Democrats don't 'care' about democracy as 'voting issue': Politico magazine
Despite Democrats warning of threats to democracy, the issue doesn't seem to resonate with midterm voters
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Politico Magazine reported Sunday that Democrats don't seem to "care" about the "the prospect of democracy's collapse" as a voting issue in the aftermath of former President Donald Trump.
The article first noted that members of former President Jimmy Carter's administration have continued to meet up via Zoom over the years to keep in touch. However, reporter David Siders wrote, that many of the group's conversations have shifted toward concerns for democracy.
"Yet as members of the Carter group discussed the prospect of democracy’s collapse, there was another crisis that troubled them just as much: The fact that, as a voting issue, so few Democrats seemed to care," Siders wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Politico report added that despite the Jan. 6 riot and the aftermath of it, the issue of democracy has polled relatively low among voters.
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Former President Trump stressed the importance of restoring law and order in America in his first speech in Washington, D.C., since leaving office. (Getty Images)
"But Democrats competing in elections this year have not been pressing the issue anywhere near as hard as other concerns," the report said. Politico found that ads containing mentions of the Jan. 6 riots, stolen elections or democracy, made up less than 4% of all advertising spending.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Siders also wrote that some Democratic groups were "taking anti-democratic positions" by donating money to Republican candidates they deemed to be unelectable and easier competition against a Democrat in the general election.
Bo Cutter, a member of both the Carter and Clinton administrations, told Siders that "it’s incredibly hard for people to come together around something like this," because there was so much on people's minds.
The report said that Democrats were focused on the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, President Biden's legislative record and decreasing inflation.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NBC'S YAMICHE ALCINDOR: MANY PEOPLE ‘VERY WORRIED’ ABOUT TRUMP STEALING ELECTION IN 2024
President Biden speaks before signing the agreement for Finland and Sweden to be included in NATO at the White House on Aug. 9, 2022. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
"It’s possible the strategists making those decisions have it right — that they value the nation’s democratic enterprise just as much as their predecessors but have concluded the only way to protect it is by keeping Democrats in as many offices as they can. If accomplishing that means focusing ads on issues voters care more about than democracy, or intervening in a Republican primary, there may not be much downside," Siders added.
A Democratic strategist told the outlet that most Americans "can’t even spell democracy."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The report said that messaging about the importance of democracy might increase if Trump announces he will run for re-election in 2024.
President Biden speaks from the White House complex, Dec. 9, 2021, for the opening of the Democracy Summit. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Despite the concerns raised by Politico, a recent NBC News poll found that the issue of "threats to democracy" was ahead of "cost of living" and "jobs and the economy" when voters were asked about the most important issue facing the U.S.