by Matthew Allen | Feb 10, 2025
It’s been three months since the 2024 election, and I’m still angry. As a progressive Democrat and enthusiastic Kamala Harris supporter, watching Trump win again felt like getting hit by a bus, backing up, and getting hit again. How the fuck could this happen? Again? How did millions of women, minorities, and immigrants cast their votes for a guy who proudly and unapologetically treats them like trash?
I needed answers. And after a lot of thinking (and a truly irresponsible amount of stress-eating), I think I may have cracked it. The answer is unsettling, but also kind of fascinating.
Listen, I’m not a political scientist or journalist, and I don’t pretend to be one. I’m just a dad with two daughters, trying to wrap my head around this mess before my brain melts. I know I’m probably oversimplifying things, but stick with me because once you tilt your head and squint at this whole situation, it actually starts to make a disturbing amount of sense.
So, let me introduce you to something I call the RUBI voter. And before you ask, no, you’re probably not one. RUBIs would find this all dreadfully boring. To them, politics is just background noise, something to be tuned out while they focus on more important things.
RUBI stands for Radically Uninformed and Blindingly Inattentive. The first part, “Radically Uninformed”, means they have a deeply incomplete understanding of the world. And they’re “Blindingly Inattentive”, which makes them unable to notice, process, or question new information. Put them together and it creates a self-sustaining loop of misinformation and obliviousness.
These aren’t people who hate facts or actively reject reality. They’re just people who don’t have time for it because, for them, life is an exhausting treadmill of work, bills, and trying to keep their heads above water.
Now, this framework I’m suggesting is a theory based on patterns I’m seeing. Some of it we can prove with hard data, some of it is educated guesswork. If you want to dig into the research and evidence behind all this, check out our companion episode. But for now, let me show you why I think this theory explains so much about modern American politics.
Here’s something that will blow your mind: Trump won in seven states, some of them deep red, where abortion rights also passed. Wrap your head around that. This means RUBIs aren’t following a strict Republican line, at all. They voted for Trump and abortion rights on the same ballot and saw absolutely no contradiction there. They aren’t making deeply considered political calculations; they’re making emotional, instinct-driven choices.
Now, there are plenty of ways to interpret this kind of split-ticket voting. Political scientists will give you a dozen different explanations. But here’s what I think is happening:
They aren’t watching CSPAN. They aren’t diving into policy breakdowns. They’re surviving, and that means their brains are running on a kind of low-power mode where they grab information in shortcuts, gut feelings, name recognition, or whatever headline flits across their screen in between grocery runs and picking up their kids.
Short answer? Stress, exhaustion, and the need for easy answers.
So this is exactly why RUBIs are so drawn to a con man like Trump. They aren’t prioritizing reason and understanding. They’re basically staring down a saber tooth tiger and making quick life-saving decisions. Their decisions will be greatly influenced by which candidate sounds the most certain and confident and who offers them the simplest path forward. It’s not sophisticated. And to a con man like Trump, RUBIs are easy marks. He’s selling snake oil and they’re buying it right up.
Look, I know political behavior is complex. There are dozens of factors that influence how people vote. But what I keep seeing, over and over, is this pattern:
RUBIs want someone who makes them feel like everything will be okay, someone who speaks in simple, clear, emotional language that tells them exactly who to blame and how it will be fixed.
Enter Trump.
He uses simple, easy-to-digest messaging. Trump doesn’t speak in complex policy jargon. He delivers punchy, emotional statements with basic terminology. RUBIs don’t have the bandwidth to analyze complex issues, and so they find this comforting.
He gives them clear enemies and simple solutions. RUBIs prefer black-and-white thinking, such as good versus evil and us versus them. Trump provides that. He tells them exactly who to blame and offers easy fixes that feel satisfying, even if they don’t make any logical sense.
He projects confidence and certainty. RUBIs aren’t spending hours comparing policies. They trust their instincts, and Trump’s unwavering confidence feels like competence. Even when he’s blatantly wrong, he sounds certain, which is enough for them.
He gives them the illusion of a solution. When you’re exhausted and overwhelmed, you don’t want a lecture on policy. You want someone to tell you it’s all going to be okay. Trump projects strength, which is soothing to stressed people who are too overwhelmed to question him.
And here’s where this gets really interesting. And why understanding RUBIs is so crucial for 2028. Because these aren’t just typical Trump supporters we’re talking about.
Hate. That’s the difference.
And this distinction is crucial. It’s the key to understanding why these voters are reachable, even if traditional political wisdom says they’re not.
MAGA voters are fueled by anger and resentment. They actively seek out targets for their rage: immigrants, minorities, queer and trans people, non-Christians, basically anyone they see as “other”. They’re extremely ideological, viciously tribal, and deeply invested in fighting the culture war. And let me be clear: I have absolutely zero sympathy, empathy, or anything else for these people. May they rot in the suffocating depths of their own malice. It’s the only home they deserve.
RUBIs, on the other hand, aren’t inherently hateful. They aren’t showing up at school board meetings screaming about Critical Race Theory. They aren’t plotting to kidnap governors. They just want to get through the day. Their politics are often shallow and transactional, and they can be swayed by whoever makes them feel the most secure. That’s who we’re focused on here.
This distinction might seem simple, maybe too simple. Real people are complex, and there’s obviously overlap between these groups. But if we’re going to build a winning coalition in 2028, understanding this difference is essential.
Well, yes and no. It’s complicated.
Like most things in politics, the reality isn’t black and white. And I think this nuance is exactly what makes the RUBI framework so useful.
