Foreign student answers why Trump got elected

Victor Liu's Answer

Excerpt

You work in the office with HVAC on 24/7/365. You go to gym after work, watching news from CNN or NBC on the treadmill. Then you eat your dinner out somewhere with a friend, probably not cooking at home. Sometimes you fly between NYC/Boston and LA/SFO for business. When you look down from the plane window and see those endless farmlands and mountains in the midwest, you are thinking “I can’t imagine living a life down there.”
When you saw Trump won, you were shocked. Holy !@#% There’s not a single person around me who supports Trump, how could he win?
That’s where the problem is. You are living in a completely different world than those Trump supporters.

Sometimes it takes somebody who is not emotionally tied to the situation to evaluate it more accurately.
How many middle aged men that were college educated managers supported their families on 60K a year before 2008 and are now working at some lousy service job at some big box store with low wages and terrible hours.

It was also a mistake that Hillary Clinton made in not embracing the great plains states. She concentrated her efforts on the coasts and population centers only. I hope she now realizes The United States includes all those places (the majority of the country) between the coasts.

a reply to: Krakatoa

Think it is too late for her to realize that. She won't run again. But the DNC sure needs to learn the lesson.

By the way, seems more money doesn't buy you the White House. After you get in there???

Dont look at me. I am just a deplorable.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

I feel like trying to isolate it is unfair. Ron Paul got some traction last cycle, and this one we saw anti establishment gain traction from both parties.

The sentiment is the same across the board. We are all unhappy with what our society has had to offer.

This sentiment is not unique to America, the West has been going through an ideological mid life crisis. It has been filled with economic and social disparity.

The idea we can pin point the thinking is a symptom of the problem. We need to focus on what we as the masses desire and collaborate to address those issues. Not what separates us in trivial differences in ideology.

Victory is still head by the elite.

originally posted by: liveandlearn
a reply to: Krakatoa

Think it is too late for her to realize that. She won't run again. But the DNC sure needs to learn the lesson.

By the way, seems more money doesn't buy you the White House. After you get in there???

How do we know she won't run again?

Sorry... joking!

soulwaxer

a reply to: soulwaxer

Running usually implies you don't need assistance down or up stairs.

originally posted by: Gothmog
Dont look at me. I am just a deplorable.

It was the deplorable's that won it for him.

originally posted by: Krakatoa
It was also a mistake that Hillary Clinton made in not embracing the great plains states. She concentrated her efforts on the coasts and population centers only. I hope she now realizes The United States includes all those places (the majority of the country) between the coasts.

That's because she confused fundraising with campaigning.

All the big money is on the coasts.

Well, that and her taking for granted that she was entitled to votes from Hispanics, African Americans and Blue Collar workers...which cost her big time in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida (oops...she forgot about the Cuban-Hispanic vote).

What will be interesting is, if Trump does what he says he is going to do, what percentage of the African American vote will swing Republican in future cycles (where it actually belongs).

originally posted by: eletheia

originally posted by: Gothmog
Dont look at me. I am just a deplorable.

It was the deplorable's that won it for him.

Now , I am still looking for that dang basket.Got to go back in after I voted. What did I do with it ? Curse old age,,,,
Peace to you...

a reply to: soulwaxer

How do we know she won't run again?

Yep I would have told HRC that Nelson Mandela was elected President after he spent 27 years in prison for terrorist activities.. So hey there is still hope for her.... dream on etc etc

If you believe your value is progressive and right, you need to help them getting out of their trouble first. You can’t blame and mock them. It will only push them away from you even more...

...Now it’s your chance to work with them, help them under the 4 years of Trump’s presidency. Stop protesting and introspect yourself. Isn’t your arrogance and ignorance that brought Trump to the White House?

That's good stuff. Kudos to this very astute guy.

originally posted by: Blue_Jay33
Victor Liu's Answer

Excerpt

You work in the office with HVAC on 24/7/365. You go to gym after work, watching news from CNN or NBC on the treadmill. Then you eat your dinner out somewhere with a friend, probably not cooking at home. Sometimes you fly between NYC/Boston and LA/SFO for business. When you look down from the plane window and see those endless farmlands and mountains in the midwest, you are thinking “I can’t imagine living a life down there.”
When you saw Trump won, you were shocked. Holy !@#% There’s not a single person around me who supports Trump, how could he win?
That’s where the problem is. You are living in a completely different world than those Trump supporters.

Sometimes it takes somebody who is not emotionally tied to the situation to evaluate it more accurately.
How many middle aged men that were college educated managers supported their families on 60K a year before 2008 and are now working at some lousy service job at some big box store with low wages and terrible hours.

I think a lot started with Obama people were excited remember hope and change. People really do want a change they see things as spiraling out of control. Look Obama came in everyone was excited Blacks said we finally have a president that will help us. Well that didn't happen at all things continued on as usual. The white people thought yeah we need a black president to help bring the country together and change the grip of business and look out for the little guy that didn't happen either. So Trump comes along hes promoting the United states talking about putting the American people first. Remember Hillary kept talking about deals she made in other countries but nothing about how she helped American's. Trump said ill bring jobs back by making the US a business magnet they will want to move here. Said he will renegotiate trade deals not to send money to other countries but to bring it here. Even the immigration thing is tied to Amarica I listened to one speech were he was talking about how the US sends money all over the world opens our doors to everyone then give them money. All the while we have very poor Its selfish but many amaricans now a days think we need to be spending money in the states and not sending it to other countries. We don't need to be helping people in other countries when kids here cant even get 3 square meals a day. And we don't need to be allowing people to cross the border because they want to and then have to pay for them when they do. See this same attitude starting in Europe.

