Dwain Northey (Gen X)

I completely understand that there is a lot of information and misinformation out there and filtering through it is daunting for many. I have come to realize that there are many that are blissfully ignorant and have, because of their ignorance, even misconstrued timelines.

I had a conversation with these individuals, and they had many basic facts twisted, I did not berate only took a few minutes to clarify a few facts that they had stated. Their first point of timeline disorientation was that President Obama got is into Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11 and that Trump ended the conflict and pull U.S. troops out of the region. I had to correct his timeline by asserting that G.W. Bush was President after 9/11 and was the impetus for send U.S. troops to Iraq and Afghanistan and it was President Biden that actually pull the troops out of the region. They still believed that Trump was the hero in that scenario but had to admit that Obama couldn’t have been responsible since he didn’t become President until 2008 and we invaded Iraq in 2001.

Their rational for supporting Trump was because they had received a stimulus check from Trump and no other President had done that. They were under the assumption that because Trumps signature was on the check that he had personally sent every person that check out of his own money. I had to clarify that the check came from the U.S. Treasury, and it was in reality the Democratic House and 50/50 Senate that approve the stimulus because of the covid pandemic, Trump insisted on his signature being on the check, which was something no President has ever done. I had to ask how many checks they had received and the amounts, all they stated was that they got one check but couldn’t remember the amount. Didn’t say this out loud but thought that the amount was inconsequential, but the marketing move that Trump insisted on signing the checks was the indelible image that this and many other low information voters remembered.

I gave them some more information and websites to look up because they were convinced that the U.S. economy was in free fall that the inflation rate was through the roof and based on Trump rhetoric only, he has the acumen to solve the economic puzzle. I did have time to go into the numbers mostly because I was sure if I told them that GDP was 4.9% and inflation was 3.7% that that would not be anything they could comprehend.

I have a suggestion, when you run into a low information voter don’t berate them, listen to them, and gently introduce them to the facts. The person I was talking with didn’t get angry or tell me I was lying, they actually thanked me for setting some facts straight. I hope that they look at the websites I gave them and talk to their peer group and set the record straight. All we can do is speak the truth and hope that it can pierce through the noise.  

Now get out there and just talk to people some may actually listen.