I have a lot of empathy and sympathy for working class voters who voted for HRC

[La Lioness Priyanka]

in large numbers, of all colors and genders and religions.

I, especially feel terrible for these people who are in red states, and will be hideously affected by a trump presidency.

I have oodles of sympathy that their social security net will be removed, their healthcare may disappear, their job may disappear, and that their air and water will get poisoned.

My loyalties, my feelings, my love and my empathy lies with these people. Good people who stood up against bigotry and economic injustice and social injustice, who will suffer needlessly.

I do not waste my feelings on bigots. I do not waste it on people who did this to themselves.

I want more articles written about these folks.

[JHan]

1. K & R :)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. ..

[Va Lefty]

3. Well said!!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

4. thanks

[ProfessorGAC]

5. If Anybody Here Doesn't, They Shouldn't Be Here

I'm with ya, LLP.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

6. i think some people think that by not having sympathy for trump voters

you don't have sympathy for WC people overall, which is completely untrue for me.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Again, I'm With Ya!

I'm not going to throw those who didn't vote against their own best interests under the bus.

[ismnotwasm]

7. K&R to information infinity

[Jamaal510]

9. To all those

who voted for him, voted 3rd party, or stayed home: you bought the pants. You asked for it. Now you have to wear them.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

10. i wish these were actually like pants. its like we all have to wear hideous pants

that the minority of voters bought.

ugh ugh ugh

[byronius]

14. You mean the iron pants with the spikes on the inside that we have to swim across Croc River in?

Just helping out with the metaphors. God help us, and I'm an atheist.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

42. You mans they pooped their pants

And Trump's taken their washing machine from them.

[Justice]

11. Absolutely!

[sheshe2]

12. Well stated, Pri.

Thank you.

[Coolest Ranger]

13. Thank you so much

Its nice to see threads like this. Its bad enough I already feel like I have a target on my back but to see certain posters putting us down because we didn't choose someone else just takes my hope away and then I see posts like this

[La Lioness Priyanka]

15. as i said in my last post, i have not sympathy for trump voters

but so much for the rest of us who are getting screwed against our wills

especially for those in red states.

[IronLionZion]

16. The Dangerous Myth That Hillary Clinton Ignored the Working Class

https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/12/hillary-clinton-working-class/509477/

But here is the troubling reality for civically minded liberals looking to justify their preferred strategies: Hillary Clinton talked about the working class, middle class jobs, and the dignity of work constantly. And she still lost.

She detailed plans to help coal miners and steel workers. She had decades of ideas to help parents, particularly working moms, and their children. She had plans to help young men who were getting out of prison and old men who were getting into new careers. She talked about the dignity of manufacturing jobs, the promise of clean-energy jobs, and the Obama administration’s record of creating private-sector jobs for a record-breaking number of consecutive months. She said the word “job” more in the Democratic National Convention speech than Trump did in the RNC acceptance speech; she mentioned the word “jobs” more during the first presidential debate than Trump did. She offered the most comprehensively progressive economic platform of any presidential candidate in history—one specifically tailored to an economy powered by an educated workforce.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

20. yeah, people are really buying some terrible myths

[Hekate]

31. Or to call it what it really is: the Big Lie

[Earthican]

37. She had a plan, Trump had a fantasy

Even that coal miner baron Trump is installing as head of the department of energy or something is telling trump to cool it with the coal talk. I have an uncle in West Virginia, blames it all on Clinton. He is religious and a misogynist, his wife is awesome though. Anyway, people just want smoke blown up their ass rather than hear real solutions that require change and work.

[Hekate]

48. Just a few days ago on NPR I heard part of a story on black lung & the new worse-than-black-lung

As the major seams of coal play out, miners grind more and more rock to get less and less coal. As they labor, they breathe very hard and suck air in thru the sides of their masks, which are hot and hard to wear. The air is full of ground up rock which is worse than coal dust.

Listening to one disabled miner explain all this as he fought for each breath was harrowing. Listening to others on tv mourning that their high school graduates move away was certainly sad.

I could not help thinking of the people in coal country who stoked their rage at Hillary's inartful comment about putting coal mines out of business, which was truncated and quoted out of context. The rest of her statement, unless I am terribly mistaken, had to do with creating green energy jobs. In coal country.

