White Women's Support for Trump Remains High in 2020 Election

[Celerity]

White women have to answer for backing the Republican nominee yet again.

https://www.teenvogue.com/story/white-women-support-trump



After voting early in Chicago this year, I grabbed one of the many “I voted!” stickers fanned out in rows on the table next to the ballot-processing machine. As I exited my polling place, I tucked the sticker between the pages of the book I’d brought to read while I waited in line to vote, thinking I’d wait to peel and wear it a few days later, on Election Day. That day, I sat at my desk, scouring the internet for images of people finding moments of joy at the polls. I’ll admit I was allowing myself to feel cautiously optimistic. Then, hours before the polls closed, early exit polling started being released. We’d known all along it could take days, even weeks, for a winner in the 2020 presidential election to be announced, but these early returns — even if they’re not always totally reliable — began to tell a story about the electorate.

One statistic registered like a block of lead in my gut: Exit polls conducted by Edison Research found that while a reported 57% of women overall voted for Joe Biden this year, 55% of white women voted for Trump — representing at least a two-point increase for this demographic since 2016. I’ve always loved to collect my “I voted!” sticker following any election, presidential or otherwise. I’ve never taken my constitutional right to vote for granted, and as a white woman, there’s an inherent privilege in doing so. Depressingly enough, this is a privilege an apparent majority of white women seem to have wielded like a weapon for the second election in a row. The stickers that the City of Chicago passed out this year were themed around the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which was passed in 1920 and prohibits the government from denying citizens the right to vote on the basis of sex.

But as most of us know by now, it was really only white women who benefited from the 19th Amendment’s passage and protections. In 2016, when given the choice between a woman whose record includes stints as first lady, U.S. senator, and U.S. Secretary of State, versus a man who was accused of sexual misconduct by more than 20 different women prior to the 2016 election, a plurality of white women opted instead for the latter — a reality TV star turned a one-term, impeached president who is the embodiment of white patriarchy, a system in which white women have always been protected at the cost of everyone else. If internalized sexism was to blame for white women’s choice in 2016, how to explain 2020, an election in which voters had the choice between two demographically identical old white men?

As a voting bloc, white women seemingly doubled down in their support of Trump, opting to align themselves against science, reproductive rights, diplomacy, and economic solvency in support of the spoils they (we?) reap as secondary benefactors of white privilege. We know that white women tend to vote along policy versus demographic lines, so is it safe to assume that white women don’t care about the rising death toll caused by this pandemic? That the legions of women out of work and the ensuing wage gap and widening achievement gap are not of concern for them? The states that turned blue for Biden in the days following November 3 were carried by the work of women of color who turned out voters in urban areas. The fanfare surrounding Biden’s win has highlighted the support he generated amongst “an unlikely alliance of women, people of color, old and young voters, and a sliver of disaffected Republicans,” as the New York Times put it — but it is categorically false to claim this was a victory won by all women.

snip

[wryter2000]

1. Disgraceful

Makes me ashamed to be a white woman. I wish he really would grab their genitals. Then, they could tell us if they really enjoyed it.

[onecaliberal]

2. Me too. 😢😢😢

[Ohiogal]

7. They shame our demographic

I cannot understand it. I guess white women are just as racist as many white men.

[onecaliberal]

9. One in the same for the most part.

My husbands mother, and sisters are an example. I fucking despise people who believe they deserve a kind of life another person does not. Thankfully I will not have to suffer through the holidays with them this year. We are staying home and staying safe as we can.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

3. White women voters have broken for the Democratic presidential candidate only twice since 1952.

[SharonClark]

4. The majority of white women don't vote on policies we

consider good for women. The majority of white women who vote have hitched their star to the patriarchy they benefit from - through their husbands, their church, and the backlash against “uppity” women.

It seems that being hand maidens to the patriarchy and “owning the libs” is fine with them.

[onecaliberal]

10. A rising tide lifts all boats.

[NameAlreadyTaken]

34. Except these:

[onecaliberal]

37. Lol

[MustLoveBeagles]

49. LOL

[ucrdem]

5. Maybe but do exit polls include mailed in ballots

or just voters exiting polling places, as they always have? That would be the million dollar question as there was a clear distinction this year, with mailed-in ballots favoring Biden.

from link:

The numbers on this page are preliminary estimates from exit polls conducted by Edison Research for the National Election Pool. These surveys interviewed voters outside of polling places or early voting sites, or by phone (to account for mail-in voters).

