Democrats were out of touch.
The party had become the party of the coastal elites: the liberal Hollywood stars, the liberal Oregon hipsters, and the liberal New York Broadway snobs. Because they focused on making sure transgender Americans were treated just like every other American when it comes to where they pee, they had lost touch with the farmer out in the middle of nowhere Nebraska, the factory worker in Pennsylvania who had lost his job, and the religious Christian who was worried about God's judgments pouring out onto this land of sinners. Democrats had ignored the "real Americans;" thus, they lost to the only candidate representing them.
Putting aside that I think Mr. Trump represents no one but himself, regardless of who voted for him, I think saying that Democrats ignored "real Americans" is a bit much. Hillary Clinton mentioned "jobs" more than literally anything else on the campaign trail, over any of the social issues Democrats are accused of focusing on too much. And that is apparently what "real Americans" care about, not this wishy-washy social justice stuff. That's what elites care about.
Well, I care about those things, so I must be a liberal elite. Therefore, in defense of my Liberal Elitism, I present to you the following counter-arguments:
1) Identity politics isn't a bad thing. Politics is all about individuals and groups coming together and working out how to get something without giving a whole lot of something else. While that unfortunately sounds like the mantra of the Tea Party and extreme leftists, that's what politics ultimately boils down to. Identity politics is just politics with a group name.
Additionally, it's not just a tactic employed by the left. The right does this, too. Just look at Evangelical Christians as a voting bloc and try to tell me they aren't practicing identity politics. I'll wait.
2) I live in a place where these social justice issues are real. Democrats speak out about racial and social injustices because they see them happening where they are living. When they speak about racist police policies, it's because they have seen them. When they talk about LGBT+ issues, it's because they've seen them. Just because you live in a small, rural town without black people doesn't mean racism isn't a thing.
3) A lack of political correctness is not admirable. Donald Trump may be refreshing to some for his blatant lack of PC speech, but in that lack he represents just about every vile and reprehensible thing American society has been trying to eliminate for decades. From his lack of political correctness, a brief list of applicable adjectives: misogynist, racist, homophobic (admittedly more Mr. Pence, but he picked Pence, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ), xenophobic, narcissist, etc. Additionally, he is a bald-faced liar on just about every topic, and bullies those who challenge him (just ask any reporter who has voiced any sort of contrary or negative question).
4) Climate change is real. Scientists are not lying to you. Almost all of them agree. And while it is important that everyone's voice is heard, the evidence is just too overwhelming. It's not a hoax by the Chinese. It's not a ploy to make you by an electric car. It's people caring about the only livable planet in the entirety of space that we can currently reach.
5) There is no "Real America." Jon Stewart said it best, but it's worth saying again: There is no "Real America." At least, not in the way the pundits talk about it on Fox News (not to mention the trash that is Breitbart). Real America is not just rural, white America. It's also inner-city black America. It's gayborhood LGBT+ America. It's Southwestern Latino America. It's new immigrant Asian America. It's far-flung refugee Syrian America.
Do you get it yet? Real America is all of us, not just one particular group. And just in case you need a vocabulary lesson, the word "all" includes everyone. If you can think of a type of person that doesn't fit into "everyone," let me know so I can tweet it at Merriam Webster for a definition change.
6) My elitism makes me better. My last point is that my liberal elitism makes me a better person. It teaches me to care about others and their situations. My goals, desires, and needs aren't more important than yours just because they're not the same. But they are still problems, and they need to be addressed. We need the conversations that Democrats and Hillary Clinton were having just as much as we need to talk about the problems facing those that live in the rural parts of the country.
Ultimately, my liberal elitism teaches me to strive for an America for everyone. Sure, it means that I may highlight my LGBT+ concerns over those of a rural farmer's, but I understand that my problems aren't more important. They're just mine. I don't know enough about farming to even pretend like I know what problems that entails. I'm willing to ask, though.
