A recent op-ed in the Washington Post revisited what has become an interminable discussion: why, when poll after poll shows a majority of Americans in favor of stricter gun laws, has Congress not responded? When it comes to guns, why are our Representatives so unrepresentative?
The authors–E.J. Dionne,— acknowledge the outsized influence of the NRA, but then they make a crucial point about American governance today.
But something else is at work here. As we argue in our book, “One Nation After Trump,” the United States is now a non-majoritarian democracy. If that sounds like a contradiction in terms, that’s because it is. Claims that our republic is democratic are undermined by a system that vastly overrepresents the interests of rural areas and small states. This leaves the large share of Americans in metropolitan areas with limited influence over national policy. Nowhere is the imbalance more dramatic or destructive than on the issue of gun control.
Michelle Goldberg made much the same point in a recent column for the New York Times, titled “Tyranny of the Minority.”
The Republican Party has essentially become a majority party through minority rule. Accounts of the growing resistance to Trump often ignore the ways in which Republicans have shaped the rules of the game in their favor (you could almost called it “rigged,” to use one of the president’s favorite words). The authors write: “Our system is now biased against the American majority because of partisan redistricting (which distorts the outcome of legislative elections), the nature of representation in the United States Senate (which vastly underrepresents residents of larger states), the growing role of money in politics (which empowers a very small economic elite), the workings of the Electoral College (which is increasingly out of sync with the distribution of our population) and the ability of legislatures to use a variety of measures, from voter ID laws to the disenfranchisement of former felons, to obstruct the path of millions of Americans to the ballot box.”
The vast over-representation of rural areas and small states would be less troubling if there were not a substantial and growing divide between the political preferences and social attitudes of rural and urban Americans. That divide–illustrated by political maps showing blue cities in red states–means that the over-representation of rural Americans gives Republicans an unwarranted and unearned electoral advantage.
There’s a famous anecdote (probably apocryphal) in which a woman asks Benjamin Franklin what sort of government the founders had created, and Franklin responds “A republic, madam, if you can keep it.”
America’s founders were (rightly) concerned with the tyranny of the majority; they worried about the effect of “popular passions” on the exercise of individual rights. Those concerns were– and remain–valid. What they failed to foresee was the situation accurately described by these and other writers, a time when–thanks to urbanization, technology and rabid partisanship– the United States would be neither a democracy nor a republic.
Founders created two houses for balance (House) and serious debate (Senate). It is impossible to change the make-up of the Senate, and likely also impossible to rid ourselves of the Electoral College. Abolition of gerrymandering is only slightly more probable. Our struggle between progressives and conservatives has been with us from the beginning. That’s unsolvable. As a nonagenarian I have no hope for peaceful change and no taste for violent change.
Rural people tend to think urban areas get all the consideration. For example, a few years ago, Abbott basically said, oh rural areas don’t need water; well send it to cities. Well, how does he think farms and ranches feed the big cities? I do think representation needs to be rearranged. Not sure how.
Sheila; today’s blog should be printed as a strong Op-Ed column in the Washington Post and New York Times. It is too strong to remain rather “localized” and you are aware you are “preaching to the choir” for the most part with our extended family of readers.
As long as our airwaves are filled with nothing but Trump’s rantings and lies; repeated ad-nauseum as “Breaking News”, with only weak argumentative responses, vital points such as those you make today will continue to be unread by the much wider audience as it deserves.
As a former republican turned Democrat, I feel like a tiny little island in a raging sea of red. I truly believe that I would have a different Rep in Congress and believe that we all would have different reps at the State level too.
Gerrymandering is just one of the many things at the root of our divisive politics. Unfortunately, the Rs that I encounter daily don’t have any conception of gerrymandering and they get their political (and religious) views from the alt-right tv and radio commentators. They are so brainwashed that they can’t even carry on an intelligent conversation about politics because they don’t really have any factual knowledge to back up what they “believe”. They are lazy followers who have no intention of making any effort to fact check what they hear.
This is not the fault of Trump. If guns have been a problem in the country, then that problem existed before last January. When the Democrats had the WH,the Senate and the House,why didn’t they bother? Because just as their Republican counterparts they are beholden to lobbyists. The American government is so beholden to lobbyists,Americans have no influence upon the members of congress. Besides sane gun control,The majority of Americans want universal healthcare,why hasn’t a genuine effort been made to bring such forward? Because of the lobbyists for BIG Pharma and the insurance industry. Democrats loved receiving money from the Pharma and insurance lobby more so than the health of the countrie’s citizens. I’d bet more people die yearly from lack of accessible healthcare than from guns. Yet,according to this blog,everything is the fault of Trump and Republicans. Where the hell have the Democrats been? The problems within the country started long before last January or November. I guess like most,the lemmings of this blog have short attention spans as well.