So then it comes down to what weight was given to each group and etc. Not to get all conspiratorial but let us keep in mind that there was a lot of necessary estimation in this year's exit polls.

p.s also bear in mind that a lot of effort has been directed to making it harder for certain groups to vote. Even in CA, I recently received a drivers license renewal form announcing that I need a ton of ID, fresh photo, a visit to a "field office," and 37 bucks to obtain a special "real ID" that can be used for federal identification purposes.

WTF? and if that's CA, what hoops are they making women in red states jump through?

[Celerity]

14. The exit poll also includes interviews with early in-person voters and a telephone poll is conducted

for absentee voters.

[kcr]

17. In other words, no.

[Celerity]

19. in other words yes, not no

[kcr]

21. lol

A poll taken by phone is not an exit poll.

[Celerity]

25. the polls have consistently undercounted Trump voters, so it may be even higher, if anything

(white women support for Trump)

Since 1952, white women have only went for the Democratic candidate twice. The 1964 LBJ versus Goldwater blowout, and then barely in 1996.

[kcr]

26. But I thought they called absentee voters.

If that's the case, absentee voters trended to Biden. Sorry.

[Celerity]

31. They did enough all all types to give a realistic picture of what actually went down in toto.

[kcr]

35. It's widely known that exit polls are useless. Adding other polls to them

doesn't change that.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/11/10/dont-trust-exit-polls-this-explains-why/

[Celerity]

41. This 2020 election was racialised to an extreme by Trump and the Rethugs. So many are pointing

at the Rethugs blasting us at every level with defund the police and the protest violence adverts. It would hardly be shocking if that approached worked on white women as well as white men.

I have no problem believing white women in 2020 hewed to their historic norms and voted more for Trump than they did for Biden.

[kcr]

42. I'm not disputing that

I'm disputing basing facts on exit polls. Do you really think that other minorities also shifted to Trump, as the exit polls claim? If that were true, we would have lost the election.

[ucrdem]

23. I think it would be fair to say that exit polling by Edison is not the end of the story.

Not that they didn't do due diligence, just that exit polling this year had to accomodate a completely new voting landscape and in any case doesn't account for voters who found themselves excluded from voting by outrageous ID and other barriers.

[MontanaMama]

6. This is so embarrassing.

I have nothing for these women. Nothing.

[Beakybird]

8. American life for an empathetic person is like Dawn of The Dead.

You walk through society wondering which normal looking person is actually a cold blooded Fox News zombie.

[onecaliberal]

11. This bothers me the most. Just by looking I could be mistaken for one.

[CottonBear]

12. That describes all of my female relatives.

Southern. White. Christian. Conservative.
All of them, but my sister and one cousin’s wife, are college educated.

My own sister accused me of “being a Democrat, and probably, a socialist!”
She lives with my mom, has no college degree (she failed out of college every time she tried to attend.) She doesn’t read, watches Fox News, and hasn’t traveled beyond the Southern USA, except for our 1970s family trips to DC, Cancun and Colorado.

My cousins on my mom’s side equate Democrats with Communists.

I always loved to read and travel. My parents gave me a first class private college prep education, and I got a degree from an excellent land grant university. I stoped believing in Jesus and God
when I left for college.

[My Pet Orangutan]

13. Why do you post this when you know the exit polls were shite?

100m voted early. 50 voted on election day - and they were the Trumpers
'Exit pollsters' are guessing about the 100m - using telephone polls or whatever

BUT YOU CAN NOT COMPARE 2020 to the 2016 numbers,

You know that, so why do you repost what is, statistically, disinfo?

[Celerity]

16. The exit poll also includes interviews with early in-person voters and a telephone poll is conducted

for absentee voters.

[My Pet Orangutan]

24. It's a kludge - and a bad one.

The whole point of exit po0lls is to get a response when you know for sure someone has voted, and when they are most. likely to give a truthful response.

The early in-person voting questionnaires where scattershot - a few places and days.

And telephone polls are ... telephone polls ... we know how accurate they were this time around.