RUBIs aren’t plotting in secret bunkers, if that’s what you’re wondering. They aren’t playing 4D chess. They aren’t actively malicious or willfully ignorant. They’re just too overwhelmed with daily life to keep up with politics and society in any meaningful way. They’re exhausted people making snap decisions based on what feels right in the moment.
RUBIs aren’t intentionally causing harm, but the reality is that their votes are having massive consequences. By backing Trump, they’re helping to enable policies and actions that actively harm the very systems we all rely on (and RUBIs more than most). Their choices may not come from a place of malice, but the damage they cause is very real. It’s Hanlon’s Razor at work: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
Now, you might disagree with this assessment. Maybe you think I’m being too generous, or maybe you think I’m being too harsh. But here’s why this framework matters:
The biggest mistake Democrats make is assuming that these RUBI voters are irretrievably lost rather than recognizing that they’re persuadable if approached correctly. We can win them over.
Let me be clear about something: what I’m about to suggest isn’t just theory. We’ve seen these strategies work before with Obama, with Clinton, and yes, with Trump. The evidence is in the election results.
Since RUBIs are Radically Uninformed and Blindingly Inattentive, expecting them to engage with nuanced policy discussions is a losing strategy. They aren’t going to read a ten-page policy breakdown on healthcare. They aren’t watching PBS NewsHour or even The Daily Show. They’re busy, exhausted, and making snap judgments based on who makes them feel good, safe, and heard.
Democrats often struggle with this because they assume facts will win the day. They won’t. If RUBIs operated on facts, they wouldn’t be RUBIs. We are dealing with people who vote based on emotion, gut instinct, and shortcut thinking.
Now, I know some of you are cringing at this point. It feels manipulative, right? But here’s the thing: if we want to protect democracy, we need to win elections. And to win elections, we need to meet voters where they are, not where we wish they were.
So, how do you get them on your side?
1. Find a celebrity candidate.
RUBIs don’t research, they recognize. Their brains operate on pattern recognition and familiarity. They trust what they know, and that is why Trump works for them. He was already famous when he ran for president. They didn’t need to learn about him. They already felt like they “knew” him from TV, and that was enough.
Democrats need a celebrity figure who embodies strength, confidence, and simple messaging. This means we need a household name who doesn’t need an introduction. Somebody that makes RUBIs feel like they already know them and can trust them.
And look, I get it. Some of these strategies might make you uncomfortable. They might feel like we’re “dumbing down” our message. But remember: we’re not compromising our values or our policies. We’re just changing how we communicate them.
Look, this concept isn’t about some starry-eyed celebrity worship. It’s about recognizing a strategic advantage that could actually flip the electoral map in our favor. And if you’re raising an eyebrow right now, don’t worry. We’ve got an entire episode that breaks down exactly why this could work, walking through all the nuts and bolts of what makes a celebrity candidate such a powerful option. No superficial star-gazing here, just pure political strategy.
2. Use simple, emotional messaging.
Democrats tend to over-explain. They start with policy, logic, and data. RUBIs tune out.
Democrats need to master emotional hooks. Instead of explaining why our policies work, we need instant, emotional takeaways that stick in RUBI brains without effort. Things like:
Those last two are specific policy proposals we’ve developed to connect with RUBI voters. Check out those episodes to learn more.
3. Make the Democratic Party feel like a movement, not a lecture.
RUBIs aren’t reading policy white papers, they’re responding to energy. Trump makes his voters feel like they’re part of a team. His rallies are hype-fests. He makes them feel like they’re on the winning side of a fight.
And yes, there’s historical precedent for this working. It’s not just speculation.
Democrats need that energy. We need a charismatic leader who makes our movement feel powerful, exciting, and easy to grasp. Obama had it. Bill Clinton had it. And yes, Kamala brought out Beyoncé, and for a moment, we all felt the spark. But looking at the last few decades, it feels like Democrats have spent more time lecturing than rallying.
4. Give them a clear enemy: Trump and his weird sycophants.
This next part might sound cynical, but it’s backed by decades of political history.
RUBIs need a villain. Trump’s voters stay engaged because he gives them someone to fight against. He tells them, these people are ruining your life, and I’m the one who can stop them.
Yeah, I know. The irony here of the con man saying this is pretty mind-blowing. Trump is a master at gaslighting.
Democrats shouldn’t just talk about what we stand for. We need to hammer on who’s keeping RUBIs down: Trump and his weird couch-fuckers. It needs to be clear, emotional, and personal.
Let me wrap this up by acknowledging something important: This framework is just a way of understanding Trump voters, it’s just one lens. But I believe it’s a lens that gives us something crucial: hope.
If Democrats want to start reclaiming this country, we’ve got some work to do. Look, I know this isn’t a complete answer. Politics is messy and complicated, and no single framework can explain everything. But here’s what I know for sure.
We can obviously do way better than Trump. But to make that happen, we’ve got to start where the RUBIs are, not where we think they should be. RUBIs aren’t unreachable. They’re just busy, overwhelmed, and making decisions on instinct. Trump speaks their language. Democrats don’t. That has to change for 2028.
The party that masters emotionally-driven, simple, and confident messaging (especially with a celebrity candidate messenger) will win the RUBIs. But if we keep treating them like they should be reading policy PDFs in their spare time, we’ll lose them. Again.
And if you’re skeptical about any of this. Good. You should be. Check out “The Science Behind RUBI Theory”, our companion episode where we dig into the evidence. But whether you buy into every aspect of this framework or not, I hope we can agree on one thing: we need to try something different in 2028.
Let’s figure it out, Democrats. We have four years.
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