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I'm seeing very dangerous rhetoric from the media right now. Namely, that Trump's "surprise" win was because ... get ready for this ... "white" people. Unless I

by pcunite 10y ago

I'm seeing very dangerous rhetoric from the media right now. Namely, that Trump's "surprise" win was because ... get ready for this ... "white" people. Unless I'm mistaken, there are more whites in this country than any other type. I was so honored to see our nation have a black president. I was so honored when he suffered no violence. I'm talking about being absolutely proud of my country here. I am not going to apologize for being "black" or "white" or any color and I don't expect others to either.

danso 10y ago
I think the complaint is less than the fact that there is a majority white populace, and more shock that this group voted in a way that is feared to disenfranchise minority groups. That said, I think a large lesson can be learned here for the next race and by the Democrats. I'm an Asian who grew up in the Midwest. I encountered some racism growing up, but overall have fond memories, and I have a lot of friends who aren't "open-minded" by some standards, but if I'm only more "open-minded", it's through circumstance of being in a minority group of <3% of where I lived. So I don't see those fellow Midwesterners as "racist" even if they might be considered that out on the coasts, and they don't see themselves as that either. While I might prioritize how a candidate seems to view minorities, a whole lot of people won't, and I can sure sympathize for folks who put the hope of American jobs over a candidate's perceived viewpoints. Looking at the electoral map and all the surprise wins for Trump, people seemed to prioritize their hope in a revitalized American economy over misgivings of Trump's behaviors. That doesn't mean everyone who voted for Trump is a bigot or racist. Unemployment is usually a more pressing concern for people.
- SpikeDad 10y ago
  Except of course Trump has no ability to revitalize any thing. Considering that the US economy has been on a steady recovery during the Obama years Republicans will as usually just magically declare their election is the cause. Trump is a con man so any attempt to attribute his election to some sort of optimistic view of "revitalization" is sheer nonsense. The combination of the normal Republican elite voting, the ill informed Hillary fearful and the general "White folks that have the chance to reverse their self-viewed powerlessness" was the combination that defeated Clinton. As usually people voted against their own logical needs in a US society because showing their power was more important than electing someone with any experience in complex government operations.
  - danso 10y ago
    But the thing is people believed in it. And the media, as Thiel pointed out in a speech, thought that people would dismiss Trump on literal grounds, as in, they don't require him to literally build a wall. But they know that he's prioritized immigration (and theoretically, protecting American jobs) in a way that Clinton and none of the other Republican candidates did. (Whether he imposes trade tariffs will be interesting though...) The other part of it is that the ruling party rarely holds on for more than 2 terms in the presidency. If you feel the economy is going humdrum, you might desire the prospect of change that comes with a different party.
  - DefaultUserHN 10y ago
    >Except of course Trump has no ability to revitalize any thing. >Trump is a con man... We don't know that yet. We have to wait and see. What happens every time we vote for a politician is that we vote in hope that they will be able to accomplish what they set out to do. Hillary supporters place their hope in Hillary because they don't believe Trump can do what he said he will do. And Trump supporters place their hope in Trump because they don't believe Hillary can do what she said she'll do. We just won't know who can actually accomplish their goals until 4 years later. >Considering that the US economy has been on a steady recovery during the Obama... This is irrelevant for Trump supporters who lost their jobs, their livelihood. Obama (campaigning for Hillary), kept telling them the economy is good. "Well, if the economy is so good, then where did all the jobs go?" It's a bad argument, and can not win any Trump supporter over. Because at the end of the day, they still have no jobs, and they want jobs, and Trump is the only one talking about bringing jobs back, creating jobs, making the economy better, etc.
anindha 10y ago
More blacks and hispanics voted for Trump than Romney. They just weren't vocal before the election. "Trump claimed 29 percent of the Hispanic vote on Tuesday compared to Romney's 27 percent in 2012. With blacks, exit polls show Trump claimed 8 percent of the vote to the previous Republican nominee's 6 percent." [1] [1] http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/trump-did-better-blacks-hispanics-romney-12-exit-polls-n681386 http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/trump-did...
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ant6n 10y ago
In a truly egalitarian, post-racial America, there would be very little difference between how a black or hispanic person voted, and how a white person voted. In a truly egalitarian, post-sexism America, there would be very little difference between how women and men voted.

