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NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 06:41 PM Dec 2016

White Trump voters that voted for Obama twice aren't racist, they are Emotion Voters

Obama is a moving and charismatic speaker who delivered a powerful message of hope and change. He showed up and spoke to the rust belt. Those voters were hurting and embraced Obama's hopeful message. While Obama tried his best to rebuild infrastructure and got stymied by the GOP at every step, these rust belt voters didn't see much improvement.

Trump is also a charismatic speaker with a powerful message, but instead of a positive and hopeful message, Trump's message was one of fear and anger, very negatively charged.

These people voted for the candidate that made them react emotionally in both cases. They connected based on strong emotions relating to their position in life. They voted for the ones that made them FEEL something, be it positive or negative.

Yes, Trump appeals to the alt-right and bigots, racists, sexists, xenophobes, etc. But let's be fair here...that is NOT what all Trump voters are. If someone is a racist they are NOT going to vote for a black man for president not once, but twice.

It's ignorant to have the attitude that these voters that supported Obama and then voted Trump aren't welcome. They were Democratic voters and the Democratic Party LOST them. Instead of calling them names why not take a look at WHY the Democrats LOST them to someone so awful.

95 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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White Trump voters that voted for Obama twice aren't racist, they are Emotion Voters (Original Post) NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 OP
Because Trump is a better liar and cheater. raging moderate Dec 2016 #1
I hope you are not saying that President Obama is a liar and a cheater!!! Yo_Mama Dec 2016 #29
Obama is not a Republicon. raging moderate Dec 2016 #68
I'll just repost a comment I made to another OP. stone space Dec 2016 #2
Or 6) Dude was trolling people in line NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #4
The plural of anecdote isn't data mythology Dec 2016 #25
It was in a major publication like NYT or WaPo. I forget exactly, but it wasn't anything obscure. stone space Dec 2016 #26
How many white Trump supporters voted for Obama? Drunken Irishman Dec 2016 #3
We are talking about the Rust Belt voters and Obama did much better than Clinton with them NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #5
And Obama did much worse among rust belt white voters than past white candidates... Drunken Irishman Dec 2016 #10
Kerry lost and 2004 was 12 years ago and you are talking one state NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #16
You're posing irrelevant figures... Drunken Irishman Dec 2016 #37
See post 30, I add percentages of 3rd party voters and percentages of Democrats that voted for Trump NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #39
You're not getting it. Drunken Irishman Dec 2016 #72
Turnout was about the same, higher in 2 states, lower in two and about the same in one NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #86
That doesn't mean that many Obama voters voted for Trump gollygee Dec 2016 #11
Agreed. It also means many Obama voters could have voted third party. Drunken Irishman Dec 2016 #12
or not voted at all still_one Dec 2016 #51
Most of the rust belt states had similar or higher turnout NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #62
Yeah, a lot of people who don't usually vote voted gollygee Dec 2016 #65
Where are your statistics and sources to back that up? NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #67
I'm questioning the assumptions you're making based on those statistics. Nt gollygee Dec 2016 #70
The percentage of Third Party voters only went up 1-3% in the rust belt states NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #56
White working class usually Democratic voters as depicted by the map at the link below NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #22
I personally know five. I don't talk about politics that much with Yo_Mama Dec 2016 #31
I know one. I do talk politics with people. gollygee Dec 2016 #32
I don't know any. blue cat Dec 2016 #55
I think it had to do with local demographics/prosperity. Yo_Mama Dec 2016 #94
As far as I can tell, you are right about the fewer votes from Dems. Yo_Mama Dec 2016 #92
You're assuming these are the same voters from year to year EffieBlack Dec 2016 #15
No, it compares Obama's 2012 numbers and Clinton's 2016 numbers NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #30
You're completely missing the point EffieBlack Dec 2016 #35
DEMOCRATS that voted for Trump in the Rust Belt. D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-S NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #41
But you don't know if they're THE SAME DEMOCRATS EffieBlack Dec 2016 #43
11% of Democrats voted for George W. Bush gollygee Dec 2016 #45
What percentage of Rust Belt Democrats voted for Bush? NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #48
I want to see why you think the same specific people who voted for Obama voted for Clinton gollygee Dec 2016 #50
You're misunderstanding the point I was making with those figures NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #52
So fewer of them showed up to vote gollygee Dec 2016 #53
Percentages are deceiving Tommy2Tone Dec 2016 #77
Here are the turnout numbers for 2012 vs 2016 NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #85
I'll concede that Tommy2Tone Dec 2016 #95
Some are racially motivated. HassleCat Dec 2016 #6
Yes some are, but many are not NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #7
Agree with you there. HassleCat Dec 2016 #8
Exactly...although there are definitely some who are, you can't lump people together NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #9
Middle Management at Ironic Co. Afromania Dec 2016 #14
Corporate takeover coming. HassleCat Dec 2016 #20
Post Takeover Afromania Dec 2016 #24
It might hurt their feelings. stone space Dec 2016 #75
I don't much care how Trump voters are labeled. Laurian Dec 2016 #13
Thank you! EffieBlack Dec 2016 #17
Exactly To The Point Me. Dec 2016 #18
I stand up against bigotry WHENEVER I see it...including when it's directed towards NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #33
Nobody is stopping anybody from changing. stone space Dec 2016 #76
Couldn't agree with you more. Paladin Dec 2016 #19
And those who don't think an Obama voter could be racist don't understand racism. Garrett78 Dec 2016 #21
Yet they are the first and the loudest to lecture the rest of us about it EffieBlack Dec 2016 #44
Because I'd like to win the presidency back in 2020? mythology Dec 2016 #28
I disagree. I have no desire to appeal to racist, misogynistic, xenophobic people Laurian Dec 2016 #34
Democrats will NEVER win without those lost states...NEVER NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #49
"those who did not vote " TwilightZone Dec 2016 #59
I'm just fed up with seeing bigotry flowing freely on this site against entire groups NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #66
It's only directed at white voters who voted for Trump gollygee Dec 2016 #71
Yeah, we had one of those here, too. The cops even gave him his confederate flag back. stone space Dec 2016 #79
And THAT Trump voter is a racist, clearly a member of the alt-right NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #87
I don't much care how Trump voters are labeled. LenaBaby61 Dec 2016 #40
You are using a couple of questionable assumptions... NCTraveler Dec 2016 #23
"How is one deemed not racist because they voted for Obama?" EffieBlack Dec 2016 #36
He showed up and talked about bringing back jobs. She showed up and talked about him. NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #38
"He showed up and talked about bringing back jobs. She showed up and talked about him." NCTraveler Dec 2016 #42
You seem to thing if the people who voted for a white sepremacist campaign will check their . . . brush Dec 2016 #46
"not addressing the economic concerns " TwilightZone Dec 2016 #60
It doesn't matter if they are racist. Adrahil Dec 2016 #27
And I haven't seen any of them condemn the racist violence in Trump's name or his making a EffieBlack Dec 2016 #47
rump supporters are all racist... scscholar Dec 2016 #54
If you vote for someone who is openly racist and sexist, you are supporting racism and sexism. Squinch Dec 2016 #57
yup, Trump and Ben Carson are friends and i don't doubt that Trump actually likes him JI7 Dec 2016 #73
I seriously don't get this defense of an obvious act of racism and sexism. A vote for Squinch Dec 2016 #81
No one is embracing racists! Many here are falsely labeling people as such... NoGoodNamesLeft Dec 2016 #88
If you vote for someone who is openly racist and sexist, you are by definition racist and sexist. Squinch Dec 2016 #89
I Include them all too bravenak Dec 2016 #90
By all means, keep calling them racist and demeaning their lives and views Calista241 Dec 2016 #58
David Souter retired in 2009 TwilightZone Dec 2016 #61
You're right, I meant Breyer. n/t Calista241 Dec 2016 #64
This is simply untrue. There are multiple threads now with proof of why it isn't true. Let me Squinch Dec 2016 #82
People voting for a candidate endorsed by the KKK & saluted by the Nazis are racist by definition. baldguy Dec 2016 #63
What they are is misogynistic. nt. marybourg Dec 2016 #69
I actually do believe that they are racist and sexist, but the thing that kept more of them from Squinch Dec 2016 #83
If they voted for Trump, then they don't care about racism... SidDithers Dec 2016 #74
why didn't his racist comments bother them? DesertFlower Dec 2016 #78
you may be right; that and people ALWAYS want "a change." nt TheFrenchRazor Dec 2016 #80
Many people told me they voted for the "muslim nigger"!!! And told me I was not a "nigger" like bravenak Dec 2016 #84
Racist behavior is usually due to emotions utilized over logic. Quayblue Dec 2016 #91
Wrong. Starry Messenger Dec 2016 #93