What. Is. Wrong. With. This. Picture.

[Amimnoch]

49. Orange orangutan didn't even offer fantasy.

To say that the soon to be fascist-in-chief and his pornographic illegal immigrant third lady offered fantasy is giving them more credit than they are due.

A fantasy actually has some kind of story behind it. In a fantasy there's a setting, details, and a story line that takes your mind somewhere.

The destroyer of American liberty didn't give any fantasy or story, just cheap ass talking points, often not even in the form of complete sentence or thoughts, that pandered to his crowd of the moment. At the very most he gave fragmented cliff notes to numerous fantasies.

[IronLionZion]

52. Welcome to DU!

Yup, my hometown is coal country and many of those people seriously believe Trump is going to bring back coal jobs somehow with no regard to fracking/shale drilling and the price of natural gas. It's so sad.

We have tons of windmills there now but I remember how vehemently the coal miners tried to fight it about 20 years ago but not one peep about the oil/gas drilling.

[heaven05]

17. thank you

and I wholeheartedly agree.

[hotrod0808]

18. I did.

I attended rallies, canvassed, made phone calls, and I feel that it was all for nothing. Not only did she lose, but every single Progressive candidate in my district lost. People flock to the Republican candidates like mad in Ohio. I don't have an explanation, let alone a solution. All I know is this: in Wood County here in Northwest Ohio, nobody can seem to post a Progressive candidate who can draw votes, let alone support. We have permanently lost here.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. and i have much sympathy for you, and much admiration for all the work you put in

i am sorry for us

[Javaman]

21. I live in Texas and am working class...

when tRump was elected, I turned to my GF and said, "now the rest of the nation will know what it's like to live in Texas"

[La Lioness Priyanka]

22. ugh. yes and no, i think those of us in blue cities and states

will feel some of this less than those in red states.

[Javaman]

23. yeah, blue states will be buffeted somewhat, but the rest of us, it's about to get a hell of a lot

worse.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

24. yeah. and i feel terrible about that. you don't deserve that, neither do many other WC voters

who voted for her.

[Javaman]

25. if you haven't heard, texas (yes lower case) has passed a law to cutplanned parent hood from

federal aid.

and so it begins. texas will soon be "A Handmades Tale" writ large.

[Amimnoch]

50. Were this a typical Republican run, like 2000, I'd agree.

Trump is not the typical repugnantcan. This is a very vindictive and maninpulative man we are talking about, and he's been emboldened by his sweep into power.

Our leadership in the Senate has sworn to obstruct him, and his appointments. I can see Trump and Mitch Goebbels Mcconnell going full nuclear in the Senate, and painting the Senate Democrats as everything from obstructionists to traitors.

I don't see them just filling the stolen Scalia SCOTUS seat, I see them going ahead and getting the congressional approval with Paul Himmler Ryan's full cooperation to add 2-4 seats on the SCOTUS to fully lock down the SCOTUS.

They will then pass the Trump wish list of laws without any concern pesky constitutional question.

I believe Trump and his reich will severely punish the blue states. I wouldn't be at all shocked if elected Democrat leaders in those states were arrested, and imprisoned for breaking their new federal laws, and they will restructure voting laws to make damn sure they don't face a real political challenge again.

Worse, if I'm right, that 2 term limit is likely going away as well. The optimism that we can only be stuck with trump for 4-8 years is misplaced.

Will be happy to be completely wrong on this.

[hamsterjill]

30. I'm also in Texas and am also working class.

I just hope we survive. Seriously.

[world wide wally]

26. The working class is a lot more than angry, middle aged, white men.

There is also the racist class, the misogynistic class, and the stupid fuck-up class.
Only Trump could appeal to them.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

27. this is not actually true. those making under 30,000 supported her

from what i remember from election results

[TexasBushwhacker]

29. Yes, the median income for Trump was around $67K

Clinton's supporters median income was about $10K less if I remember correctly.

[Cryptoad]

32. The very poor,,,,

seldom vote. they have been beat down so long ,they give a chit less,

[TexasBushwhacker]

39. Ues, and if they don't have a picture ID

It's really hard for them to get it.

[emulatorloo]

40. You are absolutely correct. Under 50k and 30k went for Hillary. Link:

Hillary won with voters making under 50k, and won even more with voters making under 30k

Trump won voters making 50K and up.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/08/us/politics/election-exit-polls.html?_r=0

-------

See also Important Issue.

