To those insisting that we "reach out to" and "understand" Trump supporters, let me break it down

[Decoy of Fenris]

130. Your very premise is wrong, but hey, don't let that stop the Two Minute Hate jerk-fest.

You repeatedly bring up "Racism", and "Racist", and voting for a racist, but let me clue you in; Not everyone's life revolves around race. In fact, that's probably true for a majority of America. For a not-insignificant number of people, you say "racism" and they'll roll their eyes and ignore you, simply because "Racism" has become the new Godwin's Law; call "Racist" first and you lose the discussion. Outrage Fatigue is a thing, and when you constantly say "racist, racist, racist", it becomes so much noise and is ignored regardless of the veracity of the claim. Such is the price of constant outrage, a price we paid in blood this past election.

Let me share some anecdotal stuff, of which I have more; This is just the pick of those closest to me, and who have disclosed their reasons for their votes. Anecdotal, yes, but nonetheless true on a micro scale. Probably true on a larger scale, too.


My old man is a staunch rural right-winger: He disliked Trump, but he was one of those who fell for the anti-Clinton propaganda. His vote for Trump wasn't about racism or sexism, but about having a businessman running the country as opposed to a career politician. Before the Dem convention, I had managed to sway him into the Sanders camp (using arguments of the public good being greater than an individual's needs or economic concerns); for a brief, flickering moment, and for the first time in history, my father was ready and willing to vote for a Democratic candidate. That ended when Clinton won the convention.

My mother and grandmother have been lifelong Democrats: Neither could, for whatever reason, vote for Clinton. It was the first election my grandmother has sat out in six decades; my mother voted for Trump because she felt she couldn't trust Clinton, but she hated the notion of not voting more than she disliked Trump. Two more votes lost.

My coworker pool leans slightly to the right, but only barely. The conversations drifted frequently back and forth from right to left and back again, but eventually, the average of the grouping seemed at least open to the idea of voting, again, for Sanders. The dialogue was polite, moreso than I ever expected given the circumstances. Yes, there were one or two outright Trump supporters, but they generally just left to themselves while the rest of us talked. All the politics talk ended post-Dem convention; there was no swaying them at that point. The majority, including many minority groups (Nepalese, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Mexican, Cuban, and African-American immigrants) were onboard with Trump. Even now, I'm the only one on third shift who will cop to voting for Clinton.


These people are not unreachable, nor inflexible of opinion, nor are they racists solely for voting the way they did. My old man regrets his vote I suppose, but he moreso regrets that Trump was "his only option". My mother and grandmother? They're unapologetic, although they do wish Trump would rein in the social-media-ing. My coworkers? They range from "Lol actual leftwing tears" to "Even if I don't like what he's saying, I support the office of president and will work to make this country better."


You may be "Done" with Trump voters. That's your right and your prerogative, even if your opinions are based on fiction. When you're ready to join up with actual Democrats in the real world intent on winning over both apathetic non-voters and the more reasonable edges of the right-wing, you're welcome to move to the front of the bus with the rest of us. Until then, we're just going to move on, as we always do. We'll get the job done with or without you. Democrats -must- win the midterms and the next General, and if you're not with us, you're just in the way.