There is a depressive narrative out there, led by POC (People Of Color), who are not sad that President Donald J. Trump lost — they love that — but that he did not lose by enough.
They are downhearted because when Joe Biden said Trump’s beliefs and actions do not reflect who we are, writers such as my friend Jenice Armstrong started saying, OMG, this is who we are — or almost half of us, anyway.
Jenice is one of many, ranging from Charles Blow to “The View’s” Sunny Hostin.
All they see in Trump — in Hostin’s words — is racism, homophobia, and misogyny.
We can trace this line of attack to Hillary Clinton, with her too clever term for half of Trump’s supporters: “Deplorables.”
Remember her 5-point litany? “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic — you name it.”
Here’s the thing: Saying it doesn’t make it true. But for the sake of argument, let’s say it is true. Is that the only, or even main, reason Trump collected the second-greatest tally of votes for president?
Those who say yes sell their neighbors short. I say no.
I have described Trump as arrogant, needy, whiny, narcissistic, lying, ignorant, cowardly, bullying, knuckle-dragging, and repulsive. When he was a Big Thing in Atlantic City, I covered him, I have seen him up close and personal, and regard him to be wholly unfit to be president.
I don’t think he is evil incarnate, however, as many do. He is a symptom of something and I steer away from the Clinton Quintuple — racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic.
Clinton wasn’t the first to go there, as I will show you. I believe that cost her the election by energizing Trump’s base. Being deplorable became a statement.
As to how you feel about Trump, I get it.
But how much do you get?
Let me challenge the disheartened POC to a mental exercise: Imagine it is not racism. Let’s say Black FOT (Friends Of Trump, such as Kanye West, Herschel Walker, Lil Wayne, Ice Cube and Fifty Cent) see him in an entirely different light than do you. Why is that? Are they stupid? Are they “house n——-s,” as they have been called?
Why did Trump win as much as 18% of Black men, according to one pollster? That is huge. For a Republican.
Trump is a successor to the Tea Party, which also was widely condemned as being racist, and which also tapped into a deep vein of grievance in the white electorate, especially male, blue collar and not college educated.
If you look down your nose at those who are not college educated — and you shouldn’t — understand they represent 66% of America. With those numbers, they are the real America, not those with a sheepskin.
Many of the 66% see Democrats as the party of limousine liberals — college educated, middle class and upwardly mobile, morally superior to those in flyover country. The people who, in the memorable words of Barack Obama, “get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.”
In other words, deplorable.
Obama used a key word, too often forgotten: Frustrations.
Frustrations with ever-changing cultural norms, with stagnant salaries, with declining life expectancy rates, with a perceived loss of standing in the world for themselves and their country.
Here’s what former presidential candidate and all-around bright guy Andrew Yang said on CNN about his Democratic Party’s connection with working-class voters:
“I would say, ‘Hey! I’m running for president!’ to a truck driver, retail worker, waitress in a diner. And they would say, ‘What party?’ And I’d say, ‘Democrat,’ and they would flinch like I said something really negative or I had just turned another color or something like that,” said Yang.
“So you have to ask yourself, what has the Democratic Party been standing for in their minds? And in their minds, the Democratic Party, unfortunately, has taken on this role of the coastal urban elites who are more concerned about policing various cultural issues than improving their way of life that has been declining for years.”
This is a loyal Democrat talking. Nothing about the name-calling Clinton Quintuple — more about the economics and the feeling that the Democratic Party of their parents has turned left and turned its back. The party has become so enthralled with identity politics, it forgot its base — and its base bit back.
Not all of them, of course, but enough to elect Trump once and almost elect him a second time.
Do you realize if Trump tweeted a little less, lowered his voice just a notch, and just pretended to care about the fight against coronavirus he probably would have won re-election? For him to be in such a close race after having been impeached, withstanding four years of a majority hostile media, fighting off charges of Russian fealty — any objective person would have to say his close finish is a remarkable political feat. You can say he deserved the vilification, but that’s a moot point.
Trump’s success was explained by journalist Salena Zito who said his supporters take him seriously, but not literally, while the media takes him literally but not seriously. That’s why Trump’s lies don’t matter to his base.
Some of Trump’s achievements include a massive tax cut, taking an axe to federal regulations, appointing hundreds of conservative judges to the federal bench, and three to the Supreme Court, nearly closing the southern border to illegals, quitting the Paris and Iranian accords, rewriting NAFTA, imposing tariffs. He tapped into patriotism (or nationalism, if you like) by proclaiming America First and that the U.S. would never become socialist.
You may disagree with everything he has done, I disagree with most of it, but he did it and a lot of that — along with his defiance of Political Correctness — endears himself to his loyal acolytes, whether Black or White.
That he was elected in the first place points to a deficiency within the Democratic Party, as noted by Yang. The expected “blue wave” did not materialize this year, suggesting Democrats are not all that popular. Many see them as infatuated with the woke class, instead of the working class.
If Democrats believe Trump’s support is explained solely by Clinton’s Quintuple, they will be riding for a fall, making the worst possible assumption about their neighbors.
I’ll give President-elect Biden the last word: “Now, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric. Lower the temperature . . . We have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans.”
Wow, Stu, politically speaking, this has to be your best piece as far as I’m concerned! Accurate and thoughtful comment backed up with real numbers.
I most certainly agree!