Yo_Mama

(8,303 posts)
29. I hope you are not saying that President Obama is a liar and a cheater!!!
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:32 PM
Dec 2016

Maybe you need to reword that?

raging moderate

(4,502 posts)
68. Obama is not a Republicon.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 10:38 PM
Dec 2016

Trump is. And so are Romney, Ryan, and McConnell. I suspect this whole thing was a vast orchestrated con artist job.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
2. I'll just repost a comment I made to another OP.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 06:45 PM
Dec 2016
If someone is a racist they are NOT going to vote for a black man for president not once, but twice.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/118758632#post16

I recall a 2008 media quote from a guy standing in line to vote: "I'm voting for the N-Word"

What this told me at the time was 2 things:

(1) Dude actually had the intellectual and emotional capacity to recognize his own self interest in the context of a sudden unexpected financial meltdown.

(2) Dude's level of support for Obama was probably somewhat soft from the start, and maintaining his support likely depended on maintaining an appropriate level of fear.

Another thought that occurs to me now in 2016:

(3) Republicans are better at manipulating and maintaining fear than Democrats, so Dude probably switched to Trump this time around, as President Obama didn't do enough to maintain his fears.

(4) If the Democratic Party is to attempt to reach out to folks like this, we'll need to get a lot better at stoking peoples' fears.

