Don’t Count Your Chickens
Chances are that, like David Sedaris, you’re perplexed by those unsure who to vote for in 2024. Here’s how he describes the undecided voter: “To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. ‘Can I interest you in the chicken?’ she asks. ‘Or would you prefer the platter of sh-t with bits of broken glass in it?’ To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.” Maybe the method of chicken preparation is a determining factor for some, but political operatives from the two campaigns are a lot less focused on the dwindling (and yes, perplexing) number of those who are undecided between Trump and Harris and more focused on the bigger prize: Winning over those who are undecided about voting at all. Ron Brownstein explains in The Atlantic (Gift Article): The Undecided Voters Are Not Who You Think They Are. “Persuadable voters get the most attention from the media, but campaigns recognize that irregular voters can loom much larger in the outcome—especially in presidential elections when more of them ultimately participate.” These aren’t the voters the media tends to focus on. They’re not the ones we see interviewed in small town diners. They might not even have decided whether they want to go to the diner in the first place. (If they do, I’d recommend the chicken.)
