2016 Postmortem

I have family in a district that flipped in 2016 (it's the one district that's electoral vote went against its state in 2016) and going to the district, I see years of structural economic decline. Kids often get out as soon as they can and never return. Even though they all voted for Trump, they're not racist deplorables. They're just ready for change and for someone to finally pay attention to them (a Manhattan billionaire is the last person that typically would). They also didn't think that Hillary understood the challenges that rural America faces (Bernie does as he represents a rural state).

This is a scene that could be repeated throughout rural America.

Say what you want to about hacking, Comey, gerrymandering, etc, but until the Democrats understand districts like this (this particular district voted Democratic from 1992-2012) they can't win national elections. We won't win every district like this, but moving the needle a few percentage points in rural areas would make a difference in a statewide race.

Yes Hillary won the popular vote, but (as of right now) the presidency is not decided by the popular vote. Winning Chicago, NYC, and LA by large margins only helps get electoral votes in IL, NY, and CA. There's more to the United States than major cities.