BUT THE POINT IS the 2020 numbers CAN NOT BE COMPARED WITH with the 2016 results - they are not like with like, and IT IS DISHONEST to pretend otherwise.

2/3 were early votes. The 2020 'exits' are a shitty lie.

[Celerity]

27. Since 1952, white women have only went for the Democratic candidate twice. The 1964 LBJ versus

Goldwater blowout, and then barely in 1996.

The polls have consistently undercounted Trump voters, so it may be even higher, if anything (white women support for Trump).

[My Pet Orangutan]

40. 2018 Exit Polls (a real exit poll)

White women - Dem 49%, GOP 49%
https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/exit-polls

Are we supposed to believe a 'yuge' number of white women have seen the red light since then?

C'mon! Comparing the 2020 numbers with 2016, without qualification, is perfidious, and I will keep calling it out, no matter how august the author may be.

Postscript.

Clinton won white women in 1996
Whites (44-46) Dole
Women (55-38) Dole
https://ropercenter.cornell.edu/how-groups-voted-1996

[Celerity]

44. You just cherry-picked one of only two years (the other was the LBJ landslide in 1964) since 1952

that white women voted more for the Democratic candidate than the Republic one.

Also, 2018 was not a presidential election, so chalk and cheese, not to mention 2018 was a historically aberrational outcome favouring us, and thus another cherry-pick as well. It would be like me picking the 2010 mid-terms if I was trying to argue for the sheer dominance of the Rethugs (they netted 63 House seats and 7 Senate seats then).

[My Pet Orangutan]

45. I'm disappointed.

You have a razor sharp mind but are dissembling

This statement, without more, is dishonest, and you know it

55% of white women voted for Trump — representing at least a two-point increase for this demographic since 2016

[Celerity]

48. No, I do not know that the statement is in any way false, let alone dishonest, which implies

intent to deceive, whether at a reflexive subconscious level, or with full knowledge.

As for your charge of dissembling upon my part, could not I ask or infer, with all due respect, the same of you, given the overall tenor and tone (as well as things of a more substantive nature) of this particular multipart colloquy?

[My Pet Orangutan]

52. I could not be more serious.

Comparing 2016's 100% on-the-day exit poll with 2020's kludge with, including telephone polling for the 65m who voted absentee, is fundamentally misleading, and without further qualification, dishonest.

Serious qualifications are necessary - and you have made none.
https://fivethirtyeight.com/videos/be-wary-of-exit-polls-this-year-well-and-all-years/

[Celerity]

54. disagree, and there I shall leave it, as although I disagree with your framings and postulations, I

will agree to disagree as neither one of us will be convinced by the other, and that's okay.

cheers

[kcr]

51. 2018 comes after 2016

I think the claim that white women moved further left, but then suddenly swung in the other direction and went even more to the right needs good, solid evidence. Exit polls aren't it.

[Celerity]

53. As I type this, I am hearing yet again, on the telly, yet another diatribe about the effects of the

defund the police and the civil unrest that came from the racial justice protests on hurting the Dems (and of course with the obligatory 'Dems in disarray' overtones). If we are to give this any credence (as many do on here with their multiple takedowns on the 'left') then it implies a racialised fear narrative being well sunk into the results.

Again, as I stated before, comparing a midterm (and an aberrational one at that) to a POTUS year election is chalk and cheese. In 2018, there was no Trump on the ballot to drive voters of a Rethuglican ilk to the polls in huge numbers like they did in 2020. He (and Rethugs in whole) obviously were able to scrape up well over 10 million more voters in 2020 than they did in 2016, so obviously a large chunk were voters who did not turn out before, certainly not in 2018. It is therefore of little surprise to me that these voters would include many who were racially and reactionarily driven, especially given the overall framing of the campaigning modes and methodologies deployed by the RW.

[kcr]

58. Blaming defund the police is bullshit

Not sure what that has to do with exit polls

I don't understand why, if it's wrong to compare 2020 to 2018, why it's then ok to compare it to 2016? It's like Covid never happened. So, did all these minorites really shift to Trump? Or is it the fact that more voted absentee? Which is more likely.

