[ilolu]

When Hillary lost to one of the worst candidates ever in Trump, then its her fault. But from what I seen in social media, Hillary's supporters are just blaming everyone else for the loss rather than finding fault in their candidate.

I have even seen tweets claiming all Trump's voters (60 million people) are sexist, racist etc. It could just be a simple fact that people value other things more than just sexism and racism.

Trump just sold people a better future to this voters than Hillary did. Whether he is going to solve any issues of his voters, is a different thing.

[allengeorge]

While I'm sure that sexism and racism does play a role for some voters, I believe (anecdotally, without data-based evidence) that its influence is overstated. Commentators who simply point to those factors are demonizing the "other" and perversely, are making it even harder to achieve consensus on issues. After all, how can you respect your opponent if they're sexist or racist?

That aside, broadly, Hillary lost because she:

- Represented the establishment

- Was uninspiring

- Was followed by the aura of 'scandal' (Benghazi and the email server are the two I've heard the most)

I think people were simply tired of establishment politicians who they felt never listened to them and never worked for their interests anyways - and just wanted someone radically different. It also helped that Trump's message "Make America Great Again" is trivially inspiring and broadly resonates. People feel that there's something wrong - that the social contract is gone, and they want to be part of a future where that greatness and their part in it exists again.

[ilolu]

I am from India and I have seen middle class people talking about sexism, racism as major points while discussing candidates.

But when people are worried about leading a respectful life and make the future of their children safer, you cannot expect them to vote on sexism and racism as major topics in an election. You need to sell them a future.

And Trump sold them a future with "Make America Great Again". And Bernie was also selling people a future where corporations don't decide ur life. Hillary was basically telling America is great already. Think of people who are anxious economically hearing that.

[calebm]

About half of Trump's supporters were women; which sex are sexist against?

[Wellshit]

I guess

https://twitter.com/search?q=treats%20women%20from%3AHillary...

[vertex-four]

How Trump won is a different question from whether Trump's voters are directly responsible for the harm that will be caused to minority groups in the next 4-8 years. Hillary can be an awful candidate and Trump's supporters can have caused harm towards people on the basis of race and gender - it's not an either/or.

[choko]

You make these statements as if they are a certainty. If you would step from the echo chamber for just a moment, perhaps you might see that many of the accusations thrown at the Republican candidate were trumped up by the media. I'm optimistic that he's not half as bad as CNN would lead us to believe.

[travmatt]

Can't wait to see - the voting rights act is effectively dead, I wonder how effective Pence will be in pushing conversion therapy on the LGBT community.

[k__]

> people value other things more than just sexism and racism

I think the point is, that most people have a rather extreme picture of being a sexist or racist.

No you don't have to run around and rape women to be a sexist

No you don't have to shave your head and batter blacks to be a racist.

It is enough if you simply accept people being that way.

And if you voted for Trump you didn't just accept that he is sexist or racist, you even approved for it by giving him something despite him acting like that.

The simple fact is, now people think it's okay to propagate hate if you get enough out of it.

[DefaultUserHN]

Falsely accusing Trump and Trump supporters of being racist was the reason why Trump won the Primary.

Doubling-down on the racist accusation was why Trump proceeded to win the President.

Now, you're going to triple-down on it?

LOL. Some people never learn.

[baldfat]

> Trump just sold people a better future to this voters than Hillary did. Whether he is going to solve any issues of his voters, is a different thing.

Really I found what he sold was doom and gloom. Death of America if he wasn't elected.

Seriously asking because I guess I am blind but what future is he selling besides we all would cease to exist as a country and a democracy if he lost?

[candiodari]

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/contract/

See "actions to protect the American worker", essentially, isolationism. Anti NAFTA, anti TPP, anti China dumping, anti UN regulations (ie. anti climate change, or at least anti economic impact from climate change).

In the last section there's something about working to punish people employing illegal immigrants, which is a very sore point with poor Americans.

These are not going to be very popular actions on Hacker News, but is it that hard to see that there's a TON of poor Americans this would resonate with ?

[someguydave]

His voters were mostly middle income. They rightly feel that the benefits of trade have mostly accrued to coastal connected elites and not them.

[baldfat]

None of that is a positive motivated promise. Everyone of them come from a negative stopping promise. Also he won't get but a few dfinished of those things done. AKA Term Limits in Congress LOL

Also we became the number one energy producing nation, under Obama, in the world he is acting like we have been holding off of trillions of revenue.

I hope I wrong but none of that is a future this is fixing yesterdays problems.

[gorbachev]

His underlying message was almost the same as Bernie Sanders', i.e. "the establishment is not serving you, but the corporate overlords". That's not doom and gloom. It's the reality of much of America. The people living that reality blame the Clintons (and Obama, and to a lesser degree the two Bushes) for making it happen.

That's ultimately why he won.

He got some bonus votes from racists and other kooks, and he wrapped his core message in the typical right-wing xenophobia that resonates well with the base of the modern GOP.

[yolesaber]

Hillary was definitely an incredibly weak and flawed candidate. I'm of the opinion that Sanders would've walloped Trump. But I do have some input regarding the racial dimension of things...

>I have even seen tweets claiming all Trump's voters (60 million people) are sexist, racist etc. It could just be a simple fact that people value other things more than just sexism and racism.

