Who’s the Extremist?
Bubba
10 Sep
It turns out that Americans don’t view Donald Trump as a particularly extreme political figure, despite his opponents’ efforts to make him out as such. (Fox News)
A new New York Times/Siena College poll: 44% of voters believe Harris is "too liberal or progressive," compared to only 33% who view Trump as "too conservative."
A 2023 Morning Consult poll found Democrats are viewed as more ideologically extreme than Republicans by a 9-point margin.
New York Times chief political analyst Nate Cohn:
Yes, [Trump is] outside of the political mainstream in many respects — he denied the result of the 2020 election. And yes, he does have conservative views on many issues, like immigration. But he’s also taken many positions that would have been likelier to be held by a Democrat than a Republican a decade ago, like opposition to cutting entitlements, support for a cooperative relationship with Russia or opposition to free trade. It’s a reputation he’s careful to protect, from saying he doesn’t support Project 2025 to his cagey position on additional measures to restrict abortion.
The narrative: The latest cover of The Atlantic is a typical representation of how the media portrays Trump.
The Atlantic
Related: Polls suggest Harris’ momentum has stalled out, a sign Trump’s edge on the economy and immigration might win out over Democrats’ attempts to tie him to the far-right and Project 2025.
Bubba’s Two Cents
The notion of whether Trump is extreme or not misses the point, I think. Much of our political system — from our media to our politicians to our institutions — has become as extreme and ridiculous as Trump. Take Kamala: Many of the items on the laundry list of policies she held until it became politically necessary to disown them are arguably pretty extreme.
With both sides throwing the "extremist" label around like candy, don’t be surprised if voters tune out the whole debate and default to making decisions based on kitchen table issues.