Tuesday, December 06, 2016

Putting to rest the argument that Hillary Clinton lost because she ignored the Middle Class. She didn't.

Courtesy of The Atlantic:

In the days after her shocking loss, Democrats complained that Clinton had no jobs agenda. A widely shared essay in The Nation blamed Clinton's "neoliberalism" for abandoning the voters who swung the election. “I come from the white working class,” Bernie Sanders said on CBS This Morning, “and I am deeply humiliated that the Democratic Party cannot talk to where I came from.” 

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. 

What’s more, the evidence that Clinton lost because of the nation’s economic disenchantment is extremely mixed. Some economists found that Trump won in counties affected by trade with China. But among the 52 percent of voters who said economics was the most important issue in the election, Clinton beat Trump by double digits. In the vast majority of swing states, voters said they preferred Clinton on the economy. If the 2016 election had come down to economics exclusively, the working class—which, by any reasonable definition, includes the black, Hispanic, and Asian working classes, too—would have elected Hillary Clinton president.

The Atlantic goes on to report that it appears the reason that Trump did as well as he did is because he essentially promised people whatever they wanted to hear.

Rather than talking about the economy and jobs in a broad sense, Donald Trump promised that he would protect the jobs of each and every person who came to his rallies. A promise that there is no way in hell he could ever keep.

If Hillary Clinton made a mistake it was by telling the truth, while many much preferred the lies spilling from the orange anus shaped mouth of Donald Trump.

Hillary Clinton did not fail to make her argument to the Middle Class, it's just that many in the Middle Class failed to understand the truth in what she was saying.

Of course we have to add that fact to the fake news stories, the Russian hackers, and the FBI sabotage as well.

Max Weiss over at HuffPo listed all of the things he blames for Hillary's "defeat" including misogyny, fake news, and Bernie Sanders but does NOT include Hillary Clinton in that list:

She won every debate. She came up with well thought out, concrete plans to govern. She carried herself with dignity and grace, despite all the endless, misogynist shit that was hurled at her. She was nothing short of heroic.

Exactly. 

At the start of this election cycle way back in 2015 I was a lukewarm supporter of Hillary's. But by the time we reached election day I was an honorary "nasty woman" doing everything I could to spread the news that she was uniquely qualified for the job of leading this nation.

I did not come to that conclusion based solely on my disgust with her opponent, I came to that conclusion based on what a bad ass she turned out to be. 

I make this point because it is important historically for us to remember that we did not run a deeply flawed candidate in 2016, but rather that the campaign against her was unprecedented in the fact that it used the illegal activities of a foreign government, the intrusion of the FBI, very likely some vote tampering, and the ignorance of a large segment of the American population to beat her.

And yet, despite all that, Hillary still won the popular vote by over 2.5 million.

49 comments:

  1. Anonymous2:07 PM


    Kurt Eichenwald Calls Out Trump on Boeing Lies, Market Manipulation, and Abuse of Power

    "I cannot find anything saying there was a $4B cost overrun in 3wk old Air Force One contract. Trump made it up."

    Kurt Eichenwald embarked on a twitter storm this afternoon to rip into Donald Trump over his unsubstantiated attack on Boeing. The whole claim of overruns is a lie, says Eichenwald:

    Eichenwald went on to ask Trump supporters to “Explain how a 3-wk old contract has $4B in cost overruns. Trump is lying because Boeing said something he didnt like.”

    Then come the other problems that arise from his lies:

    http://www.politicususa.com/2016/12/06/kurt-eichenwald-calls-trump-boeing-lies-market-manipulation-abuse-power.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:08 PM

      I think Trump is going after Boeing because Washington, where Boeing began its business, is a Blue State that truly found him a repulsive act.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:49 PM

      also 3:08 one of the electors leading the fight to keep the rest from voting for trump is from wa

      Delete
    3. Anonymous5:33 PM

      Zing, yes. So now for sure we know the fatty orange guy lies so easily. More stress in lives.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous2:13 PM

    THANK YOU! I can't stand the media, and some in the dem party trying to say this! She won, hands down, except for the few states in the rust belt. The majority of Americans voted for Clinton. Period.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous7:32 PM