Hillary won with voters who listed the economy or foreign policy as their important issue.

Trump won with voters who listed immigration or terrorism as their important issue.


Yet I have to read page after page of posts by folks here claiming Trump won on the economy. And we know what 'immigration' is a code word for w Trump voters.

[etherealtruth]

28. Borrowing a word from religion "AMEN"

Thank you for putting into words gratitude for hard working people that refused to give in to bigotry and hate!

[Cryptoad]

33. "so mote it be"

[Buckeye_Democrat]

34. I don't want sympathy!

I'm a man! I'm supposed to be strong!



You didn't see that!

[La Lioness Priyanka]

35. Hugs to you

[Buckeye_Democrat]

36. You too!

[mcar]

38. Yes

Instead of endless pieces hectoring Democrats on how we should be nicer to sexists and racists.

[YOHABLO]

41. So let me get this straight, you have sympathy for those down-trodden folks who voted HRC?

that doesn't make any sense. I think I understand where you're coming from but I feel more sorry for those folks who voted for Trump. Clearly it was not in their best interest. Trump will be the 1% GOD.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

45. I have sympathy for being who did not vote in a racist

Not sure one needs to be a Mensa member to get where I'm coming from

[we can do it]

43. Let me join you.

[paulkienitz]

44. Some of the people hurt worst by Trump will probably be Trump voters

but not as much as the people who are in the same jobs and the same neighborhoods as Trump voters, but didn't vote for him. Especially people of color in those places.

[betsuni]

46. K&R

[Generator]

47. Excellent. Thanks!

[Mike Niendorff]

51. #ExactlyThis

K&R.


MDN

[alarimer]

53. Fortunately, people running for office have a better attitude.

Most are aware they represent even people who disagree with them. Politics is, largely, the art of persuasion. Calling people names, putting them down for how they vote is never going help win anything.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

54. ok

[BlancheSplanchnik]

55. This!

[KPN]

56. I hear you LLP.

Every day, the more we hear about Trump and his clan, the more it looks like the election outcome was pretty much about bigotry, hatred and fear. There's no question that Trump tapped into those traits to capture the throne (which is the way he views the presidency in my view).

At the same time, I would ask all democrats to be mindful of a few things.

One: despair is fertile ground for propagating fear, anger, hate, xenophobia, bigotry, etc. That's not to justify those traits/behaviors on anyone's part; it's just to say that it seems helpful and prudent to recognize and understand context -- the ground from which they spring. While the economy has improved enormously under Obama's watch, there are many who have been left behind. We should not forget that. Socio-economics is important, regardless of race.

Two: fear, anger, hate don't always equal bigotry, racism, misogyny, xenophobia. A lot of Independents voted for Trump; some so-called Democrats did too. Understanding and differentiating reasons why is important. As much as it hurts to see Trump as President -- as harmful as his Presidency will be -- assigning all Trump voters the label "bigot" misses important distinctions worth recognizing. If the goal is to ensure the Democratic Party builds a base of support among all non-bigots large enough to withstand any and all devious GOP/fascist thrusts in 2018, 2020 and beyond, it seems important to be mindful of those distinctions. We weren't able to withstand the GOP's deviousness this time around. We need to in the future. The criminal deviousness is not going to go away. Though it was only by 80,000 votes in 3 States, we still lost.

Finally: much of the anger is targeted at a rigged economic system. Not at African Americans, not at Hispanics, not at Muslims, not at LGBTs. The general perception among too many to ignore has been that neither party has done enough to fix that. It certainly doesn't appear that Trump is going to do that. We need to. To do that, we need to win back some of those non-bigoted voters who voted against the "establishment".

Having said all that, I understand and agree with your feelings about and lack of empathy for bigots. I am right there with you on that. If I misinterpreted your OP to mean that you think all Trump voters are bigots, I apologize for that. We have to stick together.

[KPN]

59. Peace be with you.

[BlueMTexpat]

57. Exactly!

This ...

I do not waste my feelings on bigots. I do not waste it on people who did this to themselves.

And I do NOT appreciate anyone, anywhere - but most especially anyone on DU - who says that I must.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

58. +10,000

[La Lioness Priyanka]

60. Kick