(5) In 2020, Dude's vote may very will be up for grabs again, should President Trump's policies over the next 4 years succeed in instilling the requisite level of fear.
 

mythology

(9,527 posts)
25. The plural of anecdote isn't data
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:25 PM
Dec 2016

Not to mention while I can find the anecdote repeated multiple times, neither the canvasser who reported it, or the couple who were reported to have originally said it are named.

It could just as easily be fake as real.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
26. It was in a major publication like NYT or WaPo. I forget exactly, but it wasn't anything obscure.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:31 PM
Dec 2016

And the only thing plural here is my reposted comment, I'm afraid.

I don't have two anecdotes.

Only one.



It does interest me that you've heard it before, however.

I haven't.

I thought that I was the only person in the world who remembered it.



 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
3. How many white Trump supporters voted for Obama?
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 06:46 PM
Dec 2016

I'm guessing not many. Obama won only 39% of the white vote in 2012 nationally. Hillary won only 37%. That two-point drop isn't significant enough to suggest there's a huge segment of the white population that voted for Obama but then turned around and voted for Donald Trump.

Both Obama and Hillary won 34% of the white male vote. Hillary did a point worse than Obama among female white voters. The same white voters who supported Romney supported Trump. The difference was that there were more of 'em in 2016 than we anticipated.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
5. We are talking about the Rust Belt voters and Obama did much better than Clinton with them
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 06:50 PM
Dec 2016
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/10/1595415/-Obama-did-considerably-better-than-Clinton-with-the-white-vote-in-Rust-Belt-states-that-she-lost


Wisconsin Obama 2012- 48% of the white vote Clinton 2016 42% of the white vote

Iowa Obama 2012- 51% of the white vote Clinton 2016-41% of the white vote

Ohio Obama 2012- 41% of the white vote Clinton 2016- 35% of the white vote

Pennsylvania Obama 2012 42% of the white vote Clinton 2016-40% of the white vote

Michigan Obama 2012- 44% of the white vote Clinton 2016-36% of the white vote
 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
10. And Obama did much worse among rust belt white voters than past white candidates...
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:08 PM
Dec 2016

What's your point?

Obama did three-points worse among white voters in Ohio than John Kerry in 2004.

Why do you think that is?

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
16. Kerry lost and 2004 was 12 years ago and you are talking one state
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:19 PM
Dec 2016

I posted figures from 2012 and 2016. Clinton lost white voters in comparison to Obama's percentage. Also, in 8 years the demographics can change enough to account for 3 points in Ohio. Obama got 6% more than Clinton in Ohio in just 4 years. He got 10% more in Iowa.

 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
37. You're posing irrelevant figures...
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:48 PM
Dec 2016

Just as I can.

It implies the difference between Obama & Hillary solely came from Obama voters voting Trump. That's not accurate at all. The increase in Trump support among white voters could have come from Obama white voters either not voting or voting third party. 5% of whites voted third party in 2016 in Ohio, compared to only 2% from 2012. How many of those voters voted Obama in 2012? We don't know - but it's just as logical to assume a good chunk of them did as it is to assume the difference in Trump support among whites came from Obama voters four years ago. If that's the case, the difference is already halved, at least, by those voters. Moreover, you could couple Obama's support among white voters staying home AND an increase of new white voters who didn't vote in 2012. That would not suggest Obama white voters four years ago voted for Trump.

Especially when you look at the party ID and ideology compare it to 2012: In 2012, 38% of the voters who voted were Democrats. In 2016, it was just 34%. For Republicans, it was 31% in 2012 and 37% in 2016 - a near reversal. In ideologies, liberals made up two-percent fewer voters compared to 2012, while self-identifying conservatives saw an increase of four-percent - a total shift of six-percentage points against liberals from 2012. That points to a different electorate, which was more conservative than four years ago and more white - even if only marginally.

Bottom line: you're wrong. Your point can't be made without further understanding of the electorate. You provide no facts and no logical explanation beyond numbers that are unrelated. There are just as many arguments that could be made to suggest the difference in white support from 2012 to 2016 stems from Obama white voters staying home or voting third party. Which would hurt Hillary Clinton and help Trump.


Were there some white voters who voted for Trump and supported Obama four years ago? Sure - but they're a statistical anomaly.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
39. See post 30, I add percentages of 3rd party voters and percentages of Democrats that voted for Trump
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:56 PM
Dec 2016

Trump got up to 11% of Democrat voters in the rust belt. People should keep calling those Democrats racists. That sure will help win again. Just attack them, label them, hate on them and they will reward you by giving the GOP even more House and Senate seats from those rust belt states. Hell, before you know it the whole Supreme Court will be made up of radical right wingers. But hey...I guess some of you prefer that to actually admitting that elitism and snobbery is shrinking the party.