by pcunite 10y ago

danso 10y ago

I think the complaint is less than the fact that there is a majority white populace, and more shock that this group voted in a way that is feared to disenfranchise minority groups. That said, I think a large lesson can be learned here for the next race and by the Democrats. I'm an Asian who grew up in the Midwest. I encountered some racism growing up, but overall have fond memories, and I have a lot of friends who aren't "open-minded" by some standards, but if I'm only more "open-minded", it's through circumstance of being in a minority group of <3% of where I lived. So I don't see those fellow Midwesterners as "racist" even if they might be considered that out on the coasts, and they don't see themselves as that either. While I might prioritize how a candidate seems to view minorities, a whole lot of people won't, and I can sure sympathize for folks who put the hope of American jobs over a candidate's perceived viewpoints. Looking at the electoral map and all the surprise wins for Trump, people seemed to prioritize their hope in a revitalized American economy over misgivings of Trump's behaviors. That doesn't mean everyone who voted for Trump is a bigot or racist. Unemployment is usually a more pressing concern for people.

SpikeDad 10y ago
Except of course Trump has no ability to revitalize any thing. Considering that the US economy has been on a steady recovery during the Obama years Republicans will as usually just magically declare their election is the cause. Trump is a con man so any attempt to attribute his election to some sort of optimistic view of "revitalization" is sheer nonsense. The combination of the normal Republican elite voting, the ill informed Hillary fearful and the general "White folks that have the chance to reverse their self-viewed powerlessness" was the combination that defeated Clinton. As usually people voted against their own logical needs in a US society because showing their power was more important than electing someone with any experience in complex government operations.
- danso 10y ago
  But the thing is people believed in it. And the media, as Thiel pointed out in a speech, thought that people would dismiss Trump on literal grounds, as in, they don't require him to literally build a wall. But they know that he's prioritized immigration (and theoretically, protecting American jobs) in a way that Clinton and none of the other Republican candidates did. (Whether he imposes trade tariffs will be interesting though...) The other part of it is that the ruling party rarely holds on for more than 2 terms in the presidency. If you feel the economy is going humdrum, you might desire the prospect of change that comes with a different party.
- DefaultUserHN 10y ago
  >Except of course Trump has no ability to revitalize any thing. >Trump is a con man... We don't know that yet. We have to wait and see. What happens every time we vote for a politician is that we vote in hope that they will be able to accomplish what they set out to do. Hillary supporters place their hope in Hillary because they don't believe Trump can do what he said he will do. And Trump supporters place their hope in Trump because they don't believe Hillary can do what she said she'll do. We just won't know who can actually accomplish their goals until 4 years later. >Considering that the US economy has been on a steady recovery during the Obama... This is irrelevant for Trump supporters who lost their jobs, their livelihood. Obama (campaigning for Hillary), kept telling them the economy is good. "Well, if the economy is so good, then where did all the jobs go?" It's a bad argument, and can not win any Trump supporter over. Because at the end of the day, they still have no jobs, and they want jobs, and Trump is the only one talking about bringing jobs back, creating jobs, making the economy better, etc.

anindha 10y ago

More blacks and hispanics voted for Trump than Romney. They just weren't vocal before the election. "Trump claimed 29 percent of the Hispanic vote on Tuesday compared to Romney's 27 percent in 2012. With blacks, exit polls show Trump claimed 8 percent of the vote to the previous Republican nominee's 6 percent." [1] [1] http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/trump-did-better-blacks-hispanics-romney-12-exit-polls-n681386 http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/2016-election-day/trump-did...

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ant6n 10y ago

In a truly egalitarian, post-racial America, there would be very little difference between how a black or hispanic person voted, and how a white person voted. In a truly egalitarian, post-sexism America, there would be very little difference between how women and men voted.