Where Are Bernie’s Young Voters?
The strategy was questionable from the start, but it's only become more clear as this primary has gone on that young voters simply are not showing up on election day. Biden is winning counties with college towns and other areas where young voters have been polling well. But it's one thing to answer a poll or go to a rally, and it's quite another to show up on election day, and young voters are not doing that.
That's sending Sanders' campaign crashing into the ground hard. There is no path to the nomination for Sanders that doesn't include young voters in his coalition. His dominance with Hispanic voters appears to have gotten stagnant. His appeal with black voters is zero. Working men are moving into Biden's campaign. The former Vice President has all the momentum behind him. Sanders has to flat out dominate in the remaining states, and there's no indication that he can pull that off.
Should Trump Be Worried?
If the Democratic Party is unifying behind Biden, it means a unified front opposing Donald Trump. Most importantly, tonight was an early look at how blue-collar states are looking ahead of the general election. Biden has a lot of momentum behind him after Michigan, but these are places that Trump won in 2016. Trump will have to work very hard to keep those voters on his side.
But the thing is, it was close in 2016. If Tuesday's numbers are indicative of anything, the vote in 2016 - both the Democratic primary and the general election - was a very anti-Hillary vote. Biden can win this area because he comes across as much more approachable than Hillary, who didn't even show up in 2016. Granted, Tuesday's viral video clip of Biden cursing at and threatening to slap an autoworker doesn't come across well, and it happened too late in the election day to make a difference in the turnout, but it seems like that won't move the vote one way or another.
Trump can't neglect (and I don't think he will) the midwest, especially states like Michigan and Pennsylvania. He will have to make the case that he is the one who can best represent them. Biden has to make the case that Trump is not doing enough for them, which could be a hard sell unless the markets continue to decline and we do hit a recession.
Biden’s Viral Moment
That viral clip, though, was something.
In it, Biden tells an autoworker that he is “full of s**t” and that he will slap him. All because the autoworker accused Biden of trying to take away “our Second Amendment rights.” Biden flips out and asks if the guy even needs an AR-14 (which doesn’t exist) and if he needed one hundred rounds (I assume he means in a magazine, which is a rare magazine). It looked more like a meltdown than anything.
That is not a good look for Biden, but viral moments like that are social media phenomena and rarely make it in their true, unfiltered form to mainstream outlets. SO, Biden won’t bleed too much from that clip (likewise, his supporters are wrong to think it’ll create a surge for him).
Confession: I Like CNN’s Election Coverage
I really enjoy listening to their election anchors - Tapper is a favortie, not gonna lie - and their panel consists of Andrew Yang, David Axelrod, and Van Jones, all three of whom are very passionate and very earnest in what they are sharing. They are also not the usually party-line guys, but are very honest in their approach to commentary. It is refreshing.
So, that’s why I watch CNN on these primary nights. The best part is that one set of friends dislikes my praise of the Communist News Network and the other set of friends dislikes my praise of the Centrist News Network.
Yes, I think there are a lot of weaknesses, but those weaknesses aren’t involved in these election nights right now. Don Lemon and Chris Cuomo are not on set. Jim Acosta is tossed to once in the coverage I watched. Brian Stelter is thankfully nowhere to be seen. Those guys who are blatant in their bias aren’t involved, and it is refreshing.
Editorially, yes, they are too biased for my taste, but I like a lot of the individuals involved. Again, affiliation and political inclinations don’t automatically make someone a bad person. I wish more people recognized that.
Homestyle: Express Yourself (Featuring A Very Special Guest)
This week’s episode of Homestyle is all about writing creatively and how to motivate yourself (or others) to do it. Leigh Guidry and I are both writers, but we don’t teach others to access that creative portion of the brain. We both know someone who does, though, and I just happen to be married to her.
We introduce my wife in this episode and talk about her job as a creative writing teacher in south Louisiana. Here’s this week’s episode. Definitely check it out.
Recipe Of The Week: Easy Pasta Salad
My grandmother made this all the time. I loved it growing up. She usually made it alongside her stellar chicken salad (which I’ll share with y’all some other time) and it was a glorious time to get those giant Ziplock bags from her house to take to ours.
The key here is the packet of salad dressing mix. Instead of just using Italian dressing, mix the powdered form with oil and white wine vinegar. Also, being a Southern recipe, pimentos are properly involved.
1 package (12 ounces) pasta
Olive oil
1 cup chopped green onions (with tops)
1 cup sliced black olives
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 jar diced pimentos, drained
Prepare the pasta according to package instructions, then rinse with cold water and drain well.
Toss the cooled pasta with some of the olive oil.
Separately, combine the mushrooms, olives, green onions, and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Save the remaining cheese for later.
Prepare the dressing by mixing it with the vinegar and olive oil, whisking until smooth.
Pour the dressing over the vegetables, then add the pasta and toss well until mixed.
Add remaining Parmesan cheese.
Let it chill for a few hours. Serves 6-8.