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Hi, My son, Rob's, reflections on the election. I agree with his views also. Jon
OK so I've had time to process and here are some thoughts. Keep in mind that I've been wrong about so much, I approach this with a great deal of humility.
Firstly, as I said before the election, we have a new president elect and while he may not have been my choice, from this day forward I will judge him on his performance not his pronouncements and I owe him the benefit of the doubt. Many of my fellow citizens have great hopes for the job he will do and I want with all my heart for them to be right. I always wish the best for my country and hope President Trump will do great things.
Now to explore what happened and why. After a party looses an election, there are always recriminations and competing narratives as to why. Some are pretty standard and as is almost always true they don't hold a lot of water in my view. Here are some:
They (the voters) didn't understand our message. Please. Hillary Clinton's message and plans were quite clear and there was no shortage of channels for her to communicate it. More importantly this argument basically assumes that the voters are stupid and just didn't understand. No they understood quite well and enough of them didn't like what they were hearing.
We ran a bad campaign. Again crap. Hilary Clinton's campaign was the most well run, well resourced, data driven probably ever in American history. There were no stories of infighting or disagreement. They were driven, focused and professional.
We had a bad candidate. Yes Secretary Clinton had her flaws and there was some valid and some bs critiques of her but the people who made the difference in this election (more about this in a moment) didn't vote for Trump because of emails, Benghazi or any of the many other personal problems with her.
The biased media. This is one you usually here from conservatives. Does anybody really think the media was biased against Clinton and favored Trump. I think that is pretty hard to sustain. Both candidates got their fair share and at times unfair share of scrutiny.
The people who voted for Trump are bad people. They are racist, misogynist, anti-semitic bigots and they voted for somebody who also is those things. Look I was as disturbed as anyone by some of the things I heard this campaign that I thought would have been off limits and disqualifying. And while these sentiments do exist among some, and Trump said and did things which were offensive, the people who swung this election did not vote for him because of these things but rather in spite of them. I'm not giving him a pass on these things and hope that as President he will take after both Presidents Bush and Obama. Say what you will about both but while in office they conducted themselves with the dignity expected from the leader of a great nation.
So what did happen? This was an election that turned on geography. Clinton actually won the popular vote but she didn't win it in the right places. I don't say this to discount Trump's victory or legitimacy but to explain it. While you can decry the electoral college, this election in a way proves that it has a purpose. Were it not for this system, candidates would spend all their time going from city to city as it would only make sense to campaign where the population was densest. In large part this is what Clinton did and by doing that she missed something that Trump tapped into. When Trump painted dark pictures of America he wasn't describing the leafy suburbs of Northern Virginia where I live but those neglected places outside the cities where the jobs are few, drugs are rampant, alcoholism, suicide and obesity are rising and life expectancy is falling. These people, many of who once upon a time voted for democrats, were screaming for help and neither the Democrats not the Republican establishment was listening. Neither was offering solutions that would do something about their lives. Trump's most powerful critique of both Clinton and the Republican establishment was that they were elitist and out of touch. I do think this was a genuinely populist sort of revolt. If you look at Trump's own data folks they're analysis supports this view.
http://www.bloomberg.com/…/trump-s-data-team-saw-a-differen…
These people felt ignored and looked down upon by the politicians, the government, the media, the culture and Trump gave voice to their anger and frustration. I'm sure there were other factors at work here but I think this is at the core. This doesn't explain every Trump voter but it explains those that turned the election. So what does this mean going forward?
If Trump's main effort is to address the needs of the people who put him in office, that is indeed a noble purpose. I've always felt that government needs to be on the side of the little guy. If he works hard for those people, not of course at the expense of others who need help, I'll be as supportive as I can. I frankly don't live near or know a lot of these people but they are my countrymen and they and their kids are entitled to the same wonderful opportunities that I and my kids have had all our lives. I have grave concerns that the solutions he offers like changing trade rules will not do for these people what he and they think it will and they will wind up even more frustrated than they are now. The economy is changing in ways that government policy can impact somewhat but may not be able to stop or even steer very much. People caught in that transition deserve help but I fear they may be seeking a return to something that may no longer be possible. Still just hearing them and looking for what does work is worthy. Trump is not an ideologue and if his practical, businessman sense can guide him to pragmatic solutions more power to him. He's got four years. Let's see what he can do.
Finally, I also had grave concerns about Trump's views and policies on national security. So far the names I am seeing for the key national security posts, while I may not agree with all of their views, are some sober, thoughtful, experienced people. If Trump surrounds himself and more importantly listens to them, the nation and the world will probably be OK
So President-elect Trump the ball is in your court. It is said you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Time to start writing. You have the high honor and monumental responsibility of being entrusted with the stewardship of the government of the greatest nation in human history. Do well. We're ALL counting on you. May God continue to bless America.
