WHY did we lose?

[Sympthsical]

4. Simple: Lost touch with the voters

Easy as that. And that can take a variety of forms. Whatever your bugaboo is can be a contributing cause. Racism, misogyny, minority resentment, Gaza protests, cost of living increases, Biden running/dropping out, etc. etc. etc.

When you see nationwide shifts of this nature, where blue areas show shifts similar to red areas, it's rarely one thing. It's usually a confluence of several different things, and each voter/region/cultural niche prioritizes differently.

I've said my bit (at great length) on all this. Just gotta talk to people and treat them as if they're actual people with their own thoughts and agency capable of making choices willfully. Not dumb, not tricked, not childish, not petulant. Just folks living their lives.

Obama knew this. Bill Clinton certainly knew this.

It just seems weird we have to keep relearning the simplest truth that should be obvious to anyone who's actually met people - not everyone thinks the way we do.