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Re: If you want to dump Trump....
Let's make one thing clear Corso: Some of us who are vehemently opposed to Trump don't hate his supporters and DO feel like they know why people who voted for Trump voted for Trump.
I know it is not a popular sentiment- but the electorate that voted for Trump is one I like about a milion times better than say- the one that elected our last Republican President.
George W. won because the evangelicals came out in droves for him.
Trump won because generally apolitical working class white men- who identify as "middle class" came out in droves for Trump.
People voted for Trump for a couple of reasons:
1. They're Republicans in much the same way I'm a Catholic, a Democrat, an Amercian etc. Ideology has next to nothing to do with it. Their parents, their community, most of the people they know etc. etc. are all Republicans. They no more chose this party affiliation than they did their eye color. The vast majority of voters fall in this category whether they believe it or not. They rarely if ever cross party lines.
2. They're evangelicals who voted. See above but bear in mind that many of this group-particularly those affiliated with newer churches and residing in the West or other areas where they are the first generation to live there- may have been historical Republicans like group A and many were also the Democratic equivalent of group 1.
3. Suburban and small city working class white men and women voted for Trump particularly in Pennsylvania, Florida, and the Mid West. Many of these voters voted for Obama. Many even voted for Sanders in the primary. This group lives the decline in real wages and purchasing power for all Americans with the exception of the ultra-rich. They know that their kids will not be as well off as they are. They know that there is not enough savings or equity in their homes to continue their lifestyle after retirement. They don't feel negative towards Obama or the Democrats even- but they do see that all that was promised only delivered higher healthcare costs from their employers, no increase in real wages, and increasing income discrepency. They also look at the rapid advances in technology, the changing nature of media, and the representation of women, homosexuals, Blacks, Hispanics et. al. in popular media and in their gut there is a guilty sneaking feeling that maybe "these people" ARE getting ahead while they seem to be in about the same place or even worse off. They never thought their world view was misogynist or racist- but they're now told (truthfully I'd say) by many in the media and academia that it is. Trump spoke to these people. He was the only candidate with the exception of Sanders pointing out what was wrong. Hillary focused on what was right and the accomplishments of the Obama administration. These folks voted for Trump for much the same reason they voted for Obama- they wanted hope and change.
It's a Buddhist affirmation to say, "abandon all hope". Hope is really a form clining to a falsehood and attaching a story to reality that does not exist. Trump's absurd bravado, his cruel sense of humor, his confidence, as well as his focus on nostalgia and repeating over and over again that he would fix what was wrong with the country- was extremely appealing. It's not really any different than Bernie or even Obama's message- All are offering up the scam of hope. The difference is that while Bernie delivers his message with righteous vitriol, and Obama delivers it with invigorated compassion and measured dignity- Trump delivers it with mean humor, bravado, and confidence.
Furthermore by being disagreeable, and wrong, and sketchy, and never expressing remorse- he enables a certain element of the white working class and middle class voter to absolve themselves of all their sins too. If Trump can say and do all that- incurring the wrath of all these people that they know are also judging them when they are not half as bad and just living their lives- maybe these liberal elites these women, these identity politicers, these immigrants these etc. etc. are actually full of shit and Trump is right. At least he's not a politician and isn't scared to say what he thinks- even if I disagree with it.
I agree with the vast majority of folks who hate Trump in terms of their political and social positions- but even I find the elitism, apparent glee at pointing out his stupidity, and schadenfreude any time things go bad for the president by everyone from righteously indignant leftists to the New York Times to rich liberals at times insufferable.
Elections are decided by the small amount of people who sometimes vote and when they do- they're not beholden to a given political party. The portion of this group who feel left behind by the economy, the culture, and the Democratic Party is significant enough to have elected Trump- and my guess is they'll do it again.
Originally Posted by jerk
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