 

Drunken Irishman

(34,857 posts)
72. You're not getting it.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 11:35 PM
Dec 2016

You're under the impression the exact same amount of people who voted in 2012 turned out and voted in 2016. That's just not the case. There are millions of new voters, people who weren't 18 in 2012, who cast their first ballot this election. There are thousands of new voters, people who weren't, say, citizens four years ago, who cast their vote for the first time. There's millions of new people who, for whatever reason, haven't voted in past elections, who cast their vote for the first time - either ever or in a long, long time. There are millions of people who voted in 2012 who have since died. It's faulty to assume percentages even matter here. They don't. Using those percentages assumes that every person who voted in 2012 cast their ballot in 2016 and nothing changed. That isn't the case.

In the end, there are Obama voters who voted Trump but I doubt it's significant enough to alter the election outcome. It's probably less than 10% nationally - which means a strong majority of white Trump voters voted against Obama in 2012.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
86. Turnout was about the same, higher in 2 states, lower in two and about the same in one
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:51 AM
Dec 2016

Turnout

Wisconsin

2012: 72.9
2016: 69.4

Iowa

2012: 70.3
2016: 68.6

Ohio

2012: 64.5
2016: 64.1

Pennsylvania

2012: 59.5
2016: 62.2

Michigan

2012: 64.7
2016: 65.6

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
11. That doesn't mean that many Obama voters voted for Trump
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:10 PM
Dec 2016

I think some people who have never voted for president before were exicted by Trump and voted, and I also think much of the base wasn't excited by Clinton and didn't vote when they could have. I have seen nothing to convince me that there is a large group of people who voted for Obama and then voted for Trump. That is an assumption.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
62. Most of the rust belt states had similar or higher turnout
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:56 PM
Dec 2016


Turnout

Wisconsin

2012: 72.9
2016: 69.4

Iowa

2012: 70.3
2016: 68.6

Ohio

2012: 64.5
2016: 64.1

Pennsylvania

2012: 59.5
2016: 62.2

Michigan

2012: 64.7
2016: 65.6

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
65. Yeah, a lot of people who don't usually vote voted
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 10:00 PM
Dec 2016

That's what we've been saying. Lots more new voters excited by Trump's racism, fewer (but a smaller group) Democrats who weren't excited by Clinton.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
56. The percentage of Third Party voters only went up 1-3% in the rust belt states
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:47 PM
Dec 2016

So that doesn't account for anywhere near the number of votes the Democrats lost from 2012 to 2016.

Yo_Mama

(8,303 posts)
31. I personally know five. I don't talk about politics that much with
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:34 PM
Dec 2016

family/friends, much less more distant friends/acquaintances.

This was the strangest election of my lifetime.

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
32. I know one. I do talk politics with people.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:36 PM
Dec 2016

So there are at least six. I don't think that is what swung the election. I think it was more votes from people who don't usually vote but really liked Trump, and fewer votes from our side after a horribly nasty primary where Hillary was not very popular among Democratic voters.

Yo_Mama

(8,303 posts)
94. I think it had to do with local demographics/prosperity.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 10:15 AM
Dec 2016

Tip O'Neill's famous "all politics is local" really did seem to hold true this year.

A lot about county-level voting patterns can be explained by the NACO maps:
http://explorer.naco.org/index.html?dset=County%20Economies&ind=Jobs%20Growth%20Rate%2C%20Recovery#

Yo_Mama

(8,303 posts)
92. As far as I can tell, you are right about the fewer votes from Dems.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 10:08 AM
Dec 2016

But the data also shows that in certain counties there were significant swings in Obama voters to Trump voters. Depressed areas, in which the talk about jobs/trade loomed large.

I don't think that this election will be very predictive of the next, to be honest. It just seems weird.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
15. You're assuming these are the same voters from year to year
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:18 PM
Dec 2016

These are percentages of how many people voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 and voted for Trump in 2016. But you have no idea how many of these are the same people, i.e., how many people who voted for Obama in 2008 and 2012 then voted for Trump this year.

Red herring.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
30. No, it compares Obama's 2012 numbers and Clinton's 2016 numbers
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:34 PM
Dec 2016

Wisconsin Obama got 6% more than Clinton

Obama 2012- 48% of the white vote
Clinton 2016 42% of the white vote

Iowa Obama got 10% more than Clinton

Obama 2012- 51% of the white vote
Clinton 2016-41% of the white vote

Ohio Obama got 6% more than Clinton

Obama 2012- 41% of the white vote
Clinton 2016- 35% of the white vote

Pennsylvania Obama got 2% more than Clinton

Obama 2012 42% of the white vote
Clinton 2016-40% of the white vote

Michigan Obama got 8% more than Clinton

Obama 2012- 44% of the white vote
Clinton 2016-36% of the white vote


Those percentages are white voters LOST from 2012 to 2016.
Here are figures for the percentage of votes Third Party candidates got AND how many DEMOCRATS voted for Trump.


