Just saw an article saying that it *appears* as though Bruce will be in an ad for Jeep during the second half of the game on Sunday. Taking it with a grain of salt, of course.
https://adage.com/article/special-report-super-bowl/will-bruce-springsteen-be-jeeps-super-bowl-ad/2311496
Look, I'm ambivalent about the ad. No real opinion either way in terms of Bruce and what it means for my fandom. Probably refer to my recent post in the driving under the influence post. (Ironically, our idol may have cancelled out the whole financial/selling out side of the discussion with that, but I digress).
I'm more interested in this discussion about 'the Middle'. How would this discussion differ in the US if there was compulsory voting, like we have here in Australia?
I have a friend who was a member of our left major party, Labor. That was on the back of them being the champion of unions, and the working class. He has become increasingly upset and agitated by the left's embrace of 'woke' ideals, to the point he has flung reasonably far right. To the point of sprouting all the usual right points of doom to society as we know it.
I calmed him down, and eventually he agreed, that in Australia there is no more chance of the far left sending us back to the caves than there is of the far right eradicating our indigenous population and deporting everyone less than white. Because we have compulsory voting. We have elements of crazy at both ends of the spectrum, but they are at best 10% on either side. The remaining 80% are far from that. And, in a democracy where all 100% are compelled to vote, the 10% extremes are just that as the 80% 'middle' sway back and forth.
A great example is the John Howard Liberal government (Liberal being our right party... confusing, I know, but this is our Republican equivalent) who from 1998 through to the mid 2000's carried a whole swag of voters who may normally lean centre left by pork barrelling them with money (e.g. a $5k 'baby bonus' for low to mid income couples having a baby). This was until the Liberals won both houses in our Parliament and tried to really alter the workplace regulations in favour of business. The great 'middle' swung, and snuffed that attempt at a bigger move to the right out.
My point is, I suspect the great majority of Americans are living in the middle already. How would it play out if these folks were all compelled to vote, and both parties were required to engage and sway these voters, as opposed to the lunatics on each far side running the asylum just trying to get the already invested to vote.