Oh my bad I edited my comment (the “such as…” one) after you got to it
But sure,
Off the bat, yes I do think that confirmation bias is a valid concern (particularly when searching for data, there’s always a risk of being selective).
That said, I think the recent post I made on trans versus male mass shootings shows I can change my stance (particularly when the data is there to support it). For example, I came into that post thinking that ‘trans people being 5 times less likely to be violent than males’ was still far too low. Looking at just two datasets I actually got 8.6 times myself, so in retrospect the value of 5 actually appeared fairly reasonable / a safe estimate.
Anyways to answer your question; this is the first US election cycle I’ve had interest in, so I watched a fair bit of Kamala speeches. While I know for a fact that she spoke of trans people, there were only so many times the topic was actually discussed. If you look through the footage on YouTube you’ll also find that more often than not the topic was raised by an audience member in a town hall, or an interviewer/reporter. It really was a small focus that got a lot of media attention.
Why did it get so much attention? Why is it still a commonly held viewpoint amongst Republican fans today?
I think the following may be a factor. From CNN (also available elsewhere):
Over the first half of October, former President Donald Trump and his allies poured more than $21 million into television ads attacking Vice President Kamala Harris over her past support of certain rights for transgender people – a message they have spread during nationally televised NFL games, college football broadcasts and in battleground states.
It’s a staggering sum to spend on a topic that most voters say isn’t a top priority for them this election. But Trump’s campaign is betting any voters still choosing between the two candidates can be swayed to take sides in a cultural fight that has torn apart state houses and school boards in recent years – one that has put tremendous focus on an incredibly small, marginalized group that already faces discrimination-based violence. Republicans in key Senate races have mirrored that messaging as part of a playbook painting Democrats as out of touch with most voters.
This really tied in with my earlier idea (previous post) that the Democrats were effectively reduced to being a “woke, radical party” despite having a sizeable policy handbook with fairly standard ideas in it.
On Kamala, I wasn’t particularly inspired by her. Thought she would’ve been an OK candidate in the past but she probably wasn’t confrontational enough for what she was contending with and did not convince voters that she would meaningfully change things.