Wisconsin

Stein 1.1
Johnson 3.6

7% of Democrats voted for Trump



Iowa

Stein 0.7
Johnson 3.7

10% of Democrats voted for Trump


Ohio

Stein 0.8
Johnson 3.2

12% of Democrats voted for Trump

Pennsylvania

Stein 0.8
Johnson 2.4

11% of registered Democrats voted for Trump

Michigan

Stein 1.1
Johnson 3.6

9% of Democrats voted for Trump


Go ahead and keep on calling those Democratic voters racists.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
35. You're completely missing the point
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:44 PM
Dec 2016

You're talking about percentages but you have absolutely no idea how many individual white people who voted for Obama turned around and voted for Trump this time around. You just know how many white people voted for Obama and Romney in 2012 and how many white people voted for Hillary and Trump in 2016.

So even if your claim that one cannot be a bigot if they voted for Obama held water - which it doesn't since voting for Obama does not absolve a bigot of their bigotry - the numbers you present don't make your point since they don't tell you how many of the white voters who voted for Obama voted for Trump in 2016. You don't know if those are the same voters.

But if you want to keep falling all over yourself defending voters who lined up with the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis to vote to put a racist in the White House, be my guest.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
41. DEMOCRATS that voted for Trump in the Rust Belt. D-E-M-O-C-R-A-T-S
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:03 PM
Dec 2016

Wisconsin

7% of Democrats voted for Trump

Iowa

10% of Democrats voted for Trump

Ohio

12% of Democrats voted for Trump

Pennsylvania

11% of registered Democrats voted for Trump

Michigan

9% of Democrats voted for Trump

Those figures come from: http://www.cnn.com/election/results


Why do you keep calling your fellow Democrats racists and accusing them of agreeing with the KKK and Nazis?

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
43. But you don't know if they're THE SAME DEMOCRATS
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:11 PM
Dec 2016

100 people voted in 2012. 60 of them voted for Obama. 40 of them voted for Romney.

90 people voted in 2016. 40 of them voted for Obama. 50 of them voted for Trump.

How do you know that the 10 more votes that Trump got in 2016 were all people who voted for Obama in 2012?

And I accuse my fellow Democrats who voted for Trump of being racist and/or agreeing with the KKK and Nazis, because they willinglly agreed with the KKK and Nazis that a racist should be in charge of our country.

Apparently you see it differently. Good for you.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
48. What percentage of Rust Belt Democrats voted for Bush?
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:22 PM
Dec 2016

We're focusing on the states that Obama won that Clinton lost. These are states that normally go Blue and were lost. I was looking for the state by state figures and have not been able to find them. If you can find the figures just for the individual rust belt states I would like to see those.

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
50. I want to see why you think the same specific people who voted for Obama voted for Clinton
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:29 PM
Dec 2016

In large numbers. I know one person in Michigan who did, and I know a lot of people and I talk politics with pretty much everybody. And I live in western Michigan, not in a big city area.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
52. You're misunderstanding the point I was making with those figures
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:39 PM
Dec 2016

Those numbers show the DROP in white voters who voted for the Democrat from 2012 to 2016.

I added the additional information from this election that showed the percentage of registered Democrats that voted for Trump. Since Trump didn't do great with minorities it's pretty safe to assume that the majority of those Democrats that voted for Trump are white. The percentages of drop in 2012 to 2016 is very close to most of the state figures of the percentage of Democrats that voted for Trump.

Tommy2Tone

(1,307 posts)
77. Percentages are deceiving
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 12:58 AM
Dec 2016

Last edited Sun Dec 4, 2016, 11:47 PM - Edit history (1)

From what I read it's not about those but the number of people that voted. Obama turned out more voters than Hillary. A lot of them just stayed home.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
85. Here are the turnout numbers for 2012 vs 2016
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:50 AM
Dec 2016

Two of the states had higher turnout, two had lower and one was pretty much a tie. Turn out was similar...people just did not turn out for Clinton.

Turnout

Wisconsin

2012: 72.9
2016: 69.4

Iowa

2012: 70.3
2016: 68.6

Ohio

2012: 64.5
2016: 64.1

Pennsylvania

2012: 59.5
2016: 62.2

Michigan

2012: 64.7
2016: 65.6

Tommy2Tone

(1,307 posts)
95. I'll concede that
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 11:50 PM
Dec 2016

A lot of butt hurt progressives wanted to vote as a protest so the green and libertarian parties got their voted from Clinton.

 

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)
6. Some are racially motivated.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 06:51 PM
Dec 2016

I know a few of them personally. They liked Obama and voted for him twice, but they think black people got their fair share, and now expect to rake in more than their fair share. They think Obama kept a lid on racial strife simply by being black, and they didn't trust Clinton to stand up to BLM and others because she is a guilty white liberal. So, yes, there was a big racial component to this.

 

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)
8. Agree with you there.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:01 PM
Dec 2016

And it's time to stop labelling as "racist" every white person who voted for him. After all, he got some black and Latino votes, so what do we call those voters?

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
9. Exactly...although there are definitely some who are, you can't lump people together
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:07 PM
Dec 2016

Seeing people call all of them racists is really chaffing my butt the last few days.

Afromania

(2,789 posts)
14. Middle Management at Ironic Co.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:17 PM
Dec 2016

Senior Jr. executive VP's of forced inoffensive normative socialization & interaction with upper management.