      I'm going out on a limb here and say the votes in WI, MI, OH, and PA were all stolen or manipulated so that it put Trump in the WH. Think OH in 2004 and if you don't know what happened in that election just go google it. The Republicans and the Kochs were NOT going to let this election slip away from them. RoJo, Burr, and Toomey? Really? You can NOT tell me that all the statistical analysts like Nate Silver and Sam Wang of the Princeton Election Consortium were so wrong. No, they had it right. The election was stolen and the Dems were so shocked that all they could do was to concede. Should have pulled a Pat McCrory or a Norm Coleman. The next four years are going to be the longest effing hell for everyone who loves this country. Trump and his Billionaire Know-Nothings will reduce this country to a smoldering pile of shit. Lyin' Paul Ryan will take everything away that we have spent a lifetime paying in to and working for. Thanks idiot voters!

      Delete
  3. Anonymous2:15 PM

    O/t, where are your damn tax papers fat orange one? Stock sell shown.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous2:19 PM

    HRC lost because she never lied, she didn't call people names and she never made promises that she wasn't going to make a great effort to keep. She didn't pander to hatred, misogyny, fear, racism. In the end, I do believe with Trump winning, Amerika has lost bigly.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:21 PM

      And on that final night of campaigning she and her main surrogates all looked happy and relaxed because they trusted that the American people would not vote stupidly. I, too, thought this. I thought no way in 2016 were the imbeciles and haters in this country going to outnumber the other voters.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:25 AM

      Remember that Hillary Clinton did not lose the popular vote; in fact, she won by a significant number. Fluke of nature in the Electoral College? I think not; I think that outcome was carefully planned by the GOP.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  5. Anonymous3:03 PM

    Yep, a bunch of morons are going to get a whole big fat package of what they voted against by voting for Trump. Medicare? Bye-bye. Social Security, see ya later.

    I've talked to so many that bought into his lies and voted for him and now they are losing those things that are most dear to them, PLUS they ain't getting no wall and no mass deportation, and as a bonus, he's just stroking rich people, like him and doesn't give any shits about the "base".

    Stay in school kids, because when you grow up to be a deplorable moron you make bad choices that hurt you, and your family.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:49 PM

      More then anything> They wanted to execute on to HRC "LOCK HER UP" ORGASMIC- letdown.

      Delete
  6. Anonymous3:04 PM

    OT? HELL NO> "It took place in a church clinic that used a scalpel on girls who masturbated." USA USA USA
    https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/dec/02/fgm-happened-to-me-in-white-midwest-america

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous3:06 PM

    Telling the truth to an electorate that doesn’t want to face facts was Hillary’s downfall. Ya think? Damn right. Trump essentially lied and the idiots who voted for him don’t seem to mind this very ugly fact.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:51 PM

      Voter suppression of likely democratic Hillary votes contributed to the this voting fiasco--as planned over the last several election cycles to insure a Republican White House.

      dowl

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:22 AM

      You are right, down.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  8. Anonymous3:13 PM

    Right on, Gryphen. I am sick of hearing people say she didn't talk about the economy. If there is fault to be had, it's because she didn't over-simplify things and she expected people to have brains and to be able to hear more than just one or two words, over and over again, on the subject. She had so many ideas. If she had too many ideas, it wasn't really because she did but because people have stopped using their brains. I did want her to travel to the smaller parts of some states, yes, because of how Trump was appareling to the yahoos and bringing out the most hateful parts of them and making them believe Hillary was to blame for every problem in their lives, and I did email her campaign repeatedly in the hope that many voices urging her to do this would. But she never should have absolutely had to do it--she'd been there so many times over the years and had spoken to and was speaking to all those parts of the country this campaign season. I saw Van Jones' interview with an Ohio family on CNN yesterday. They were Dems but they didn't vote for Hillary. As they were questioned about the differences between Trumpo and Hillary, they made the shift that so many of the Trump voters make when you talk about all the many negatives of Trump. No matter what gets said about his ethics, they shift to the topic of jobs and forgive him. They don't give that to Hillary. And they simply deny that she has spoken about jobs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:50 PM

      I'm sure you made some good points, but I won't read it -- Paragraphs! Please!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:15 PM

      3:50 WTF? that sounds stupid and who made you the editor?

