters of Elizabeth Warren wouldn’t necessarily flow directly to Bernie Sanders, with progressive women having harsh thoughts about Sanders. Voters for Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar would not directly flow to Joe Biden; many listed others as their second choice.
One thing that is clear: A lot of voters cast their intent yesterday, and it wasn’t about party leadership or party insiders. It was about everyday Democratic voters who went into voting booths all around the country.
It is easy to feel distressed when you work on a campaign and it doesn’t work out the way you want. We can be very hurt and raw, because we put our faith and hope in specific outcomes. What I would say is that you quickly learn that blaming the public is the least successful way to handle this situation.
On Sunday, I published a Nuts & Bolts piece saying simply, Stay calm. The results on Tuesday may tell us a lot, but what they do not tell us is anything about “party insiders.” Why not? Party insiders have one vote in their state primary, the same as any voter anywhere, when it comes down to the ballot box.
This is the system we as a party want, where the voice of the public makes the biggest impact on who our candidate is. If you were a supporter of Pete, Amy, Mike, Elizabeth, or anyone else, there is nothing wrong with your fantastic support of those candidates.
Where we tilt over is when we take our enthusiastic support for one candidate and spend our time tearing down others. There is simply no time this year, or any year, to lash out at those who agree with us 95% of the time.
Here are some things you might think about doing instead of raging against the machine.
Thank the campaign volunteers and workers.
People who put their life on hold to work for Amy, Pete, Beto, Biden, Warren, Sanders, or any other candidate did so because they believed in them. Even if their candidate is not your candidate, recognize the hard and underpaid work they put in. Thank them for the good they did in finding and registering new voters, and in promoting the Democratic idea that Trump needs to go and that we can in fact do better.
Every campaign owes a bit of dignity to those workers who went out into the trenches and did the work.
Thank you.
You donated? Thank you.
If you donated to a political campaign, one that prevailed or one that didn’t, thank you again. By injecting some money into a campaign, you gave campaign workers literature, an office, tools that they needed to reach out to Democratic voters.
You canvassed, made calls, or were a part of a campaign?
If you were part of a campaign that succeeded in the primaries yesterday (and not just the presidential primaries), be gracious. Recognize that a lot of people put in a lot of work. Assess what you did well and know this is just one step closer if you are working on the presidential race. Part of what made the campaign successful was you. Take a second to think about that: A lot of people invested money, rooted for you, and counted on you. You were the one who went out and did the work. Thank you.
Upset with people making endorsements or with party insiders?
Endorsements do not equal votes. I’m going to say this again: Endorsements do not automatically equal any votes. It tells you how one person will vote. It is up to each individual voter to decide for themself. When we think otherwise, we devalue voters and make it appear as though they cannot think or come to a decision on their own, of their own free will.
Nothing is set in stone at this point, but we have an opportunity for civility and to understand the work people put into their candidates’ campaigns. We should take it.