Public Perceives Biden Legitimately Winning

Some good news for our democracy.

While people are understandably (if unreasonably) leery of polling at the moment, some genuinely good news showing that President Trump’s longstanding and continuing efforts to discredit the election is not working.

Obviously, Biden supporters are embracing the news more enthusiastically and rejecting Trump’s claims more absolutely. That’s very much to be expected. Stages of grief and all that.

But a significant chunk of Trump supporters are already willing to admit to themselves and pollsters that their guy lost and is lying about it. I suspect the vast majority will come around.

UPDATE: Because of the odd way Twitter threads work, simply linking the pieces was visually messy. I’ve reformatted the post with just the initial tweet and manually adding the images.

Hat tip: Nate Silver

FILED UNDER: 2020 Election, Public Opinion Polls, US Politics, ,
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. KM says:

    But a significant chunk of Trump supporters are already willing to admit to themselves and pollsters that their guy lost and is lying about it.

    His recent performances aren’t helping. He’s looks desperate and scared and there’s the distinct smell of blood in the water. We’ve been discussing on several threads lately that Trump supporters – rural folk, non-college educated, blue-collar, low income, etc – are also more sensitive to status and the trappings of power. Trump is not projecting power right now. He’s rambling worse than ever and clearly sounds like the drunk at the end of the bar crying he could have been a contender. They don’t want a has-been or coulda-been – they want a WINNER, an Alpha.

    He looks weak and pathetic, blatantly trying to deny reality and claim he was cheated. That hits a little too close to home for people who saw him as their champion. Some will get angry and lash out but most will quietly roll with in and go back to grumbling about the liberals again. It’s all over but him crying on Twitter.

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  2. OzarkHillbilly says:

    via the Guardian:

    Fox News may soon declare Joe Biden to be the winner of the presidential race, but the network’s anchors have been instructed not to refer to the Democratic nominee as the “president-elect,” according to CNN.

    Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy)

    New: Fox News is instructing its talent not to call Joe Biden the “President-elect” when the network calls the race, according to two memos obtained by @brianstelter and me. The memos say Fox should “stay away” from using the description.
    November 6, 2020

    The memos emphasized that Fox should report moves by Trump’s legal teams to challenge the results. “We will report both sides until there is further guidance,” one memo said.

    Yes but the real reason is they must protect the little trumpies’ feelings.

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  3. JKB says:

    What this tells us is that the Trump administration has been far more successful than the Obama administration in stopping Russian (or Chinese) interference with the election. No?

  4. al Ameda says:

    @JKB:

    What this tells us is that the Trump administration has been far more successful than the Obama administration in stopping Russian (or Chinese) interference with the election. No?

    Actually, “No.”
    What it means is that, despite the efforts of the Russians, Ukranians, Chinese, and Rudy Giuiliani, their late breaking ploy – the Hunter Biden Laptop Corruption! October surprise – DID NOT take hold as the Trump people had planned and hoped.

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  5. @JKB:

    What this tells us is that the Trump administration has been far more successful than the Obama administration in stopping Russian (or Chinese) interference with the election. No?

    So, you are admitting the Russians interfered in 2016?

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  6. Lounsbury says:

    @JKB: No, that is a non sequitor. It does not say anything at all to the subject. Pathetic and idiotic attempt at spin.

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