Firstly, as I said before the election, we have a new president elect and while he may not have been my choice, from this day forward I will judge him on his performance not his pronouncements and I owe him the benefit of the doubt. Many of my fellow citizens have great hopes for the job he will do and I want with all my heart for them to be right. I always wish the best for my country and hope President Trump will do great things.
Now to explore what happened and why. After a party looses an election, there are always recriminations and competing narratives as to why. Some are pretty standard and as is almost always true they don't hold a lot of water in my view. Here are some:
They (the voters) didn't understand our message. Please. Hillary Clinton's message and plans were quite clear and there was no shortage of channels for her to communicate it. More importantly this argument basically assumes that the voters are stupid and just didn't understand. No they understood quite well and enough of them didn't like what they were hearing.
We ran a bad campaign. Again crap. Hilary Clinton's campaign was the most well run, well resourced, data driven probably ever in American history. There were no stories of infighting or disagreement. They were driven, focused and professional.
We had a bad candidate. Yes Secretary Clinton had her flaws and there was some valid and some bs critiques of her but the people who made the difference in this election (more about this in a moment) didn't vote for Trump because of emails, Benghazi or any of the many other personal problems with her.
The biased media. This is one you usually here from conservatives. Does anybody really think the media was biased against Clinton and favored Trump. I think that is pretty hard to sustain. Both candidates got their fair share and at times unfair share of scrutiny.
The people who voted for Trump are bad people. They are racist, misogynist, anti-semitic bigots and they voted for somebody who also is those things. Look I was as disturbed as anyone by some of the things I heard this campaign that I thought would have been off limits and disqualifying. And while these sentiments do exist among some, and Trump said and did things which were offensive, the people who swung this election did not vote for him because of these things but rather in spite of them. I'm not giving him a pass on these things and hope that as President he will take after both Presidents Bush and Obama. Say what you will about both but while in office they conducted themselves with the dignity expected from the leader of a great nation.
So what did happen? This was an election that turned on geography. Clinton actually won the popular vote but she didn't win it in the right places. I don't say this to discount Trump's victory or legitimacy but to explain it. While you can decry the electoral college, this election in a way proves that it has a purpose. Were it not for this system, candidates would spend all their time going from city to city as it would only make sense to campaign where the population was densest. In large part this is what Clinton did and by doing that she missed something that Trump tapped into. When Trump painted dark pictures of America he wasn't describing the leafy suburbs of Northern Virginia where I live but those neglected places outside the cities where the jobs are few, drugs are rampant, alcoholism, suicide and obesity are rising and life expectancy is falling. These people, many of who once upon a time voted for democrats, were screaming for help and neither the Democrats not the Republican establishment was listening. Neither was offering solutions that would do something about their lives. Trump's most powerful critique of both Clinton and the Republican establishment was that they were elitist and out of touch. I do think this was a genuinely populist sort of revolt. If you look at Trump's own data folks they're analysis supports this view.
http://www.bloomberg.com/…/trump-s-data-team-saw-a-differen…
These people felt ignored and looked down upon by the politicians, the government, the media, the culture and Trump gave voice to their anger and frustration. I'm sure there were other factors at work here but I think this is at the core. This doesn't explain every Trump voter but it explains those that turned the election. So what does this mean going forward?
If Trump's main effort is to address the needs of the people who put him in office, that is indeed a noble purpose. I've always felt that government needs to be on the side of the little guy. If he works hard for those people, not of course at the expense of others who need help, I'll be as supportive as I can. I frankly don't live near or know a lot of these people but they are my countrymen and they and their kids are entitled to the same wonderful opportunities that I and my kids have had all our lives. I have grave concerns that the solutions he offers like changing trade rules will not do for these people what he and they think it will and they will wind up even more frustrated than they are now. The economy is changing in ways that government policy can impact somewhat but may not be able to stop or even steer very much. People caught in that transition deserve help but I fear they may be seeking a return to something that may no longer be possible. Still just hearing them and looking for what does work is worthy. Trump is not an ideologue and if his practical, businessman sense can guide him to pragmatic solutions more power to him. He's got four years. Let's see what he can do.
Finally, I also had grave concerns about Trump's views and policies on national security. So far the names I am seeing for the key national security posts, while I may not agree with all of their views, are some sober, thoughtful, experienced people. If Trump surrounds himself and more importantly listens to them, the nation and the world will probably be OK
So President-elect Trump the ball is in your court. It is said you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. Time to start writing. You have the high honor and monumental responsibility of being entrusted with the stewardship of the government of the greatest nation in human history. Do well. We're ALL counting on you. May God continue to bless America.