 

HassleCat

(6,409 posts)
20. Corporate takeover coming.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:54 PM
Dec 2016

We love our jobs, but we're going to be downsized in the hostile takeover by Righteous Outrage Inc. Their motto is "We'll make you so angry you'll vote for us."

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
75. It might hurt their feelings.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 12:51 AM
Dec 2016
And it's time to stop labelling as "racist" every white person who voted for him.


Laurian

(2,593 posts)
13. I don't much care how Trump voters are labeled.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:14 PM
Dec 2016

They voted for a person who repeatedly showed disdain for large swaths of people based on their ethnicity and gender. He's a hateful person willing to sacrifice anyone for his own purposes. He has no morals or values.

Anyone able to vote for such a person cannot justify that vote to me.

End of story.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
17. Thank you!
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:19 PM
Dec 2016

And for the life of me, I cannot figure out why so many Democrats are going through this much trouble defending them while ignoring the black and brown people in their own party who are deeply offended, not only by Trump voters but by our own fellow Democrats who want to bring them into our fold with us.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
33. I stand up against bigotry WHENEVER I see it...including when it's directed towards
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:43 PM
Dec 2016

People I disagree with.

Who, exactly, is supposedly ignoring the black and brown people? Why do you seem to find it so impossible that someone can care about the well being of ALL people?

Up to 11% of Democrats in rust belt states voted for Trump. Maybe before you call 1/10th of the Democrats in a state racists you ought to ask WHY they voted for him...the REAL reason. Or would you rather permanently alienate those voters so that Democrats NEVER win any elected office again? They aren't all racists and many people find it bigoted and offensive that people keep calling their fellow Democrats names.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
76. Nobody is stopping anybody from changing.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 12:57 AM
Dec 2016
Or would you rather permanently alienate those voters so that Democrats NEVER win any elected office again? They aren't all racists and many people find it bigoted and offensive that people keep calling their fellow Democrats names.


But there are people who make me fear for my own safety and the safety of my family.

Paladin

(28,763 posts)
19. Couldn't agree with you more.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:35 PM
Dec 2016

Enough of the pissing and moaning about the supposed shortcomings of Democrats. Enough of the slack being cut to people stupid and petulant enough to cast a vote for a douchebag like Trump. And enough of the nitpicking and gloating of the Bernie acolytes. This isn't getting us anywhere. Enough.

Garrett78

(10,721 posts)
21. And those who don't think an Obama voter could be racist don't understand racism.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 07:58 PM
Dec 2016

They don't understand how racism works, oppression theory, systemic inequity vs. individual attitudes, etc.

Folks ought to read each of the following:

1) http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/11/why_did_some_white_obama_voters_for_trump.html

2) http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2016/11/there_is_no_such_thing_as_a_good_trump_voter.html

Anyway, I'm in agreement that there's no excuse for supporting Trump. As I wrote here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512630903.

 

mythology

(9,527 posts)
28. Because I'd like to win the presidency back in 2020?
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:32 PM
Dec 2016

Because if you begin to understand why people vote the way they do, you can begin to understand how to create an appeal to them. Not appealing to them has left us with Trump. In 2020, I want us to know how to attract enough voters to leave Trump just a bad memory.

Laurian

(2,593 posts)
34. I disagree. I have no desire to appeal to racist, misogynistic, xenophobic people
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:43 PM
Dec 2016

who find an excuse to vote for the likes of Donald Trump. Those folks are not going to change. I'd rather spend time and effort going after those who did not vote and get them involved. They may be reachable. Trump voters, not so much.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
49. Democrats will NEVER win without those lost states...NEVER
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:28 PM
Dec 2016

And on top of that they WILL lose more house and senate seats. Then the liberal judges will retire and GOP presidents will have so much control over everything they can do ANYTHING they want to.

But hey, shrink that tent. Don't every consider you might just be wrong. Keep losing.

Hopefully a moderate party that isn't so goddamned snobby, sanctimonious, elitist and selfish will be born out of the death of the Democratic Party. It will die, you know.


Big tent my ass...

TwilightZone

(28,833 posts)
59. "those who did not vote "
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:50 PM
Dec 2016

There are plenty of those in the states you're talking about. It is possible to regain those states by increasing Democratic turnout and not pandering to Trump voters.

Your underlying premise is flawed and your response has little to do with the post you responded to.

"isn't so goddamned snobby, sanctimonious, elitist and selfish "

Thanks for exposing your true motives. I'll know I can safely breeze on by.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
66. I'm just fed up with seeing bigotry flowing freely on this site against entire groups
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 10:08 PM
Dec 2016

It's not OK.

I stand up against bigotry whenever I see it. I'm seeing it here directed at white voters. When I heard some dumbass make a racist comment about flying the Confederate Flag just to piss off black people I looked him right in the eye and told him he was an ignorant bigoted asshole. If someone is REALLY a racist then call them on it, I'm all for that. However, if someone is going to start tossing around generalizations, stereotypes and accuse people they don't even know I'm not going to let that slide. That is racist too and is just as ugly no matter what side it comes from. You don't have to be white to behave in a racist way.

gollygee

(22,336 posts)
71. It's only directed at white voters who voted for Trump
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 11:26 PM
Dec 2016

Not at white voters in general. Actually, it's really about anyone who voted for Trump. If someone is one race but hates people from Mexico or Islamic people or African Americans and that's why they voted for Trump, they're doing the same thing.