[Celerity]

59. I have pushed back myself against the attempts to blame our elected Dems who are a bit to the left

of others with the 'defund the police' meme. The same for the socialist tosh that Manchin started. Our elected Dems are not to blame, as it was not started nor pushed by them, it was from outside of the party forces . BUT, there is no doubt that the Rethugs positively flooded the airwaves with the shite I laid out, and there is no doubt that the Rethugs racialised (or made massive systemic attempts to do so) the election. Thus came my comments above, which follow in a linear, logical path from that.

[kcr]

61. Then you should absolutely push back against the faulty data

That claims white women and minorities shifted to Trump. Dems in disarray! I know that wasn't your intention in pushing these claims, but I guarantee you that is the motivation 99% of the time. Especially in the media.

[Celerity]

62. it is not faulty from all that I can discern, and your conflation of motives is curious indeed

Also now you are further muddying the water by introducing a topic that I did not broach at all (minority voters and Trump), plus you are now trying to infer that a discussion of white women's voting patterns is somehow connected to the ex post facto 'Dems in disarray' framing being pushed by some.

[kcr]

63. Quite true you didn't bring it up

while accusing others of cherry picking. I'm sorry, but it's significant that these same polls you rely on claim minorities shifted significantly to Trump. It's quite significant that many in the media are crowing over this to point at Dem failure. I'm not a bit surprised this came from Teen Vogue.

[Celerity]

65. Teen Vogue evolved into a great source of political debate and information under the editorship of

the fantastic Elaine Marie Welteroth, and it carries little surprise that you have now reduced your arguments to attacking the messenger.

Elaine Marie Welteroth (born December 10, 1986) is an American journalist, editor, and New York Times best-selling author. In April 2016, Welteroth was named editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue, making her the second person of African-American heritage in Condé Nast's 107-year history to hold such a title. Her promotion to editor at age 29 makes her the second youngest editor in Condé Nast history, behind current Teen Vogue EIC Lindsay Peoples Wagner who was 28 when she started in the role in Condé Nast

Influence on Teen Vogue

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elaine_Welteroth

Welteroth expanded the magazine's focus and received recognition for the noticeable increase of content in Teen Vogue on politics and social justice, including critical coverage of the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Welteroth's first issue to print as editor of Teen Vogue had Willow Smith as the cover model and featured headlines like "Cultural Appreciation: Real Girls, Real Beauty, Real Talk". The December 2016 cover featured actresses and feminists, Rowan Blanchard and Yara Shahidi on the "Smart Girls" issue.

snip

This new direction for the magazine emphasizes digital publication, and the print magazine publication schedule was changed from 10 issues per year, in a small format, to becoming a quarterly publication, in a larger, thicker format. Teen Vogue developed a YouTube channel which, as of March 2017, has over 500,00 subscribers and over 800 pieces of original content, for instance "A Fact Check on Trump's First Speech to Congress", uploaded March 1, 2017. The video allows viewers to recap current President Donald Trump's speech to Congress.

On December 7, 2016, Teen Vogue made an appearance on the award-winning ABC sitcom Black-ish. In the episode "Nothing, but Nepotism", Welteroth plays herself as editor of Teen Vogue while Black-ish character Zoe gets the opportunity to intern at Teen Vogue to boost her high school resume by using her advertising executive father's professional connections. The episode resulted in discussions on nepotism in the black community, such as the article, "On black nepotism and this week's epic 'black-ish' & 'Teen Vogue' crossover" by Blavity writer Trey Mangum. During the advance screening of the episode and discussion, Welteroth raised the question, "Is black nepotism just leveling the playing field?"

At Slate, Mark Joseph Stern credited Welteroth for developing Teen Vogue into a publication that "treats teenagers like rounded human beings with agency and intellect". Stern continues with, "The result is a teen glossy with seriously good political coverage and legal analysis, an outlet for teenagers who—shockingly!—are able to think about fashion and current events simultaneously." Feminist writer Lara Witt praised Teen Vogue in the article, "Vogue Magazine Has A Race Problem, And It's Getting Tired", featured on Wear Your Voice. Witt stated, "Rather than participating in the blatant erasure of people of color and our cultures, Vogue’s younger sibling has included features celebrating indigenous, South Asian, East Asian, black and Muslim teens. Thanks to their radical push to be unafraid to represent more than just white, heterosexual, cisgender women, Teen Vogue is providing more readers with representation."

snip

[kcr]

66. ok

https://www.theverge.com/interface/2020/1/9/21056988/facebook-teen-vogue-ad-debacle

[Celerity]

69. lol, as if that is some sort of debunking of years of great political journalism by them

so done here

[kcr]

70. I think it shows that accuracy isn't their priority

I think it shows that a magazine trying to play off as socialist, while featuring Facebook sponcon, is a joke.

