So do I, in my little corner of the world. But these are areas that got hit hard enough by the pandemic early on so people know it’s not a hoax. Philadelphia is one of the nation’s cradles, so I would think more people in general would be more cognizant of the dangers of the Trump administration to the republic. You walk amongst the history of our nation’s birth every day.

The deep south and the rust belt are another story. There is deep Republican entrenchment here. Things that affect the nation tend to hit these areas last so there is no or less practical experience with them. The ties of the Republican party to the Christian Coalition is an added loyalty layer that’s hard to penetrate and really warps critical thinking. There is a deep distrust of Democrats over well marketed false narratives and rural areas being left behind every time. People are ignorant of how government works and the work at large so they don’t see the danger we are in. The Republicans have effectively demonized Democrats and progressive policies. I could go on.

I know there are places where Republicans have changed votes. No one is disputing that.

But…

68 million Americans voted for Trump. McConnell, Graham, and others kept their seats.

68 million

Of the estimated 230 million eligible voters, only 25% identify as Republican, 40% identify as Independent, and 31% identify as Democrat.

So, 57.5 million accounts for every identifying Republican. 10 million more Independents voted for Trump.

Those votes of party change were wiped out or were not significant enough nationally to matter. That’s just the math.

On the plus side if you split the Independent voter down the middle, Trump would have gotten 103.5 million votes, so the majority of Independents voted for Biden, or well over 3/4 of the Independent vote.

That’s a win.