Shemp Howard
Shemp Howard's JournalWhy I am taking a break from DU.
I have posted parts of this post elsewhere. I've now decided to put it all together in one place. Apologies to those who have seen it elsewhere.
One reason I joined DU is that it's a progressive site. The word "progressive" means many things to me. One thing it means, to me, is kindness. Not weakness, but kindness; trying to see the best in people.
This includes the way I see most people who voted for Trump. There are certainly evil people who voted for Trump. I have no sympathy for those people.
But there are also many stupid people who voted for Trump. It is simply wrong, morally, to treat all these stupid people as if they were evil.
As an example, good friend of mine went from working for Hillary in the 2008 primaries to voting for Trump in 2016. Why the change? He lost his job. I do not consider my friend evil. But perhaps he's stupid for falling for Trump's empty slogans.
Unfortunately, post after post here on DU treats all Trump voters as evil beings. No exceptions. They are all very horrible people who deserve to have very horrible things happen to them.
As a progressive, this pains me. Stupid does not equal evil in my book. It just doesn't. I would hope to help educate these stupid people. I do not wish that bad things would happen to them.
But as of now I seem to be in the minority here. So I think I need to take a little break. Perhaps when things settle down a bit, I'll be back.
Yes, I know that with less than 1000 posts, I'm not a key player here. I won't be missed. And yes, I won't let the door hit me on the way out.
Best wishes to you all. Stay strong, and stay vigilant. Going forward, DU will be part of what (hopefully) puts the brakes on Trump.
Regarding the Russian hacking, what is really going on here?
I've read the Washington Post article about the Russian hacking, and I'm still confused. As I see it, there are four possibilities. Which one is it?
1. Since the Post provided no real hard evidence, it's all just a guess and a rumor. No big deal unless more evidence is forthcoming.
2. The Russians really did hack the DNC. But they released only the emails that would hurt Hillary. If so, it's on the DNC for having terrible email security.
3. The Russians really did hack the DNC, and also the RNC. But they released only those (legitimate) emails that would hurt Hillary. If so, that's repulsive, but it doesn't quite rise to the level of demanding a do-over election.
4. The Russians fabricated DNC emails, and/or they hacked into the voting booths to ensure a Trump win. If so, President Obama needs to present evidence to the public, and to the Electors, and to the Supreme Court. And Obama needs to do this immediately! Don't waste a day.
If I had to bet, I'd bet on possibility #3.
An argument for the Electoral College
I've been active in unions for most of my adult life, so I'm going to make my argument using unions as an analogy.
Suppose there is a union work site that employs 20 carpenters, 10 plumbers, and 8 electricians. It's now contract time. Under a simple one person, one vote system, management only needs to make the carpenters happy.
Of course, that's not the way it works. Management must make the carpenters happy, and the plumbers happy, and the electricians happy. Management must offer something to each of the three unions.
The Electoral College system operates much the same way. And yes, it sometimes leads to very some unpleasant results. But it does make some sense.
The main problem with the EC, as I see it, is that it gives the smaller states too many EC votes. This can be remedied by giving each state an EC total based on its House of Representative membership only. Not likely that will happen, I know.
Obama voters switching to Trump
I live in a dark blue region of a rust-belt state. In 2008 and 2012 many of my friends and acquaintances supported Obama. But I was surprised, and shocked, to hear how many of them went for Trump this time around. These people were the children and grandchildren of factory workers. Democratic party policies from FDR forward gave their families a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.
Bernie was the FDR in this election, IMHO. But Trump was the Robber Baron. So the choice between Hillary and Trump should have been easy, a Democrat vs. a Robber Baron.
So why did so many go for Trump? Trump appealed to the baser instincts of some of them, I'm sure. But here's what many said to me during our polite arguments: There are no good jobs around here anymore. Trump will bring them back. (Trump ran ads in my state to that effect. Hillary did not.)
All of this is just what I, one person, observed. And it certainly doesn't tell the whole story. But Michael Moore was right. Worried people will follow a Pied Piper. To negate this, the Democratic Party must bring back a focus on jobs, and emphasize that fact. Just putting position papers on some internet site will not be enough.
The Democratic Party used to be known for championing both social justice AND good middle class jobs. We need to be known for that again.
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Member since: Mon Sep 9, 2013, 01:10 AMNumber of posts: 889