[Celerity]

71. lol at 'socialist'

I think you need to look up the definition of socialist. You are profoundly misusing it.

Also, it is a pure RW talking point/tactic to lob a completely false socialist smear (as in 'playing socialist') in a naked attempt to degrade a liberal, left leaning, pro Democratic Party magazine (editorially wise) that has done a tremendous amount of positive voter outreach and education amongst the youngest of the voting demographics for years.

smdh

[kcr]

72. I'm not the one misusing it.

Sheryll Sandburg lean-in loving Teen Vouge is.

[Celerity]

74. patently ridiculous, as are your attempts to derail the conversation and smear an ally nt

[kcr]

75. Sorry, but the DSA is no ally

[mindfulNJ]

15. As a white woman

all I can say is WTF. Shameful.

[Buckeyeblue]

18. What's the percentage if we exclude southern white women?

[Celerity]

20. racism is hardly limited to the South, but I do not have a concrete answer for your question

[Buckeyeblue]

43. I wasn't thinking in terms of racism. Was thinking more in terms of reproductive rights.

But that's an interesting question. How does a racist white woman who is pro-choice balance that when they vote?

I'm being somewhat sarcastic. But as I think about it, it's an interesting question/thought. Bias and bigotry occur in groups that are often targets for bias and bigotry.

I think this is why economic issues often determine elections. Most people are not motivated by human rights issues. I think we've made the country so hard to live in, so hard to make and maintain a decent living, that human rights are a luxury.

[gulliver]

22. Unfortunately, we still don't seem to get what we need to do to get our way.

We need to lead with an understanding of people. We very often don't.

Most of these white women (who knows what percentage) probably want to buy our product. It's miles better than what the Republicans offer. We're mystified that the white women or any others don't go along with us. I'm not mystified at all.

Take the statement "White women have to answer for backing the Republican nominee yet again." No they don't. Should we humbly ask them what we can do to get their vote? Yes. We're in no position to make demands or issue orders. I can find no evidence that God or Planck's Constant or the MPAA put us in a position to judge. If these voters were to respond to our demand that they explain themselves to us, the very act of responding would carry with it a concession that we have the right to make the demand in the first place.

It's super simple. "You owe us an explanation!" translates to "I claim the right to judge you and you must defend your wrong vote!" There's just no way that will work. It's hopeless. It just alienates someone who should be an ally.

[Celerity]

28. I do not see it that way, sorry. But I respect your opinion.

[gulliver]

46. I respect your opinion too.

It's not one-sided at all. When an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect prevails, criticism and challenge are welcomed, even gratefully welcomed. Getting to those good times will take both self-respect and tolerance in a very careful balance.

[Celerity]

50. a rely well put, cheers

[jalan48]

33. I think it's an unfortunate result of identity politics. It's about me, not we.

[Locrian]

47. Yes

It’s like a company saying you suck because you didn’t buy our product .

[BGBD]

29. Exit polls are bad

They are always bad, especially before they are weighted. This year they will be even worse.

[Celerity]

36. Since 1952, white women have only went for the Democratic candidate twice. The 1964 LBJ versus

Goldwater blowout, and then barely in 1996.

This 2020 election was racialised to an extreme by Trump and the Rethugs. So many are pointing at the Rethugs blasting us at every level with defund the police and the protest violence adverts. It would hardly be shocking if that approached worked on white women as well as white men.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. ...

Ida B. Wells, anti-lynching activist and suffragan, who was from a "competing" sorority to VP-elect Kamala Harris (Delta Sigma Theta, which was my mom's sorority) was told to march at the back of that famous Suffragette's parade in 1913. I am sure that she would be heartened today to see my own soror Kamala Harris (Alpha Kappa Alpha), finally breaking through towards the front like Ida did back then.