At least the Democrats had the ability to coalesce and effectively demand that transgender folks have the right to kill brown people across the globe. And,since the Democrats are so clueless,they’ll probably run Harvey Weinstein as VP with Biden in the next election. It will be interesting to see how Biden’s demeanor toward Anita Hill will be spun by the DNC and the commentariat of this blog.
Last evening I attended a County Council meeting (first time for me). I was surprised when the chairman of the council opened the meeting by asking one of the council members to say a prayer. Then we recited the pledge of allegiance.
I was upset that religion was being mixed with government and stood there thinking that it was just assumed that everyone has the same religious beliefs and should not have a problem with opening a government meeting with a Christian prayer. I was going to speak up about this before the meeting actually started, but caught myself because I knew that if I did comment about the prayer that I would immediately be viewed as a radical and any other comments I might have would be discounted.
Yes, I am blue living in a sea of red.
Can others please enlighten me – are all government meetings everywhere in our state opened with a Christian prayer before reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?
William – Example A of an angry republican who comes on this blog to attack us and call us names.
Lemmings?
?? “At least the Democrats had the ability to coalesce and effectively demand that transgender folks have the right to kill brown people across the globe.” ??
Where are you getting your ‘information’? I imagine there are others besides me who would like for you to share that info.
Since at least the late 19th century, rural residents have viewed the city with a mix of longing, fear and disdain. Their preachers told them that the city was the den of iniquity, the place of depravity and sinful lures, the destroyer of the “christian” family structure (sound familiar?). Their young people were drawn to the bright lights and adventure. Women, widows and those who had no partner or family, went to the cities to find work and survive. Men, failed on the farm or drawn to the wider prospects of the world, went to the cities to “seek their fortune.”
The real difference now is, as Sheila has stated, technology, transport, opportunity and education. Many in the rural parts of this country as well as city dwellers, never leave their familiar surroundings, either through lack of means, opportunity or fear. They may think they know what it is like to live in those “other” places as we have lots of vicarious ways to “see” what they are like. The realities of both places are skewed by subjective experiences or popular misconceptions. As we become more divided politically, fed by propaganda, dark money, or religious ideologues, both rural and city dwellers are told on one hand that they are victims of, thus threatened by, the evil “other” or that they are privileged because of their righteousness and entitled race, ethnicity, religion or education.
News of the world used to take months or years to reach the remote parts of the country. Now everyone can be and are bombarded by the constant steams of (mis)information and (un)attractive messages from/about the “other”. Profit and power drive most of the manipulation of perception fed by the willfully chosen sources those in the rural and urban locales opt to develop and enforce their worldviews.
What is going on now is an internal war, with the tools mostly in the hands of propagandists, culture warriors and profiteers. Most of us are collateral and fodder. We do have the means to push back, but as the article points out, that means is eroding quickly. Gerrymandering must be addressed forcefully, dark money influence diminished, voters empowered and actively participating. All of those things will take time, attention and commitment for the long term. I’m just not sure enough people care to get engaged.
Nancy is such a lemming,she thinks I’m a Republican. Obviously she hasn’t been paying attention.
Voter turn out in Indiana is appallingly low. I suspect many rural poor eligible to vote, here and across the nation, are discouraged and don’t vote. Democratic Party needs to revitalize Obama’s 50 State tactics. Narrow focus on local politics, school boards, worked for the toxic so called conservatives and can for progressives. Politicians who want to govern and lead us forward in the Tweny First century are what this country must have. To be Engaged and educated citizens is everyone’s responsibility. Pride in being a citizen and in public service must be re kindled. The toxic Right is creating bogey men to scare voters. That is a loosing strategy for our long term.
This is the slow walking coup d’ etat against true American democracy and we have watched it, complained about it, written about it, blogged about it, but we have, so far, failed to put even a dent in it. The majority is driving itself nuts while those in the minority that choose to be ignorant of real facts and support what amounts to essentially robbing them blind blissfully chuckle and rail at all of us libtards. While they remain impervious to reason the country and also the world is going to hell in a hand basket and we haven’t found a real way of stopping it.
Who would have thunk it?