People want to claim its some for of Nazi nationalism but I think its simpler than that. People are tired of trying to prop up the rest of the world all the while seeing there standard of living decrease. Thing is about globalism it will always have the same effect it moves money from areas that have it to areas that don't trying to balance the world economy. But if your in a western country that means your econmy decreases. Look whats happened to have kids buy a house you need two parents working and then still barely scrape by with the bills. Used to be 1 income was more than enough to buy a house car and send kids to college. My mother didn't work didn't have to just to get the same things my parent had my wife works I have 3 degrees she has 2. Now granted were not hurting for money but my parents had everything we have on one income. And if the wife wasn't working things would be real tight for us she has a private practice so using her income would be better but not by much, so there you have it no one can reach the amarican dream now without two paychecks.

This is what globalism accomplished it took money that was spent in America by American's and sent it overseas. Do you really think China would have any money if Amaricans stopped buying there stuff? The only reason China can support a billion people is Amaricans are willing to buy there stuff in Walmart. We buy about half a trillion dollars a year more stuff than they buy from us. That's money that's just gone from the US economy never seen again unless they decide to invest but that usually leads to them buying the company and moving it to china. Now ive seen its happening in many western countries they are tired of there money going elsewhere look at Brexit They have had people trying to get in camped in france for over a year. They didn't want them there and didn't ewant open borders to allow anyone to just come in. Selfish of curse it is but you could argue until you get things straight in your country shouldn't be helping other countries.

And yet they voted for a billionaire who became wealthy thanks to government support.

originally posted by: monkeyluv
And yet they voted for a billionaire who became wealthy thanks to government support.

Sound bites and the "blame game" don't work anymore. The spell is broken. Try and keep up.

originally posted by: monkeyluv
And yet they voted for a billionaire who became wealthy thanks to government support.

As Trump said he payed for that support with money given to career politicians .....
And a career politician with two hundred and fifty million in the bank (favors and speeches and the all important Clinton foundation) does not raise eyebrows by the devoted; give me a break !

a reply to: mikegrouchy

Interesting that a foreigner saw the opening for Trump, when he himself didn't see it.

That is a fascinating excerpt.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

Having lived through the 1980s as an adult raising kids, I can remember engineers getting laid off and turning to self employment such as cleaning pools. But at that time, the middle class still had some accumulated wealth to fall back on, and laid off workers were encouraged to also go into the lucrative financial sector (banking, investment, insurance), which became highly lucrative. (I also remember farmers losing their farms during the 1980s.)

The 2008 Great Recession dealt the worst blow to Mr. Liu's hypothetical worker, but this time the economy had no lucrative jobs or services for laid off workers to fall back on. The fact is, wealth since the 1980s has only been accumulated at the top. Until there is a reset of the economy to make it work for all, the economy will never work for "the little people".

The Republican Party has always been the party of big business, the Democratic Party turned to its corporate wing to run candidates in the 1980s (Clinton and Obama both came from the corporate wing). In harsh economic times, people will turn to those who shout the loudest, Sanders and Trump. Unfortunately, Mr. Liu (along with most Americans) does not understand that the party that is now set to run the country was itself taken over by a private political machine, the economic ideology backed up with the money of the Koch Bros. Trump is up against the Koch Private Party that now will run Congress.

If, and that's a big if, Pres Trump tries to present Mr. Liu's "progressive values" (Liz Warren and Sanders, etal) to Congress, then, yes, we should work with them. But under no circumstances should those progressive values be compromised. IMO there is a very narrow set of solutions upon which the Dems can compromise. Going further will do nothing to reset the economy to work for all.

A collective "arrogance and ignorance" descended on America over the years. Going forward will take an even more vigorous effort than if this economic reset had started years ago. It is much more difficult now to turn back the oligarchy.

Personally, IMO Trump did not win on any liberal values. Wanting a good job is neither liberal nor conservative.

a reply to: Blue_Jay33

I knew from the very beginning that if Trump went up against Hillary he would win.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

And it didn't help that Hillary stole the nomination away from Bernie Sanders. Which she did in broad daylight. How many people were pissed off about that?

Plus let's not forget how she mishandled classified documents.

She showed that she is a classic dirty underhanded politician and people are sick and tired of more of the same in office.

That's why Trump won.

Now if Bernie would of run vs Trump. We'd have Democrat as President Elect.

originally posted by: grey580
Now if Bernie would of run vs Trump. We'd have Democrat as President Elect.

The truth is....

I have seen the opposition book assembled by Republicans for Sanders, and it was brutal. The Republicans would have torn him apart. And while Sanders supporters might delude themselves into believing that they could have defended him against all of this, there is a name for politicians who play defense all the time: losers.

The Myths Democrats Swallowed That Cost Them the Presidential Election

For a read on Sander's "dirt", read the source. Brutal. Republicans are not beyond political torture.