      Delete
  9. Anonymous3:17 PM

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/12/06/pizzagate-is-the-satanic-panic-of-our-age-but-this-time-the-president-s-men-believe-it.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:46 PM

      "These kinds of panics are always about children being compromised, because children represent a lost innocence"
      "Move a step closer to the center, and you’ll find the Christian Right arguing that our religious country has been hijacked, or Pat Buchanan. A step closer, and you’ll find only slightly extreme Republicans, and their funders in the Koch, DeVos, Coors, Scaife, Olin, and Bradley families."Pizzagate is not really that new. What’s new is who believes it."
      and VOTED FOR THIS ^^^

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:29 PM

      http://www.politicususa.com/2016/12/06/editorial-cartoon-pizza-head.html

      Delete
  10. Anonymous3:22 PM

    Where is Trump's heart attack.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous3:23 PM

    Really, Johnny boy?

    John McCain: ‘Outrageous’ That Reporters Ask Me About Donald Trump
    The Republican senator plans to avoid talking about the Republican president-elect until next year.

    ...Asked if that means he won’t talk about anything the president-elect does between now and January, the GOP senator became visibly angry. “I’m sick and tired of only being asked about everything that Donald Trump says or does. I think it’s outrageous and ridiculous that people like you should continue to do so.”

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/john-mccain-donald-trump_us_58471842e4b0ebac580706ba

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That is not the first time that McCain has pitched a hissy fit about his employers (us) asking him reasonable questions regarding his job and its responsibilities.

      Remember when he asked a reporter "Who do you think you are?" when the reporter asked why he was holding a press conference to bitch about not being given Benghazi information at the same time that a briefing about Benghazi (which he blew off to hold the press op) was going on?

      One of these days I would like a reporter to tell him "I'll tell you who I am, I am a US citizen, you are a US senator, I pay your salary, I am your boss, now answer the damn question."

      Delete
    2. Anonymous3:50 PM

      wee wee on johnny McSHAME!<FUCK HIM!

      Delete
    3. Anonymous3:21 AM

      I agree with you 100%, Nefer. GOP politicians have a strange way of ignoring what they're supposed to do - uphold the Constitution and work on behalf of all Americans - once they're in office and learn about all of the perks that we pay for.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  12. Anonymous3:27 PM

    The words “unified Republican government” ought to throw fear into the hearts of every American. The Republican plan for 2017 is a disaster. The Republican plan is a mockery.

    http://www.politicususa.com/2016/12/06/paul-ryan-promises-unified-republican-government-destroy-american-2017.html

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous3:34 PM

    Hillary Clinton gets 2.7 million lead in the popular vote

    Hillary Clinton has 2.7 million more votes than Donald Trump, despite losing the presidential election, and the number is expected to rise.

    Ms Clinton is on track to get more votes than president Barack Obama did in 2012. He won 65.9 million, and she is only about 400,000 votes behind him.

    The votes are being tallied by David Wasserman for the Cook Political Report. Votes are still streaming in from states like California, New York and Washington due to late counting of mail-in and absentee ballots.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/hillary-clinton-27-million-lead-popular-vote-donald-trump-cook-report-a7459631.html

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous3:34 PM

    Thank you thank you. I've been saying this all along! Hillary would be a terrific President. Just fantastic. Trump is going to be a disaster for the ages...for everyone but his family.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous3:35 PM

    Ex-Breitbart Reporter Says He Planted Hillary Clinton Hecklers at Rallies

    “Sorry not sorry,” Patrick Howley says on Facebook about his claim

    Former Breitbart reporter Patrick Howley claims that he planted many anti-Hillary Clinton hecklers during the presidential campaign, according to a now-deleted Facebook post.

    Politico’s Hadas Gold first noticed the post and was able to capture a screen grab before it was deleted.

    http://www.thewrap.com/breitbart-planted-hillary-clinton-hecklers-rallies/

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous3:37 PM

    The details of the Carrier deal have finally been released. Trump exaggerated big league.
    Trump ignored the United Steelworkers, handed a big tax break to management, then claimed an exaggerated victory.

    https://thinkprogress.org/trump-left-carrier-union-in-the-dark-on-a-shoddy-deal-95fedaedee55#.51itof9k2

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:18 AM

      This is exactly what we'll have for four years - smoke and mirrors - and many lives ruined.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  17. Anonymous3:41 PM

    And the echo chamber speaks again lol.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:59 PM

      When your queen gets a cabinet job, let us know. She won't will she, because she's a lazy ass quitter who herself said that she can cause more shit behind the scenes than actually working. Uber Christian? HAH.