If it's based on whom someone voted for and not their skin color, it isn't racism.

 

stone space

(6,498 posts)
79. Yeah, we had one of those here, too. The cops even gave him his confederate flag back.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 01:14 AM
Dec 2016
When I heard some dumbass make a racist comment about flying the Confederate Flag just to piss off black people I looked him right in the eye and told him he was an ignorant bigoted asshole


Our elections here in Iowa usually aren't this bloody.










 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
87. And THAT Trump voter is a racist, clearly a member of the alt-right
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 08:00 AM
Dec 2016

I am familiar with that case as I shared the story on social media when it happened. He's not a typical white voter...he's alt-right.

LenaBaby61

(6,991 posts)
40. I don't much care how Trump voters are labeled.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:03 PM
Dec 2016
"They voted for a person who repeatedly showed disdain for large swaths of people based on their ethnicity and gender. He's a hateful person willing to sacrifice anyone for his own purposes. He has no morals or values.

Anyone able to vote for such a person cannot justify that vote to me.

End of story."


Excellent post, and I agree a thousand percent with you!

Look at WHO all of those that voted for tRump have in common:









 

NCTraveler

(30,481 posts)
23. You are using a couple of questionable assumptions...
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:12 PM
Dec 2016

as means of holding up your argument.

How many white males voted for Obama twice and then for Trump? I haven't seen that information. I imagine it's not possible to get. That is the base of your argument and is flawed.

"He showed up and spoke to the rust belt."

So did Clinton. It's false that she didn't. It's a different form of the same arguments we saw early in the primaries between Sanders and Clinton supporters. For many that fight never truly went away.

How is one deemed not racist because they voted for Obama? Your argument hinges on this.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
36. "How is one deemed not racist because they voted for Obama?"
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:46 PM
Dec 2016

The same way one can't be deemed racist if they claim to have a black friend . . .

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
38. He showed up and talked about bringing back jobs. She showed up and talked about him.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:49 PM
Dec 2016

I like Hillary, she would have been a great president. That being said...she made a mistake by not addressing the economic concerns of the rust belt Democrats and she lost them to an orange asshole. Hindsight is 20/20. If you think Democrats can ever win the white house again without the rust belt states then people should keep right on alienating those Obama Democrats that voted for Trump by calling them racists. That will teach them, alright! Bash them and push them right to the GOP so they can vote for GOP downticket candidates in 2 years.

 

NCTraveler

(30,481 posts)
42. "He showed up and talked about bringing back jobs. She showed up and talked about him."
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:09 PM
Dec 2016

That is a truly false narrative. I'm not sure why it is being promoted considering how easy it is to prove false. Clinton talked to crowds regularly about jobs and the economy. She also talked about Trump. Trump mainly talked about other people, including Clinton, and threw in some about jobs and the economy along the way.

Your whole premise is false.

You also continued with the flawed "voted twice for Obama and then Trump" argument. My argument above stands in its critique and you addressed none of it in your reply. The argument you are making is seriously flawed.

brush

(57,509 posts)
46. You seem to thing if the people who voted for a white sepremacist campaign will check their . . .
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:13 PM
Dec 2016

attitudes at the door if they come over to the Dem party.

Won't happen. By catering to them to get their vote the Dem party will have to move to the right, and the further right the more votes we will lose from our loyal base.

This one included.

I'm not a republican because I don't want to associate and rub shoulders with a people who tolerate racists in their midst.

 

Adrahil

(13,340 posts)
27. It doesn't matter if they are racist.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 08:31 PM
Dec 2016

They voted for one, and they didn't care enough about it to NOT vote for him. That tells me all I need to know about them.

 

EffieBlack

(14,249 posts)
47. And I haven't seen any of them condemn the racist violence in Trump's name or his making a
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:14 PM
Dec 2016

racist his top adviser in the White House.

Crickets from them.

 

scscholar

(2,902 posts)
54. rump supporters are all racist...
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:44 PM
Dec 2016

so we know damn well this is not6 damn true. They hate us which is proven by this lie that their kind spews. Their kind spews.

Squinch

(52,742 posts)
57. If you vote for someone who is openly racist and sexist, you are supporting racism and sexism.
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:47 PM
Dec 2016

If you do it because you think, rightly or wrongly, that you will get something out of your vote, you are STILL supporting racism and sexism.

If you support racism and sexism you are, by definition, racist and sexist. You have performed a racist and sexist act. That makes you racist and sexist.

JI7

(90,527 posts)
73. yup, Trump and Ben Carson are friends and i don't doubt that Trump actually likes him
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 12:04 AM
Dec 2016

doesn't mean he isn't racist against the group.

this is one of those "some of my best friends are ...................." type things.

