5 ms·

> And now Twitter banned RT ads to get the "problem" off their shoulders. Isn't this hysteria? I can’t help but feel everyone in Silicon Valley is desperate to

> And now Twitter banned RT ads to get the "problem" off their shoulders. Isn't this hysteria? I can’t help but feel everyone in Silicon Valley is desperate to believe every narrative about the election except the version where Trump wins because he was the only one promising prosperity to people not located in major cities.

Consultant32452 9y ago
Your comment ties directly to the Democrat election strategy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClytGvP_Qe4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClytGvP_Qe4 "For every blue collar democrat we will lose in Western PA, we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs of Philadelphia." ~Chuck Schumer
- hockeybias 9y ago
  and there was obviously room for those Western PAers in Trump's "deplorables basket".
- Akujin 9y ago
  Philadelphia is quickly gentrifying and this has caused massive lines in voting districts in the recently gentrified neighborhoods. Where voting lines used to be 15 minutes long they are now 2+ hours. We've been trying to get them to split the voting district into two here in Northern Liberties for a while but apparently it's falling on deaf ears. These are by the way "well-to-do" young professionals so it's in the interest of both Republicans and Democrats to fix this. Meanwhile 10 minutes away at Temple University you have 2 hour lines at polling close. If the dems want to win PA they need to get their voting district shit together in the city. It would not have made much off a difference. The spread in the entire state was about 90k but when I saw the lines at the universities it made me wonder about the entire state. I used to live in the suburbs of Philadelphia in a new "rich" neighborhood and the lines there are usually 15-30 minutes. Granted the population there doesn't fluctuate much.
  - Qworg 9y ago
    This is the most common form of voter suppression in the US and we're doing absolutely nothing about it.
- sirkneeland 9y ago
  As someone who is literally that background (from a moderate Republican family in the suburbs of Philadelphia) I can say the Democrats definitely picked up my vote... Actually no, it's more accurate to say the Republicans lost it. (I don't know how my family members voted--we're far too WASPy to do anything but keep it private), but I suspect my parents stayed with the GOP while my siblings and I went to the Dems (I voted Hillary for President and GOP everything else. Turned out to be a miscalculation) At any rate, it seems there weren't enough of us to outweigh Pennsylvanians who continued to vote Republican or who converted to voting Republican.
- r00fus 9y ago
  s/Democrat/Democratic/ If you choose to ignore proper naming, you're just exposing your bias.
  - Consultant32452 9y ago
    What bias, exactly, do you think I'm exposing?
napworth 9y ago
I don't think your comment makes enough sense. Can you elaborate?
- matt_wulfeck 9y ago
  The parts of The United States not locates in a major metropolis have been on an economic decline for a very long time. A candidate comes along and promises changes to policies that may help reverse that economic slide and they win.
  - FilterSweep 9y ago
    > A candidate comes along and promises changes to policies that may help reverse that economic slide and they win. Hasn't that already been a conversation since way before 2008 ie: "Joe the Plumber"'s candidate? There is something more going on here. My own opinion is that the current potus is an appeal to nationalist authoritarianism where other more conventional republicans were not.
    - matt_wulfeck 9y ago
      He's been doing so much to weaken the federal government (ending health care subsidies, weakening EPA, etc etc, pro gun laws) that I'm surprised you believe he's appealing to national authoritarianism. If anything he's given a rise to state's rights advocates.
      - rusk 9y ago
        I think it depends on how you define "nation". I believe for many in the USA, "nation" is far more personal, and aligned with community, than merely the "nation state" presided by the federal government.
the_gastropod 9y ago
I think many people struggle to believe voters took these promises seriously. Most of his promises w/r/t rural prosperity did not match the anemic policy he put forward: repealing Obamacare hurts the rural poor significantly more than well-to-do urbanites, ending the estate tax benefits the rich exclusively, lowering the top marginal tax rate benefits the rich, etc. Either people not located in major cities are the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising?), or some combo thereof.
- deweller 9y ago
  "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." More people believed that Trump was doing things because he had their best interests in mind.
- paulsutter 9y ago
  > the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising) They were either gullible or gullible? Or maybe it was a reaction against the "elites". In Michigan 90,000 democrats left president blank on the ballot (Trump won by 10,000).
  - mring33621 9y ago
    I think you're right. It seems like most people who voted for Trump did so with the goal of disrupting the existing system. I'm not sure they really care about what he does, so long as he annoys 'the system'.
- ksk 9y ago
  >Either people not located in major cities are the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising?), or some combo thereof. Or, your assumptions are incorrect. - "I think many people struggle to believe voters took these promises seriously." "Most of his promises w/r/t rural prosperity did not match the anemic policy he put forward" He constantly railed on about jobs going overseas, imposing tariffs on imports and protecting local industry, spending on infrastructure, reducing illegal immigration (which people rightly or wrongly, believed to be one of the factors, contributing to their situation), etc, etc.
ksk 9y ago
I agree and its an entirely human character flaw. Its far easier to black/white an issue than examine your own assumptions. Whenever things get polarized people get irrational.
bllguo 9y ago
Or I believe that he won because of that, AND because of Russian interference? This is a false dichotomy.

