Economic Anxiety Didnt Make People Vote Trump, Racism Did

[Equinox Moon]

Was Donald Trump elected because of racism or economic anxiety?
New data provides a compelling answer to this vexing question.

Our analysis shows Trump accelerated a realignment in the electorate around racism, across several different measures of racial animus—and that it helped him win. By contrast, we found little evidence to suggest individual economic distress benefited Trump.

https://www.thenation.com/article/economic-anxiety-didnt-make-people-vote-trump-racism-did/


Most of us knew this all along. IMO #1 Racism, #2 & #3 economics & health care.

[Bettie]

1. There was a fair amount of

misogyny in there too.

[athena]

6. Exactly. An obvious fact that too many people like to ignore.

The first time a woman -- a highly intelligent, capable, and experienced woman -- runs for the presidency of the United States, she loses to a narcissistic blow-hard male who has zero experience in government. And we're supposed to believe it had nothing to do with sexism.

People may enjoy being stupid about this today, but history will see right through their denial. The biggest reason Hillary Clinton is not president today is that we live in a macho country full of misogynistic men and women who can't stand the idea of being led by a woman.

[mnhtnbb]

15. I think racism and misogyny combined were primarily responsible for Hillary's loss.

I'm not sure you can separate the two factors.

The low turnout did not help.

[Bettie]

16. Actually, I think racism and misogyny

are a secondary factor to voter suppression. It was done on a massive scale in 2016 and it made a difference.

The misogyny was amped up by a 25+ year negative PR campaign against Clinton and racism, well, that's now all out in the open, where before the racists felt compelled to at least pretend to be decent people, now they don't.

All of that, and she still nearly won it all.

Of course, if she had, we'd be stuck in gridlock. What's happening isn't a good thing, but it might be an object lesson for a few on the other side who might be smart enough to figure it out. Not many, but a few.

[mnhtnbb]

21. Well, she did really win it except that our rules don't allow

for the person with the most votes wins. We have this archaic set-up that handicaps the vote depending upon geography.

Low turnout can be for various reasons and voter suppression can be one factor.

[Equinox Moon]

14. Yes!!!

[athena]

2. If people were anxious about the economy, they should have voted for HRC.

She had real plans to fix the economy. She had ideas, and she had the intelligence and the experience to carry them through to completion. Trump had no ideas. All he had was, "Make America Great Again", which was code for, "Make America White Again". Here are the top three reasons people voted for him:

#1: Sexism
#2: Racism
#3: Fear and hatred of immigrants

I'm sorry, but economics and health care did not even enter into Trump supporters' decision. If they cared the least bit about the economy and health care, they would have voted for Hillary Clinton.

[Equinox Moon]

7. I don't think the media let her message get through to the masses.

[athena]

10. It was not so difficult to hear her message.

People knew what her message was. They just didn't want to hear it coming from a woman.

[onecaliberal]

3. Yes. No question. I'm sick of hearing otherwise. Now so many are shocked he lies

And is more stupid than a bag of dirt

[Bettie]

17. That's pretty mean

to the dirt. Even dirt is way smarter than that orange thing.

[onecaliberal]

22. Yes it is.

[loyalsister]

4. Racism only?

Or racism that was stoked with the "they're taking your jobs" tripe? You can't really separate the two after the GOP so neatly exploited white privilege to convince white people that all of the job and economic advantages have gone to women and people of color.

[Equinox Moon]

9. The article lays out the data they looked at to arrive at this conclusion about racism.

I have not gone over all of it too closely yet.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

11. Among those who felt economic anxiety Clinton won.

Among those who felt cultural anxiety Clinton lost.

[loyalsister]

12. The point is it is impossible to separate them

Race and economics have been linked since white people got pissed that they were no longer the only ones eligible for government aid. And then Reagan stoked it and it remains a piece of conventional wisdom that people of color steal tax dollars, jobs, education, and therefore economic advancement from white people. The latest biggest thief was the guy in the WH whose salary we paid.

[QC]

20. It does back to America's earliest days.

In the Colonial Era, planters encouraged white indentured servants and black slaves to hate one another in reaction to Bacon's Rebellion, when the two groups (and others) made common cause against their masters.

In the later antebellum South, planters kept this up, encouraging slaves to look down on poor whites and vice versa. After the war, Jim Crow became a means of doing the same thing--and the Jim Crow system wasn't confined to the South. (C. Vann Woodward's book, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, tells that story.)

And, as you say, Reagan (or his handlers) knew all about pitting working class blacks and whites against each other.

American elites have been displacing class conflict onto racial conflict for over 400 years now. I'm with you--I don't think it's easy, and maybe not even possible, to separate the two in our context. And I am really suspicious of any analysis that takes something big and complex and says it's really all about _____.

[nikibatts]

5. Always has been the real reason for must anxiety in this country. From both sides.

[dchill]

8. Their 'Economic Anxiety' is that people of color...

will get free stuff like Obamacare!

[Yavin4]

13. Dear Bernie et al, THIS IS WHY WE DON'T HAVE SINGLE PAYER!!!!!!!!

Nor any other social programs like most Europeans enjoy. Americans vote their racism first and foremost whereas European racists will still vote their economic interests first then their racism. Le Pen's party was still going to support France's national healthcare.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

19. +1

[La Lioness Priyanka]

18. no shit.

[Sparkly]

23. And MAJOR Sexism.

Mind-boggling double-standards.

[Starry Messenger]

24. k&r