What you see called "Karens" today, have been around for a long long time.

[dsc]

32. I am quite sure that a majority of white women voted Trump

but I do have to say I think we have to be very careful using these exit polls. They did attempt to adjust for the huge swath of people who voted by mail but we have no idea who effective those adjustments were. It also takes out the one huge advantage that exit polls have, the certainty that a person voted. Reports from these polls is that Trump did better with every single sub group but lost by a larger margin, that can't possibly be true.

[kcr]

38. Exactly

These polls claim other minorities also shifted to Trump. It's garbage.

[Celerity]

39. He did not do better with every single subgroup. It is just certain subgroups that he did better

with. Many of the anti-Trump subgroups came out in bigger numbers as a percentage than they did in 2016.

[LizBeth]

55. I read these polls said did better with Hispanic and black males. Hispanic leader went after the

numbers. I am going to have to wait for this to pan out before I believe these numbers.

Anti abortion alone gets women to vote for rw. But then, that is tied to their Christianity, which is tied to their anti gay, racist, patriarchal positions. So certainly n0ot arguing for them. They piss me the fuck off.

[Laelth]

56. I admire your patience and tenacity in this thread.

You’re exposing some truths that a lot of people don’t want to hear, and you’re taking flak for it, but we can’t make good decisions unless we can see the world as it is (as opposed to how we wish it to be). Here, I see you advancing the interests of truth.

Thank you.



-Laelth

[Celerity]

57. thank you for the kinds words

I usually get so few responses to my OP's, lol.

hugz

Cel

[Yavin4]

78. I echo Laelth's sentiment.

People tend to have very strong negative emotions when presented with data that does not support their world view.

[dsc]

64. In terms of race and gender they are saying he pretty much did

OK I see in CNN that he supposedly did better than 4 years ago with every demo except white men with whom he was constant. I just don't believe that. I don't think he doubled his support among Black Women for example. I just plain don't. Again, I am quite sure that white women voted majority Trump but I don't think we can say with any certainty that it was 53% last time and 55% this time given that these polls were adjusted on the fly.

[standingtall]

67. Exit polls are not reliable

but Trump did not double his support with black women he got 7% in 2016 and 9% 2020. So a 2% increase. Does not necessarily mean we would've lost. The increase in turnout has to be considered here. If Trump improved his percentages by a point or two, but the turnout among key demographics were higher than the previous election. Then more raw vote is brought in making it a net loss for Trump.

[dsc]

77. Not according to CNN

In 2016 he lost black women by 91 points so he couldn't have had 7% support among them. They have a hard to read graph so I don't know the exact spread but the graph clearly shows a doubling of support (I just don't know if it is 4 to 8 or 3 to 6 but it shows a doubling or more)

[Celerity]

68. It is quite easy to account for the higher %. Trump and the Rethugs got a shedload of new voters

out to vote, and it is more than possible that the white women from that group were far more Rethug leaning than the overall white female demos who had voted before, thus they inched up the percentage. That is just one of many possibilities.

[dsc]

76. again these same polls are saying he doubled his share of the black vote

greatly increased his share of the Latino vote, and also increased his share among white women but somehow did worse overall. Yes he lost white men relative to Biden but that was mostly Biden gaining not him losing vote. Unless the white share of the vote this time was off the charts relative to everyone else, and there is no evidence of that in terms of the over all results, this can't be right. My guess is that despite what were good faith attempts to have the results reflect all the voters they are over representing same day voters. If that is true then the percents for Trump are higher than they should be. I think this would be even more of a problem with white voters who were probably more divided in how they voted given that voting by mail became more of a urban rural divide.

[standingtall]

60. Exit polls may be bad, but it is obvious

that more white women voted for Trump than Biden, because if they didn't Biden would've won by a lot more and we would probably have the senate right now, or be at 50/50 or at worst would've won North Carolina. Democrats win almost every racial demographic there is so if they were winning white women too who make up the largest demographic in the country then we would be landsliding republicans left and right. Rather it's 55%,54,53,52 or 51 the majority of white women are still voting republican.

[Yavin4]

79. If the Democrats won a majority of White women, then Hillary would be preparing for her 2nd

term. Some people just cannot accept that.

[Kingofalldems]

73. Biden won.

Seems to bother some people.