Okay William – I don’t pay attention to you because at some prior point in time I recognized you for the ignorant asshole that you are. If you want to call others on this blog “rodents”, I will call you out for what YOU really are!
William; thank you for your excellent essay as to why SCOTUS needs to repeal Citizens United…immediately.
Also in your comments is the long overdue finger-pointing at the split and weakness within the Democratic party which, incidentally, MSNBC began that action yesterday and continues today. Between running films of Trump’s dumping his incompetency on the Republican party which is also divided due to Trump.
For those who have long been asking for more than a two-party system; we now have a two-Democratic party and a two-Republican party system with all four parties a minority as the shadow of nuclear war continues to hang over our heads with none of the four parties showing concern over Trump’s determination to nuke somebody. We are currently leaderless as the majority of Americans sit waiting for someone to begin steering this country in the correct direction.
Grow up Nancy.
Yes JoAnn,Citizen’s United MUST be repealed…..Of course, what are the Democrats doing to repeal? The answer to everything is OMG! RUSSIA!
Absolutely nothing.
Nancy is what is wrong with Today’s Democrats.
Truth!
Greetings Nancy. Very good! Maybe all of the Trump following lemmings will do as most lemmings finally do, gather as a group and run over the cliff. 🙂
“How ya gonna keep em down on the farm, after they’ve seen Paree?” After WWI, that was the big question in America. During the 50s and 60s we had city dwellers escaping to the burbs. We still have bright blue urban areas surrounded by bright red suburban areas, where they fear the “other” will move in and take down their property values. We live in our bubbles, not wanting to hear what others think.
The real problem is that we just don’t vote (yes here I go again with the same old refrain). We see that Republicans are kept in line in DC by the threat of a farther right opponent in the primary. That tactic is only successful because too few moderate Republicans go to the polls for those primaries. The most recent example is the victory by Roy Moore. Need I say more?
I find any discussion of the rural-urban divide somewhat foggy. Some of the reddest districts of the IN General Assembly reside among the suburbs surrounding Indianapolis. Living, working and playing in a vast sea of concrete and hideous over-commercialization, are they considered urban or rural? With thousands of acres of farmland planted with beige and gray stick-houses crammed side by side into 1/4-acre lots, are they really OVER-represented?
The urban-rural divide seems to be a myth partially invented to give each side someone to blame for why they can’t solve their problems without help (money and/or collaboration) from the other. The bigger question to me is why the suburbs of American cities have gone from being mostly moderate Republicans to be come far-right wing ethno-nationalist enclaves clapping their hands every-time our sociopath-in-chief issues another tweet.
Allow me to remind William, Nancy and anyone else who is tempted to engage in name-calling and insults of the rules of this blog. Disagreement and argumentation (preferably accompanied by verifiable facts) are welcome; ad hominem attacks and incivility are not.
I will also suggest that the most effective way to respond to mean-spirited comments is to ignore the person engaging in them, rather than taking the bait.
Sheila – I agree that I should not have taken the bait of someone who chose to call us all rodents and was just itching to pick a fight with someone.
The founding ancestors established the Court System to combat the tyranny of a minority or a majority. However, that system has been thwarted as judges have been chosen by the tyrants themselves whenever they are in power. Sometimes we are stuck with indoctrinated judges who ignore the constitutional mandates for judges with good judgment. The Supreme Court has a chance now to provide good judgment in the gerrymandering case. One expects that the court’s decision will end this longtime violation of democracy. We’ll see if bad judgment prevails.
Greetings William. Could you explain that part of your comment regarding transgender folks killing brown people across the globe?
Peggy,
To get everyone to vote would mean that they need to have choices. Thanks to very successful gerrymandering and the vast financial resources that republicans have access to, as Sheila has mentioned before it is nearly impossible to get any Dems to run for office because they know they will be defeated before even starting a campaign.
For the past several years I have had virtually no choices at the voting booth. I live in a very rural county in northern Indiana that used to have a mixture of Ds and Rs in office. Like so many other locations, the Ds were mostly auto industry factory workers who were members of the UAW. Their good paying jobs started disappearing more than thirty years ago. The county population very rapidly slid downhill during the 80’s and 90’s due to job losses.
A prominent local family ran the Democratic party for decades and they finally threw in the towel two years ago. The father passed away years ago and two sons kept it going. This past year one son who, is a local judge, switched to the republican party. The rumor was that he was going to be challenged by a republican and chose to switch parties to keep his job. Serving as a republican judge kept his potential challenger from even trying to run for office. The remaining son had run the democrat party for several years with his brother and he finally gave up when he was the only family member left in a party that had been struggling for so many years.
