September 17, 2024
WRITTEN BY:
Melinda Head

Numbers Are Important

Choose Carefully Who You Alienate

Last Tuesday’s debate started with an awkward handshake. At the onset it was Harris who walked confidently across the stage over to Trump, but ended up having to turn right to snafu him as he sought to avoid her by striding behind his lectern.

During the previous debate, Biden walked to his lectern, then Trump was invited on stage and walked to his lectern. There was no opportunity for a handshake.

Where has civility gone?

Many people were worried when Harris did not answer the moderator’s first question about the health of the American economy, choosing, instead, to focus on her middle-class upbringing. Was it a case of rookie jitters?  

In total, 14,066 words were uttered by the candidates over the course of the 90 minute duel, 5,925 by Harris and 7,706 by Trump. Mathematically, Trump had a 23% word advantage; however, Harris used a broader vocabulary, with more unique choices in her word count.

Interestingly, people with a strong vocabulary also happen to be deep thinkers. They are also better communicators. And they are also more successful.

Here’s how each candidate would have spun the above mentioned facts:

“I had the most. I had a 23% advantage over her.”

“I chose my words carefully and expressed myself eloquently.”

Nielsen reported that 67.1 million people watched the Harris Trump debate on TV. The Ratings Agency does not track social media, news websites or steaming platforms, so you can be sure the audience was much higher. How does this compare to the Biden Trump debate? Almost 10 million more people tuned in. To put this number in context, New York City has a population of 8.3 million – so imagine the equivalent of every single person in America’s megacity glued to the debate. That’s pretty impressive and what it should be in the final weeks leading up to the next Presidential election.  

The cherry on the sundae occurred after the debate, when Taylor Swift took to social media and endorsed Kamala Harris. Her timing was impeccable.

Signed “With love and Hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady”, Harris’ running mate, Tim Walz, told MSNBC that he was grateful to Swift “as a fellow cat owner” and went on to say: “It’s not as if I didn’t warn these guys a few months ago: You mess with cat people, you will find out”.

Will Swift’s endorsement impact voting intentions? That’ll be the topic of post-election research; however, Taylor was born and raised in Pennsylvania, a must-win state, so it is possible that her endorsement could sway some voters.

Here are 3 facts to chew on:

  1. In 2022, there were 21.9 million American women aged 20-39 who were childless, and this number is on the rise. Economic insecurity, political insecurity, shifting gender norms and reduced stigma around the choice to remain child-free are fueling this shift
  2. About 25% of American women own cats. Taylor Swift has 3 cats: Meredith Grey, Olivia Benson and Benjamin Button. Explaining her love of cats, Swift says: “They’re very dignified. They’re independent. They’re very capable of dealing with their own life”
  3. The number of female voters has exceeded the number of male voters in every Presidential election since 1964

Could an election be lost due to the alienation of female voters with cats, childless women and/or by making unsubstantiated comments about immigrants eating pets? Statistically, it is possible.

Now that you’ve read today’s blog, why not take what you’ve learned and play today’s matching quiz on your Quizefy app? Many of the answers can be found right here. We publish an on-trend, hint-filled blog at www.quizefy.com every Tuesday, along with a matching quiz in your Quizefy app. We think they’re a great combination and a great way to Strut Your Smart.

Coming Up For Quizefy

Every day:  a new trivia Quiz of the Day on continuously changing topics. Available for 24 hours only

Every Tuesday:  our FACT-ory blog on www.quizefy.com, with a matching Quiz of the Day in our Quizefy app. Read our blog for hints that will improve your Quizefy score

Every Sunday:  the Week in Review, our comprehensive review of national and global events in the past 7 days. This would be a great addition to your Sunday routine

Always:  trivia questions on a myriad of topics that you can choose yourself
Tuesday, October 15th: Adieu Rafa
Wednesday, October 16th: Dictionary Day
Thursday, October 17th: Pasta Day
Friday, October 18th: No Beard Day
Saturday, October 19th: Pharmacy Week
Sunday, October 20th: Week in Review
Monday, October 21st: Apple Day
Click here to Download Quizefy
About the Author

A serial entrepreneur, Melinda is a sociologist and statistician who believes there is no currency with greater value than knowledge

Join The Conversation