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2016 Postmortem

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Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
Sat Dec 10, 2016, 08:55 PM Dec 2016

For the millionth time, Clinton won among those for whom the economy is the top issue. [View all]

Clinton and Democrats already campaign on economics...to a far more substantial degree than Trump did. Trump spewed lies and vague gobbledygook. "We're looking at jobs--big league jobs." Um, okay.

Clinton campaigned on universal early childhood education, expansion of health insurance with a reduction in premiums, 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, generating "enough renewable energy to power every home in America, with half a billion solar panels installed by the end of Hillary’s first term," a substantial increase to the federal minimum wage, equal pay for women, debt-free and more affordable college, free community college, "a $25 billion fund will support historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and other minority-serving institutions," the development of new green industries, massive infrastructure investment, etc.

Unfortunately, the media didn't give a shit. It's all about spectacle and outrageousness, while pushing false equivalencies in the name of some screwed up notion of fairness.

Still, though, Clinton won among the working class. Again, she won among the working class. If some (not all) white working class voters have much different expectations than the working class overall, ask yourself why that might be.

Yes, there may be some Trump voters who were honestly taken in by a portion of his economic message so much so that they could overlook everything else or were somehow unaware of everything else (the long history of sexual assault, the long history of overt bigotry, the conspiracy theories he promotes, the Russia connection, his celebration of the housing collapse because he could profit off it, his stiffing the contractors/blue collar workers he hired over the years, his refusal to release his tax returns, his fraudulent "University," his tax plan that helps the wealthiest and harms the working class, etc.). And there are those who have internalized oppression so bad, they can't think straight. There are Ayn Rand-worshipping Christians (never mind that Rand was anti-Christianity) who think Trump is a great Christian and that Clinton worships the devil. There are those who think Clinton was running a child sex ring out of pizza joints. There are those who think Obama is a Muslim who was born in Kenya.

Well, good fucking luck reaching those folks.

There are also some who were just blinded by their hatred for Clinton, much of that hatred rooted in sexism and misogyny and a belief in the many lies spread about her through the decades (as opposed to the valid leftist critique that caused some to not vote for her or Trump while continuing to support Obama, even though Clinton's politics are basically the same as Obama's).

And then there are a hell of a lot of people who voted based on racism, xenophobia and a twisted Christian supremacy. Trump mania took off precisely when he suggested most Mexican immigrants are rapists and drug dealers.

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And Trump won on "immigration and terrorism" - he solidly won the bigots bettyellen Dec 2016 #1
Clinton won period. triron Dec 2016 #2
Link to the data? NobodyHere Dec 2016 #3
Clinton won among voters that made $50,000 or less AND those said the ECONOMY was most important 7.3 Madam45for2923 Dec 2016 #6
Democrats are always more trusted on the economy, but did she win with a large enough margin? realmirage Dec 2016 #4
Not in the Rust Belt where she needed to NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #5
Wrong. It was bigotry. Let's be honest for once. duffyduff Dec 2016 #7
Trump won there because "I'LL BRING ALL YOUR JOBS BACK AND OPEN YOUR FACTORIES BACK UP" Jean-Jacques Roussea Dec 2016 #8
Liberal Redneck - Reaching Rural America Madam45for2923 Dec 2016 #10
Have you also seen the one he did on Black Lives Matter? Garrett78 Dec 2016 #12
Yes it is pretty great! Madam45for2923 Dec 2016 #14
He's right. And I like that exasperated sigh at the end. spooky3 Dec 2016 #16
Yeah, the message is that Dems have to spew lies. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #13
unfortunately Jean-Jacques Roussea Dec 2016 #21
Yes, that's why he won them...because they think he cares and will try to help NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #18
She did Jean-Jacques Roussea Dec 2016 #20
Actually, Clinton won among rust belt voters who ranked the economy as their #1 concern. yardwork Dec 2016 #17
Yep mcar Dec 2016 #9
"Twitler." I love it. n/t duffyduff Dec 2016 #11
Clinton won. End of. JTFrog Dec 2016 #15
The only difference between 2012 and 2016 were the Democratic presidential candidates. J_William_Ryan Dec 2016 #19
Oh, you and your silly facts. Dark n Stormy Knight Dec 2016 #22
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