Until we can get members of the younger generations interested in being politically active we will continue to struggle at the local level and state levels.
Martha V; your comments are an excellent example of the 88th District here in Marion County…and straddling the county line. It encompasses city, town, suburb, rural, farm and some dwindling green land areas here with different laws, ordinances, infrastructure, public safety and court systems. It has been totally under the total rule of Republican Brian Bosma who is sitting in his 31st year as Representative. No one had run against him until 2016 when Democratic candidate Dana Black stepped up against him. Bosma didn’t even bother to campaign for reelection till the last 4-6 weeks before the election when he must have learned of her door-to-door campaign and support from the Democratic party. She is running again in 2018 and, even if that is not your district, your support can help oust Good Old Boy Bosma; he has outlived his usefulness to this country and state.
How many other total Republican districts face this same situation and how much of it is due to our weakened Democratic party? Many residents in the 88th District have never in their lifetime had another candidate up for election. This is how and why the Electoral College has control over our presidential elections…a perfect example after the 2016 election of “minority rule” in the state of Indiana.
Noted. I save my vitriol and insults for comments on right-wing Facebook pages. They need to come up with a “favored troll” status, like they have with the “constituent” designation used in commenting on the pages of political office-holders.
INSANITY:
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
~Unknown
Imagine that the next redistricting effort solves the gerrymander nemesis. We celebrate, but:
The great social gap between rural and city residents will still be there…and getting worse.
The enormous education gap between the curious and the certain will still be there…and getting worse.
The monstrous income gap and the gap between the strong and weak that it creates will still be crushing about three-quarters of the population…and growing worse.
The gargantuan gap between the sexes and between the aged and the young will still be stifling understanding…and growing worse.
Now, with the assumption that our newly formed fair district design has finally filled Congress with the most representative citizen-proxies possible, try to write a national law by which each of the above interest groups are benefited and none are harmed. I am fairly convinced that that fair law cannot be written.
Such are the powers of geography, biology and doctrine.
One of the commmentators today expressed disdain for the admixture of church and state at a council meeting. I was reminded just yesterday of that en route here to Naples, Florida, when I drove up behind” a Georgia sheriff’s car and there was a large horizontal sign on the back of the vehicle that said “In God We Trust.” I resented that, but I don’t vote in Georgia, where apparently such mixture is approved under the shield of ” religious liberty.” Chic fil A and Hobby Lobby, anybody, where in addtion (thanks to Citizens United to corporate beings as “persons” with a right to free speech (“money”) we now have corporations with protected religious views, depending upon whether the corporations are close corporations or publicly traded corporations. I suppose the sheriff could argue that he or she has a right to protected speech as well, and I would agree if the sheriff bought the cruiser and paid the help to chase down speeders, but that is not the way it works. It is the taxpayer who is paying for this abominable and unconstitutional mixture of church and state for such ads.
As to today’s blog, minority rule is rightly resented by the majority, and that, with a demented head of state perversely flogging our democratic institutions, is one of the major sources of the schism among Americans these days.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that we used to create them.”
~Albert Einstein
“Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.”
~ Niels Bohr
The diversity of beliefs and values that distinguish rural and urban culture drives a worthy dynamic tension to be heard. I grew up with family whose roots firmly were embedded with both. Discussion at the table was informative. Relationships and bonds fueled by mutual respect. Whether at the Grange or Auction; City Hall or Board Room; I observed while growing up that essential conversation was always within reach of a hand shake and a hand on the shoulder of the other. Internet brings us to the brink of anonymity and too often our primal nature in isolation. We are all better than that. It was the way we were educated and raised. I am now convinced that our current President never had a moral compass with a magnetic true north. He is incapable of leading a divided nation and steering us into calmer waters of a threatened world order. He thrives on chaos and conflict rather than reason and unity of compromise. It is not about whether a Republican or a Democrat have the best idea or viable solution. It is about authentic leadership with knowledge of our Constitution, outcome of the most classic cases before the Supreme Court, the whys and wherefores of prudent public policy and a remarkable instinct of public sentiment for the greater common good. As an infantry soldier, I achieved marksmanship rated in the top 10% of my unit. Beyond a well equipped military and local law enforcement, I never owned a gun or felt my personal lifestyle required one. I support the Second Amendment, but like other rights supported by the intent of the Constitution, I believe in personal accountability that my claimed rights or blind advocacy do not infringe on the welfare and well being of others. The NRA has lost its moral compass as well. What we need is an NRA first and foremost known for its advocacy for strict adherence to public safety and welfare and second for its promotion of reasonable and prudent gun ownership. We need a healthcare system that draws the best from the principles of both public and private enterprise devoted to the same moral compass as the physician devoted to a common understanding of the Hippocratic Oath and The Golden Rule. Too much to ask? Ask that of a young man or woman who serves in uniform ready to stand in the breach because we failed to ask of ourselves to make the same level of sacrifice.