I see a campaign that ran on hate and anger for the 'other'. A campaign that white nationalists have called a blessing. A candidate endorsed by the KKK. A candidate that tweeted out a picture of Hillary Clinton with a Star of David affixed to her.

Trump relied upon a lot of economic anxiety as well but much of that was codified in racial terms: that Obama was serving the interests of black folks more, that white people were being marginalized in the culture, that brown rapists are coming for their jobs and their daughters. How can a vote for Trump not be seen as sexist, racist, and xenophobic? I'm sick of this shit saying we need to understand the other side and find out why they are so angry. I think it's pretty clear why Trump supporters are so angry. I've been to Trump rallies, I've talked to supporters, and you know what most of it comes down to? They want 'their' America back. They say they want to end corruption and take down the political establishment, but they voted for a candidate who is stacking the whitehouse with slimeball careerists like Pence, Gingrich, and Christie. But that seems to be okay with them, because it's 'their' side i.e. white revanchists.

In a country with such charged racial history as the US, is it really unbelievable that millions have regressive views regarding race? Look at how awful Obama is treated by some of these people - that he's a muslim, he secretly hates America and funds ISIS. And even if the voters themselves aren't racist, they are complicit in voting for a man who undoubtedly is. Where does that leave them?

[ilolu]

But still you can't label 60 million people just because they voted for Trump. There will be few who are racist. But by labelling everyone, you are basically ignoring the reasons they voted for Trump and increasing the divide. Trump took advantage of the many people's anxiety.

What should be done is take steps for an inclusive growth including people who are anxious, dis-enchanted with establishment. But by labelling them, you are basically discriminating them and pushing them further away.

[yolesaber]

I've talked to plenty of people who voted for Trump. To be completely frank, many of their reasons boil down to emotional garbage like "he tells it like it is" / he "speaks for the common guy". But who is this common guy? In America, it's a white guy.

The people who voted for Trump voted for him despite the obvious and endlessly apparent evidence that he is sexist, racist, and generally an awful person. What can be said about that? Again, if these voters are so disenchanted with the establishment, why did they reelect so many incumbent senators and representatives? Why did they vote for a guy who is stacking his WH with careerists?

To be honest, I think this whole 'disenchanted with the establishment' narrative is missing the focus on the establishment it seems they really hate - the establishment of the first black president.

From whether it's saying things like "Oh Tim is so well spoken, not like his other black friends" or viewing any black male as a potential criminal, Americans, as a whole, are incredibly racist even if they don't "mean" to be. Trump's election is proof of that.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/07/opinion/coates-the-good-ra...

[Omnius]

Trump's election != racist america. I voted Johnson because i couldn't stomach voting for trump and there was no way i was going to vote for Hillary. The Dems could have run literally ANYONE other then her and they would have had an easy win.

Same goes for the Rep's they could have run anyone (well maybe not cruz) other than Trump and had an easy win against Hillary.

Anecdotally i know many people that voted for Trump and not one of them was happy about doing it.

This election the majority of voters on both sides voted against the other candidate verse for their candidate.

[yolesaber]

>Anecdotally i know many people that voted for Trump and not one of them was happy about doing it.

But they still did it. They still voted for an outspoken racist and sexist. They voted for a man who wants to register every Muslim in a database. What does that say about them?

[DefaultUserHN]

>They voted for a man who wants to register every Muslim in a database.

But the NSA already registered every Americans in a database. It would be racist to exclude Muslims from it. We must be inclusive in our surveillance of U.S. citizens.

>They still voted for an outspoken racist and sexist.

Accusation without evidence. Not an argument.

[DefaultUserHN]

>But who is this common guy? In America, it's a white guy.

No. That's YOUR definition of the common man. Their definition of the common man is themselves, a person who have lost his job, because all the companies in his town have sent all the jobs oversea.

This election has nothing to do with racism. For many Trump supporters, having a job so you can feed your family is the most important issue. You're attributing too much to the racism stuff. Just because racism is an important issue for you doesn't mean Trump supporters cares about it.

They just wants their jobs back.

[k__]

The thing is, anxiety or dis-enchantment and racism and sexism aren't mutally exclusive.

If you vote for someone how is racist and sexist, then you are part of the problems that racism and sexism are. Sure you vote for diffrent reasons, but you effectivly say "It's okay to be a racist as long as you help me to feed my kids"

[choko]

Your reasoning works equally well when referring to Hillary Clinton.

If you vote for someone that only serves her own interests and uses disenfranchised minorities as a stepping stone for personal power and flaunts rules that the rest of us would be put on trial for breaking, then you are part of the problem that corruption, bribery, and dishonesty are. Sure, you vote for different reasons but you effectively say "It's okay to step on everyone in your path, lie, and cheat, as long as I get what I want."

It doesn't sound like a fair argument now, does it?

[k__]

Your reasoning implies there is only Client and Trump.

[DefaultUserHN]

You believe Hillary supporters are wrong and you are right.

Hillary supporters believe you are wrong and they are right.

That you see, is the problem.

[choko]

I didn't vote for either, so I'm well aware of the other options. Most people are not though.

[mannykannot]

The issue that the democratic party should probably be taking a look at is how Clinton set herself up as the presumptive candidate even before the primaries.