Squinch

(52,742 posts)
81. I seriously don't get this defense of an obvious act of racism and sexism. A vote for
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:22 AM
Dec 2016

Trump is an act of racism and sexism. They can't have voted for him unless that was OK with them.

I am also troubled by the insistence that we need to cater to those people, when there have been multiple threads proving that the "white working class" of the rust belt DIDN'T vote for him. The ones for whom the economy was most important voted for Hillary. There is nothing to prove that the ones who voted for Trump were the ones that voted for Obama in those states, though that seems to be the narrative that has stuck. There is no proof of that.

We do not need to embrace the racists and sexists to win the next election, and if we do embrace them we will certainly LOSE the next election.

We need to go after the ones who didn't vote who now see what a mistake that was. I am furious at them, but I can believe they are just woefully ignorant, and I am willing to work with them. I will not have anything to do with racists and sexists.

 

NoGoodNamesLeft

(2,056 posts)
88. No one is embracing racists! Many here are falsely labeling people as such...
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 08:10 AM
Dec 2016

That's the problem. Some people here are being so deeply intolerant and irrationally devoted to their opinion that EVERY white person who voted for Trump is a racist. They are saying some very hateful things. They are being bigots, plain and simple. It's hypocritical and needs to stop.


Definition of bigot
: a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance


https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bigot

Squinch

(52,742 posts)
89. If you vote for someone who is openly racist and sexist, you are by definition racist and sexist.
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 08:15 AM
Dec 2016

People who voted for trump are racists and sexists. If you perform a racist and sexist act, such as giving power to a racist and sexist, you are a racist and a sexist.

The people in the rust belt who voted for trump did not do so because of jobs. Those in the rust belt for whom jobs was the most important issue voted for Hillary.

And I'm not saying that every white person who voted for Trump is a racist, I am saying that every person who voted for Trump is a racist.

And I am not saying that every man who voted for Trump is a sexist, I am saying that every person who voted for Trump is a sexist.

Yes, I include people of color and women. People do act against their own self interests.

Calista241

(5,600 posts)
58. By all means, keep calling them racist and demeaning their lives and views
Sat Dec 3, 2016, 09:50 PM
Dec 2016

And watch us get our ass kicked even worse in 2018 and 2020.

When will people here understand that we NEED these people to accomplish our agenda. People need to suck it up and realize we need a bigger tent than the west and east coasts in order to do anything.

This isn't a "yeah, it'd be nice if these people voted for us to give us 350 electoral votes as opposed to 270" issue. It's more of a "we need these people to vote for us, or we'll have 4 more years of Trump and Republican control of Congress."

RBG, Breyer, and Kennedy may last through 4 years of Trump, but can we expect them to last through 8?

Squinch

(52,742 posts)
82. This is simply untrue. There are multiple threads now with proof of why it isn't true. Let me
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:33 AM
Dec 2016

summarize them for you:

First, the people in the rust belt for whom the economy was most important voted for Hillary. The people in the rust belt for whom other issues were most important voted for Trump. This means that the ones who voted for him ARE racist and sexist. It isn't about the economy for them, it isn't about the jobs, it's about the "other" and the power that the "other" has achieved.

Second, the narrative that "they voted for Obama before they voted for Trump" has no evidence in the numbers to back it up. It is more likely that they voted for Obama and then they didn't vote in this election. The likelihood is that this election fired up an entirely different segment of the "sometimes votes" group, and the segment we needed stayed home.

Third, that large number of people who didn't vote in this election are about to get schooled in Trump University. They are going to suffer, and they will be a little less ignorant going into the next election. They are where we need to work to get the voters we need.

If we go after what we are erroneously characterizing as the "rust belt white working class" which has been proven not to be any kind of bloc at all, and whose values are in direct opposition to ours, we will certainly lose the next election.

Squinch

(52,742 posts)
83. I actually do believe that they are racist and sexist, but the thing that kept more of them from
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:37 AM
Dec 2016

voting for Hillary was sexism.

It's the great unspoken force in our culture. I think it is even more powerful than racism, and I think racism is a very powerful force in our culture.

SidDithers

(44,268 posts)
74. If they voted for Trump, then they don't care about racism...
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 12:37 AM
Dec 2016

Whether that makes them racist or not doesn't really matter.

They didn't think that being a racist piece of shit was enough to disqualify someone from being President.

And that, on its own, is fucking disgusting.

Sid

 

bravenak

(34,648 posts)
84. Many people told me they voted for the "muslim nigger"!!! And told me I was not a "nigger" like
Sun Dec 4, 2016, 07:43 AM
Dec 2016

that "nigger". He is from AFRICA. Very upsetting at the time, but now I get anonymous tweets and messages to my email calling me all sorts of new types of nigs, I guess thing will get worse. I guess you'll tell me next that the 'obama bumper sticker guy' that called me a nigger because HE cut ME off was not racist. Or my stepdad who voted Obama but calls us blackfolks nigger rich and Biafra aint no racist either cause he sleeps with my mama?

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