Marv Kramer
“INSANITY:
“Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Back in the days of touchy-feely social science it was coined ‘PERSEVERATING” (maybe still so called) and referred to the symptom of repetitious activity of patients with autism, such as endlessly banging their own heads, without perceivable results.
Even today there seems to be some benefit from endless thumb-sucking, witness the signature trumpet mouth-lip structure of His Nibs and the kindergarten drum-beat inanity in the White House.
greeting from NoDak, north dakota, near bismarck,n.d. rural,red,unforgiving to the liberal,like myself. guns, a way of life here, sure rules can be made,forgiven,past on. regs that the demos continually make,will only stuff us out of any real gains in politics, figure, a real part of this mess were in,is, over regulation,too many mommas crying some sort of disrespect,groups going overboard in attempt to garner attention,mention children,and its like the NRA screaming there they go again. im sure in a grown up world we can handle our needs without goverment,so, well yes, there are dire needs, and gun control is not a game. im not,,not, a supporter of gun fevor,so dont go there. i am however dealing with people who like guns,and are responsable. im a felon, for growing pot,non violent, and got the shaft from the NRA so no love lost. but, in this discussion dont forget, we can, and should,at this point do our best to gain our composure, shaming is a great game,and boycotting better.. if these fanatics want guns, let em have em, after all, it gives them something to spend all their money on,and gain little. stores that sell guns, i.e. walmart, passem by, sports shops,pass em by,go online, search the catalogs, guns, pass em by. when you see holstered guns in public, walk away, dont purchase, boycott. put people in thier place, queitly. dont raise a fuss, we know who, the elected officials are, write them, demand, a gunlaw that, if you step out of line, prison for life,no chance of parole, period….. you cant use the news media for your attempts at regulation, it only demeans your fight. look at the types of media we have today, and its not even a fair fight for either side. when the stocks for these companies drop, whoever supports this mess, will see red. we cant regulate something that is millions in existence,but we can shun them and make it tough to exist. you will never regulate what is already out there…
TYRANNY is defined by those who see themselves as oppressed. Winners make the rules. IMAGINE…the Tyranny…if we had POPULAR VOTE for President and New York City, LA, Portland and Seattle picked the President. THAT WOULD BE TYRANNY.
Norris,
“Too much to ask? Ask that of a young man or woman who serves in uniform ready to stand in the breach because we failed to ask of ourselves to make the SAME level of sacrifice.”
You’ve stated the problem as well as anyone could? However, maybe it is too much to ask.
We’re involved in what amount to a DOMESTIC war which is much different than a FOREIGN war. To SACRIFICE at the same level means involving more than just ourselves…..it’s the possibility of losing our income, losing our relationships both in and outside our families and possibly even losing our health, particularly the possibility of assassination.
A soldier fighting in defense of his country against a foreign enemy outside our borders as in W.W. II didn’t bring along the baggage of also having to protect his family from example…RETALIATION.
This is the predicament we’re now in. We need to face it and come up with a NEW SOLUTION. As you stated so well, we can’t win without appropriate SACRIFICE.
That’s why we need to CHANGE OUR THINKING. PRONTO!
William, I happen to to agree with your quote. >> If guns have been a problem in the country, then that problem existed before last January. When the Democrats had the WH, the Senate and the House, why didn’t they bother? Because just as their Republican counterparts they are beholden to lobbyists.<<<
The same could be said for Single-Payer, Universal Health Care or enhanced Medicare. It was Max Baucus a Democrat who effectively killed Single-Payer. What did we end up with ACA, which requires subsidies to the Insurance Industry and still 100% of the people were not covered.
I think this sums it up:
On the opening day of the NBA season the San Antonio Spurs coach, Gregg Popovich, has launched his latest broadside at Donald Trump.
Popovich, who has won five NBA championships with the Spurs, was incensed after the US president falsely claimed Barack Obama and other presidents didn’t contact the families of soldiers killed in action. Popovich, is an air force veteran. “I’ve been amazed and disappointed by so much of what this president had said, and his approach to running this country, which seems to be one of just a never-ending divisiveness”.