      Read the Sermon On The Mount Matthew 5, stupid Sarah and trolls, Jesus was a liberal.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous4:33 PM

      3:59, are you STILL stuck on Sarah? It must be true love lol. Normal, rational people moved on about 8 years ago honeypot.

      Besides that, anyone who ever paid attention to miss Sarah, know damn well that the only thing she is interested in these days is getting paid to be in front of a camera, and that is about it. She is the last person on earth who wants a real job.

      You really need a new hobby, still stuck on Sarah poor you.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous7:46 PM

      4:33, sounds like you're doing the same thing of which you accuse 3:59. Whack job!

      Delete
  18. Anonymous4:16 PM

    Trump, like most people, knows all about China's illegalities and walking all over the WTO to suit its unethical needs. The president-elect knows what he is doing.

    http://finance.yahoo.com/news/donald-trump-gets-tough-china-174051647.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous3:17 AM

      Gee, you're one of those Trumpettes who cannot stand reading about the truth.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  19. Anonymous5:26 PM

    Just read that Kellyanne Conway is going to be in the San Jose Christmas parade Saturday. She'll be the Abominable Snowman...no wait, he has better teeth.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous5:39 PM

    Well, I kind of understand mcinsane, I cant stand the fat arse on the news. He is one fugly orange Jabba the hut. Sick of pics. Just tell us his corruption.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Anonymous7:08 PM

    Hillary's lead in the popular vote is now well over 2.6 million. What the hell! How is it that votes are still coming in? We have one fucked up voting system in this country.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absentee and provisional ballots. A bunch from Florida are going to be added now.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:42 AM

      This has made me wonder how often absentee ballots are counted. I guess we have to take photos of our completed ballots, with the ballot number showing, just in case. When I was much younger I had such trust in our system of government. That trust has eroded mightily especially when it comes to the Supreme Court and to vote tabulations.
      Beaglemom

      Delete
  22. Not the middle class.

    The working class and the rust belt.

    They weren't even doing polls in the swing states, just guessing based on past elections. That's hubris to ASSume that just because they voted for Obama they'd vote for Hillary.

    Not everyone did.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-hillary-clinton-lost-podcast_us_58420694e4b017f37fe4c532?2zhcdjat0gtxei2j4i

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/the-democrats-2016-mistake-100053074.html

    ADD Russia, Wikileaks, Comey and the rest and there you have it.

    But the seeds were sewn long before any of that happened.

    In fact, it started years ago when the Democrats started losing legislatures and governors at the state level.

    Redistricting is going to be a BITCH that will last for 10 years. Gee, why did no one see that coming?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous3:15 AM

    Thank God for that piece in "The Atlantic." I agree with its assessment. One of the important obstacles that Hillary Clinton could not change was the fact that the media, in all of its aspects, ignored her policy message entirely. The media found Trump's insults, threats and absurd promises to be much more sellable. Add to that the GOP shenanigans, from voter suppression laws to gerrymandering to outright voter fraud at the polls, and you end up with Hillary Clinton clearly winning the popular vote and Trump with a really weird electoral college win.
    Beaglemom

    ReplyDelete
  24. Anonymous8:24 AM

    Not Neoliberalism? Someone forgot to tell
    Chuck Schumer (D-Wall Street) the plan.

    https://www.c-span.org/video/?c4632402/every-blue-collar-democrat

    ReplyDelete
  25. Anonymous11:53 AM

    Clinton campaign staffer Diane Hessan followed undecided voters and says the biggest shift to Trump occurred in the week after the "Basket of Deplorables" comment.
    http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2016/11/21/diane-hessan-clinton-campaign-gig-research-undecided-voters/

    In my view, the way Clinton, the DNC, her supporters refuse to accept responsibility for the loss is sad and evidence she and they lack emotional maturity.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Elliegrl9:52 PM

    I made a Nasty Woman w/ a heart jacket and wore it to Thanksgiving w/lots of rich Christian conservatives. The kids & millennials loved it. My bff's son-in-law told my atheist teen that an Apocalypse BC of Trump will be good as all the Christians will be Raptured up to heaven. Oh. My. Flying Spaghetti Monster. I would have said something snarky like god was creating heaven on earth for the rest of us lol.

    ReplyDelete

Don't feed the trolls!
It just goes directly to their thighs.