Thanks
How odd to hear the Left via President-elect Joe Biden call for peace among people. As I recall, it was the Left who marched in the streets the very night DT defeated Hillary, rioting and screaming obscenities. As I recall, the Left s**t all over DT for four years (FOUR YEARS!), making all kinds of baseless charges, trying to force him from office via impeachment, et cetera, ad nauseum. I do not recall us ‘deplorables’ marching in the street when Obama won. And why am I ‘deplorable’ simply because I cling to my religion and my guns, when both are protected by the very Constitution the Left wants to dismantle? (Not a bogus statement: the late Justice Ginsburg said the Constitution is outdated in a taped interview,) Hell, I graduated from college, served six years honorable in the Air Force (four active duty, two in Japan as a Russian translator)… but why bother trying to justify why I supported DT? I did, and I am glad I did. Now I have a new president. I may oppose some or even all of what he proposes, but I won’t s**t all over him, or march in the streets, burning and looting. I’ll leave that to the deplorable Left.
Good points.
Excellent piece, Stu. I wish Joe Biden well as our next President. Kamala seems to. Be the female Dan Quayle- but much more dangerous. I fear that we will never have a Republican President- if you have an R next to your name and advocate policies opposite from the limousine libels, you will be labeled as the four Clinto n terms- Triumph was an outlier who. Will never be replicated. The country is trending D and we are headed to one party rule
Michael: when the Left does away with the Electoral College, three states will elect ALL presidents going forward: California, New York, and Illinois.
When the EC goes, elections will become meaningless.
Agreed. Moot. We are to become Cuba.
No, California + New York + Illinois = 104 electoral votes, not even half of the 270 needed to win. In any case, the entire comment is based on the notion that it is the states that are supposed to elect the president, not the voters. When the EC goes, elections will become MORE meaningful, because they will fairly reflect the will of the majority of the people of the country as a whole. No more “battleground states” exerting undue influence at the expense of the rest of the country.
Neal, learn to read. I wrote, “when the Left does away with the Electoral College…” The USA, without the EC, will go with the popular vote winner. The Biden/Trump race recently concluded shows that solidly Blue CA, NY, and IL alone represented about a six million vote plurality for Biden. Toss in the other predominantly Blue states and NO Republican will ever again have a chance to win. That is why the EC was created. And that is why the Left wants it to go away.
HAPPY SUNDAY !!!
Here we are, still looking (officially ) for a President . A long time ago, I said that this race was going to be close. I also said that President Trump was going to take it to the Supreme Court, should he lose. We will see.
I don’t think Donald Trump won because Hillary lost. I think the voting public saw a glimpse of “the swamp” and believed Trump could change things. I believe that all of the voting public had enough of the lies, deceit, greed, graft and corruption . had Trump been able to put a few people in jail, I think he would have guaranteed his re-election. I also think that POC don’t like anybody, but as long as you are giving them a free ride, they will tolerate you. Trump offered to treat them like humans, instead of third rate citizens. 18% appreciated the thought. Most of them were already out of the ghetto. The rest were getting out of jail and making a life for themselves and their families.
We all know that Trump is not racist or any of the other listed sins. Quite the opposite.
I also think that “the swamp” dumped Trump. All of the branches of government are filled with people hanging onto their jobs. All extensions of the swamp are filled with useless relatives and friends of the players. None of that will change.
Here we are at the famous fork in the road. Does Biden, if elected, actually try to unite the country for the better, or take it down the road, headed for socialism. It is not going to be easy regardless of the road to be travelled.
Tony
“If you come to a fork in the road, take it!” — Yogi Berra
and the wicked giant was slain and peace and harmony reigned in the kingdom once more
Vince quotes a very humorous ALL PRO catcher from days gone by.
Steve quotes “fractured Fairy Tales ”
Somehow, I think that most of you people don’t do much homework. If in fact OUR President Trump remains in office, ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE ! Another show of stupidity from the far left,
Tony, the reason I enjoy quoting from the past is the sayings or thoughts from the past stay fresh if time proves them (a) true, or (b) containing humor that transcends time. Shakespeare has some classics that are still relevant, one in particular: “Something is rotten in Denmark.”
Vince,
I agree with you, although you are not soliciting my approval and probably never will.
( did I get that right, Stu ? )
The old sayings mean more when you were a part of them. I remember telling Moses, Not the Med ! it’s too long of a walk. Use the Nile !
Tony
Tony, I thought you told him to be sure he wears his galoshes.
Great column Stu and if I can point out the two reasons that you mentioned would be the constant babble on twitter and the confrontation with individuals instead of working with groups who look to Government for support and not constant bickering. Being concerned about the future with Biden and Harris I would like to advise Joe look behind now and then to understand that Harris has more flip flops than a short order cook. Please give elderly Senator Sanders an Ambassadorship in a socialist country where his lifestyle would not conform but his theories would prove appreciated but failing. Lastly show a profile in courage and become truly non-partisan to jointly pass legislation that improves the lives of all Americans and not just your constituency.
falTom – love your Bernie Sanders reference. Right on, bro! LoL
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I’m glad Biden won, but I’m hopeful that the Republicans take the Senate. We need a check and Balance to forestall any radical extreme left movement. I also predict that before Trump belatedly leaves office he pardons all his pals who where convicted of various nefarious acts.
I hope the GOP holds the senate, too.
Great article Stu. Right on about the 66%. When Obama was inaugurated Rush Limbaugh said “I hope he fails.” He didn’t, and is why Trump was elected. The first black president could have become the greatest, but he was so damn ideological and vindictive that he split us in two, instead of a real healing. What a wasted opportunity.
“I hope he fails” sounds viciously anti-American. BUT if you (wrongly) believe BHO is a Marxist, I can see why he said that.
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