Popovich also spoke of his contempt for Trump’s inner circle. “This man in the Oval Office is a soulless coward who thinks that he can only become large by belittling others. This has of course been a common practice of his, but to do it in this manner– and to lie about how previous presidents responded to the deaths of soldiers – is as low as it gets,” Popovich added.
“We have a pathological liar in the White House, unfit intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically to hold this office, and the whole world knows it, especially those around him every day.”
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/oct/17/gregg-popovich-donald-trump-criticism-barack-obama-nba
Our country needs another New or Newer Deal; certainly not any to be conjured up by Trump cronies.
The drama in Puerto Rico should be a wake-up call. Gun violence should be another. “Tax Reform” mantra should be suspect as should a Congress that has given us trillions in debt in order to pack the carpetbags of the ultra wealthy with an unfair tax code.
You can do something about this when you vote in the 2018 so traditionally neglected in the “mid-term elections”. Only stay home if you support these do-nothings.
If your issue is infrastructure don’t forget how Obama initiatives were stymied by Republican nay-sayers. Look how I-65 and I-69 are still being neglected by patch-it-up “solutions”.
This Administration is making matters much, much worse.
Marv,
Re your comment “We’re involved in what amount to a DOMESTIC war which is much different than a FOREIGN war. To SACRIFICE at the same level means involving more than just ourselves…..it’s the possibility of losing our income, losing our relationships both in and outside our families and possibly even losing our health, particularly the possibility of assassination.”
This is so true and is the reason that we must always be aware of the political leanings of those around us – especially if we have a different viewpoint. As you pointed out, speaking up can be dangerous in so many ways.
OMG – I am a New Dealer and have been for many years, fortified by the not-long-ago- pronouncement of Newt Gingrich that repeal of the New Deal was his reason for living. Yes, I know it had a racial component, hence when I blog on the merits of this set of policies I always call for a New Deal but one that needs amendment based on events which have transpired during the interim. No man-made system of perfect government ever existed, but we can do our best to come up with a system that rewards the serfs proportionately with the lords, a system that cannot exist within the present day tidal wave of greed by the superrich and their lackeys in the Congress.
Nancy and Gerald,
You’re both exactly right.
Rereading a book by Harlan Elllison (Strange Wine) and in the forward he states that only 8 percent of the population buy books yearly and only two percent buy more then one book a year. The book was printed in 1979 so without googling it, I assume that it is about the same at it was in the seventies. He also states how so many people believe what they see on the television and how we need to question what we see and read.
Trump’s campaign managers must have understood this to some degree, that the majority of us get our news from slanted right or left news shows, web sites and variety shows acting as a news source. His slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ was genius, it spoke to all of the people out there in rural America that have been left behind by the new economy. It also spoke to the many retired citizens who remember the 50’s through the 70’s when you could walk out of high school and get a good paying job. It conveyed a message to the poor that he was going to raise them out of the muck and give them good paying jobs again.
What did Clinton give us? Facts and figures and spread sheets. She rarely wore a dress which I heard numerous retired people make an issue of on why they would not vote for her. Most educated people could see that Trump was a con man and a fraud, but we are taught that all politicians are frauds bought and paid for the rich and well connected.
The less educated fell for his simple and easy to understand speeches of how the world was going to be brighter and wonderful once he was elected president. Clinton was speaking to the well educated, that tend to gravitate toward large cities and college towns , while Trump was broadcasting his message to the people that still believed that United States could become great again by getting rid of all the illegal immigrants, repeal Obama Care and bringing back all the jobs that have gravitated over seas.
If I were the Democrats in the next election I would find a slogan with the word ‘NEW’ in it. Something simple like,’ Time to Embrace the New Economy!’ Promise tax brakes to all businesses that will take the populace that does and does not have a college education, to take on interns and apprenticeships creating a new more educated work force. Instead of total government care, find a middle ground where large companies like Lilly and GE can keep their health care and let the (Wal Mart and Mc Donald’s come to mind) the companies that only offer bad insurance coverage to entice people to work for them to have their employees covered by the government. The you could tax these companies to pay for government coverage.
Would it work? Who cares your trying to get votes! Your telling people with good insurance that they get to keep their insurance and telling people with crappy insurance that the government is helping you pick up the tab.
Keep the message simple that everyone can understand. That’s how Trump did it!