Alex Wagner of MSNBC recently went down to New College of Florida, Florida’s public honors college, to talk to students about Ron Desantis’ plans to de-wokify the school. The 2 clips, here:
Part 2 of Alex Wagner reporting from New College in Florida here: https://t.co/GI4gRKk3PB
— Alex Wagner Tonight (@WagnerTonight) March 3, 2023
are well worth your time because the students see right through him.
I was interested in her reporting because during the lead up to the midterms I wrote about the sharp increase in the number of young people registering to vote after Roe was overturned, as well as the increase in the number of young people voting early. This turnout was crucial to the Democrats at the state and national level. Tom Bonier had a very informative thread breaking down turnout of women and young voters that starts here:
While the data itself takes some explaining, the conclusion is clear – in states where abortion was literally or practically on the ballot, women voted at higher rates, and had a decisive impact in key races.
— Tom Bonier (@tbonier) March 8, 2023
This seems like a possible problem for the GOP in 2024, and especially the candidacy of Ron Desantis, doesn’t it? Bonier’s analysis shows that when female candidates and abortion rights are on ballots, women and young people turn out in higher numbers. Desantis’ entire shtick is yelling about wokeness and supporting policies that hurt women (among others).
Then I saw a new Ipsos poll that was released on Wednesday, titled “Americans divided on whether “woke” is a compliment or insult”. Here’s part of what it showed:
A new USA Today/Ipsos poll finds that Americans are divided on whether “woke” is a compliment or an insult. When asked what it means to be “woke,” however, a majority say it entails being informed about social injustices rather than being overly politically correct. Differences by party and age emerge around views on “wokeness,” with Democrats and younger Americans more likely to see “wokeness” as a compliment than Republicans and older Americans, respectively.
[deletia]
Americans are less divided over the definition of “wokeness,” as over half say “wokeness” means being informed about social injustices. Differences by party and age, however, remain present.
Here’s a look at the age breakdowns:
A lot is going to happen between now and the 2024 election. I don’t see the big changes in voter turnout abating though. And while Desantis is the most extreme example of the anti-woke virus running rampant in the GOP, no one running on that platform is without their own Achilles heel now. Just something to watch as the players for the GOP presidential nomination begin to take their places.
You know I have to end with this: