BY SIMONE J. SMITH
It was interesting to see how involved the world became with the American elections, one that was fraught with: controversy, propaganda, and indeed, the aftermath of the 2024 election almost looked like it was from a bygone era. This is the first presidential election in at least a decade when pretty much everyone on the losing side has reached the fifth stage of grief: acceptance. What makes what’s happening this year so interesting isn’t just the comparison to 2020 – it’s also the comparison to 2016, when a different Democrat lost, and there were mass protests in the streets.
This year, it seems that men had more to say about their reasons for voting the way they voted. Men have long been a decisive force in presidential contests, and exit polls from the last election showed: race, ethnicity, and marital status were particularly important factors:
- Race: 60% of White males voted for Trump, compared to only 37% supporting Harris.
- Ethnicity: Hispanic men favored Trump over Harris, by a 55% to 43% margin.
- Marital Status: Among married men, 60% supported Trump and 38% favored Harris.
Reports have been coming out that contributing to these numbers were five major missteps by the Harris campaign:
Absurd parodies: In early October, a group of Kamala supporters released its “Man Enough” video that was widely ridiculed for being the: “Mount Everest of Unintentional Comedy,” “The Most Self-Sabotaging Political Ad Ever,” and an “Attempt to gain votes by insulting the people it’s courting.”
Failure to Address Male Concerns: Men are concerned about disparities in the areas of men’s health, shared parenting, domestic violence, false allegations, and fatherhood, but Kamala Harris did not address any of these. In October, Harris did propose an “Opportunity Agenda for Black Men,” but her pitch was seen as a last-gasp effort to shore up a faltering campaign.
Misogyny: Democratic operatives have a habit of accusing men of “misogyny,” but the Pew Research Center reported that sexism actually was working in favour of Kamala Harris. Among registered voters, 40% said Harris’ gender would help her in the November election, while only 30% believed Harris’s sex would hurt her chances. The remaining 30% said sex would not make much difference.
Manosphere: The “manosphere” is another area of alarm for Democrats. On October 30th, 2024, National Public Radio did a broadcast that began, “The manosphere is a sprawling online ecosystem aimed at disgruntled men.” The show provided a series of unverifiable examples of the dreaded “manosphere,” expressing horror that it is becoming harder to shame men into conformity with the feminist narrative.
Propaganda: Two weeks before the election, former first lady Michelle Obama issued this over-the-top warning to men: “To anyone out there thinking about sitting out this election or voting for Donald Trump, or a third-party candidate, because you’re fed up, let me warn you. Your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we don’t get this election right, your wife, your daughter, your mother, we as women will become collateral damage for your rage.”
It appears that men did not feel that they had their voices heard in this election, especially by Kamala Harris. Reportedly, despite Kamala Harris’ claims about seeking to connect with the male electorate, her campaign became a risible case study in how to alienate a critical segment of the American population.
Readers, what do you think of these claims? Are they out of pocket?
REFERENCES:
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/obama-harris-outreach-black-men-rcna175297
https://fiamengofile.substack.com/p/the-man-enough-ad-actually-men-have
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