How political protests and activism influence voters and candidates The “silent majority”―a phrase coined by Richard Nixon in 1969 in response to Vietnam War protests and later used by Donald Trump as a campaign slogan―refers to the supposed wedge that exists between protestors in the street and the voters at home. The Loud Minority upends this view by demonstrating that voters are in fact directly informed and influenced by protest activism. Consequently, as protests grow in America, every facet of the electoral process is touched by this loud minority, benefiting the political party perceived to be the most supportive of the protestors’ messaging. Drawing on historical evidence, statistical data, and detailed interviews about protest activity since the 1960s, Daniel Gillion shows that electoral districts with protest activity are more likely to see increased voter turnout at the polls. Surprisingly, protest activities are also moneymaking endeavors for electoral politics, as voters donate more to political candidates who share the ideological leanings of activists. Finally, protests are a signal of political problems, encouraging experienced political challengers to run for office and hurting incumbents’ chances of winning reelection. The silent majority may not speak by protesting themselves, but they clearly gesture for social change with their votes. An exploration of how protests affect voter behavior and warn of future electoral changes, The Loud Minority looks at the many ways that activism can shape democracy.

Recommended on 1 episode:

These Political Scientists Surveyed 500,000 Voters. Here Are Their Unnerving Conclusions.

How does the popularity of a president’s policies impact his or her party’s electoral chances? Why have Latinos — and other voters of color — swung toward the Republican Party in recent years? How does the state of the economy influence how people vote, and which economic metrics in particular matter most? We can’t answer those questions yet for 2022. But we can look at previous elections for insights into how things could play out. John Sides and Lynn Vavreck — political scientists at Vanderbilt and U.C.L.A., respectively — have routinely written some of the most comprehensive analyses of American presidential contests. Their new book, “The Bitter End: The 2020 Presidential Campaign and the Challenge to American Democracy” — written with Chris Tausanovitch — is no exception. The book’s findings are built on top of numerous layers of data and analysis, including a massive survey project that involved interviewing around 500,000 Americans between July 2019 and January 2021. We discuss the core questions of 2020: How did Donald Trump come so close to winning? Why did Latinos swing toward Republicans? What role did Black Lives Matter protests have on the outcome? How did the strange Covid economy of 2020 affect the election results? And of course, what does all of this portend for the midterm elections in November?

Books recommended:

• 📕  The Increasingly United States: How and Why American Political Behavior Nationalized (Chicago Studies in American Politics) by Daniel J. Hopkins
• 📘  Groundbreakers: How Obama's 2.2 Million Volunteers Transformed Campaigning in America by Elizabeth Mckenna, Hahrie Han, Elizabeth McKenna, Jeremy Bird
• 📗  The Loud Minority: Why Protests Matter in American Democracy (Princeton Studies in Political Behavior) by Professor Daniel Q. Gillion
• 📙  Rock Me on the Water: 1974--the Year Los Angeles Transformed Movies, Music, Television and Politics by Ronald Brownstein
• 📕  State of Terror: A Novel by Louise Penny, Hillary Rodham Clinton
• 📘  Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story by Bono

Lynn Vavreck , John Sides Oct. 28, 2022 6 books recommended

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