Consultant32452 9y ago

Your comment ties directly to the Democrat election strategy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClytGvP_Qe4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClytGvP_Qe4 "For every blue collar democrat we will lose in Western PA, we will pick up two moderate Republicans in the suburbs of Philadelphia." ~Chuck Schumer

hockeybias 9y ago
and there was obviously room for those Western PAers in Trump's "deplorables basket".
Akujin 9y ago
Philadelphia is quickly gentrifying and this has caused massive lines in voting districts in the recently gentrified neighborhoods. Where voting lines used to be 15 minutes long they are now 2+ hours. We've been trying to get them to split the voting district into two here in Northern Liberties for a while but apparently it's falling on deaf ears. These are by the way "well-to-do" young professionals so it's in the interest of both Republicans and Democrats to fix this. Meanwhile 10 minutes away at Temple University you have 2 hour lines at polling close. If the dems want to win PA they need to get their voting district shit together in the city. It would not have made much off a difference. The spread in the entire state was about 90k but when I saw the lines at the universities it made me wonder about the entire state. I used to live in the suburbs of Philadelphia in a new "rich" neighborhood and the lines there are usually 15-30 minutes. Granted the population there doesn't fluctuate much.
- Qworg 9y ago
  This is the most common form of voter suppression in the US and we're doing absolutely nothing about it.
sirkneeland 9y ago
As someone who is literally that background (from a moderate Republican family in the suburbs of Philadelphia) I can say the Democrats definitely picked up my vote... Actually no, it's more accurate to say the Republicans lost it. (I don't know how my family members voted--we're far too WASPy to do anything but keep it private), but I suspect my parents stayed with the GOP while my siblings and I went to the Dems (I voted Hillary for President and GOP everything else. Turned out to be a miscalculation) At any rate, it seems there weren't enough of us to outweigh Pennsylvanians who continued to vote Republican or who converted to voting Republican.
r00fus 9y ago
s/Democrat/Democratic/ If you choose to ignore proper naming, you're just exposing your bias.
- Consultant32452 9y ago
  What bias, exactly, do you think I'm exposing?

napworth 9y ago

I don't think your comment makes enough sense. Can you elaborate?

matt_wulfeck 9y ago
The parts of The United States not locates in a major metropolis have been on an economic decline for a very long time. A candidate comes along and promises changes to policies that may help reverse that economic slide and they win.
- FilterSweep 9y ago
  > A candidate comes along and promises changes to policies that may help reverse that economic slide and they win. Hasn't that already been a conversation since way before 2008 ie: "Joe the Plumber"'s candidate? There is something more going on here. My own opinion is that the current potus is an appeal to nationalist authoritarianism where other more conventional republicans were not.
  - matt_wulfeck 9y ago
    He's been doing so much to weaken the federal government (ending health care subsidies, weakening EPA, etc etc, pro gun laws) that I'm surprised you believe he's appealing to national authoritarianism. If anything he's given a rise to state's rights advocates.
    - rusk 9y ago
      I think it depends on how you define "nation". I believe for many in the USA, "nation" is far more personal, and aligned with community, than merely the "nation state" presided by the federal government.

the_gastropod 9y ago

I think many people struggle to believe voters took these promises seriously. Most of his promises w/r/t rural prosperity did not match the anemic policy he put forward: repealing Obamacare hurts the rural poor significantly more than well-to-do urbanites, ending the estate tax benefits the rich exclusively, lowering the top marginal tax rate benefits the rich, etc. Either people not located in major cities are the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising?), or some combo thereof.

deweller 9y ago
"People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it." More people believed that Trump was doing things because he had their best interests in mind.
paulsutter 9y ago
> the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising) They were either gullible or gullible? Or maybe it was a reaction against the "elites". In Michigan 90,000 democrats left president blank on the ballot (Trump won by 10,000).
- mring33621 9y ago
  I think you're right. It seems like most people who voted for Trump did so with the goal of disrupting the existing system. I'm not sure they really care about what he does, so long as he annoys 'the system'.
ksk 9y ago
>Either people not located in major cities are the most gullible voters ever, or they were swayed by some other means (targeted advertising?), or some combo thereof. Or, your assumptions are incorrect. - "I think many people struggle to believe voters took these promises seriously." "Most of his promises w/r/t rural prosperity did not match the anemic policy he put forward" He constantly railed on about jobs going overseas, imposing tariffs on imports and protecting local industry, spending on infrastructure, reducing illegal immigration (which people rightly or wrongly, believed to be one of the factors, contributing to their situation), etc, etc.

ksk 9y ago

I agree and its an entirely human character flaw. Its far easier to black/white an issue than examine your own assumptions. Whenever things get polarized people get irrational.

bllguo 9y ago

Or I believe that he won because of that, AND because of Russian interference? This is a false dichotomy.