If Democrats are guilty of anything this election, it's not telling everyone that we hear them. We do. We just understand that there are more problems than those faced by rural America, and so we talk about them. And because we tend to congregate on the coasts, we don't experience the same problems. So we maybe highlight those problems more than others. That doesn't make us any less American. It just makes us different, which isn't a bad thing.
Putting aside that I think Mr. Trump represents no one but himself, regardless of who voted for him, I think saying that Democrats ignored "real Americans" is a bit much. Hillary Clinton mentioned "jobs" more than literally anything else on the campaign trail, over any of the social issues Democrats are accused of focusing on too much. And that is apparently what "real Americans" care about, not this wishy-washy social justice stuff. That's what elites care about.
Well, I care about those things, so I must be a liberal elite. Therefore, in defense of my Liberal Elitism, I present to you the following counter-arguments:
1) Identity politics isn't a bad thing. Politics is all about individuals and groups coming together and working out how to get something without giving a whole lot of something else. While that unfortunately sounds like the mantra of the Tea Party and extreme leftists, that's what politics ultimately boils down to. Identity politics is just politics with a group name.
Additionally, it's not just a tactic employed by the left. The right does this, too. Just look at Evangelical Christians as a voting bloc and try to tell me they aren't practicing identity politics. I'll wait.
2) I live in a place where these social justice issues are real. Democrats speak out about racial and social injustices because they see them happening where they are living. When they speak about racist police policies, it's because they have seen them. When they talk about LGBT+ issues, it's because they've seen them. Just because you live in a small, rural town without black people doesn't mean racism isn't a thing.
3) A lack of political correctness is not admirable. Donald Trump may be refreshing to some for his blatant lack of PC speech, but in that lack he represents just about every vile and reprehensible thing American society has been trying to eliminate for decades. From his lack of political correctness, a brief list of applicable adjectives: misogynist, racist, homophobic (admittedly more Mr. Pence, but he picked Pence, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ), xenophobic, narcissist, etc. Additionally, he is a bald-faced liar on just about every topic, and bullies those who challenge him (just ask any reporter who has voiced any sort of contrary or negative question).
4) Climate change is real. Scientists are not lying to you. Almost all of them agree. And while it is important that everyone's voice is heard, the evidence is just too overwhelming. It's not a hoax by the Chinese. It's not a ploy to make you by an electric car. It's people caring about the only livable planet in the entirety of space that we can currently reach.
5) There is no "Real America." Jon Stewart said it best, but it's worth saying again: There is no "Real America." At least, not in the way the pundits talk about it on Fox News (not to mention the trash that is Breitbart). Real America is not just rural, white America. It's also inner-city black America. It's gayborhood LGBT+ America. It's Southwestern Latino America. It's new immigrant Asian America. It's far-flung refugee Syrian America.
Do you get it yet? Real America is all of us, not just one particular group. And just in case you need a vocabulary lesson, the word "all" includes everyone. If you can think of a type of person that doesn't fit into "everyone," let me know so I can tweet it at Merriam Webster for a definition change.
6) My elitism makes me better. My last point is that my liberal elitism makes me a better person. It teaches me to care about others and their situations. My goals, desires, and needs aren't more important than yours just because they're not the same. But they are still problems, and they need to be addressed. We need the conversations that Democrats and Hillary Clinton were having just as much as we need to talk about the problems facing those that live in the rural parts of the country.
Ultimately, my liberal elitism teaches me to strive for an America for everyone. Sure, it means that I may highlight my LGBT+ concerns over those of a rural farmer's, but I understand that my problems aren't more important. They're just mine. I don't know enough about farming to even pretend like I know what problems that entails. I'm willing to ask, though.
If Democrats are guilty of anything this election, it's not telling everyone that we hear them. We do. We just understand that there are more problems than those faced by rural America, and so we talk about them. And because we tend to congregate on the coasts, we don't experience the same problems. So we maybe highlight those problems more than others. That doesn't make us any less American. It just makes us different, which isn't a bad thing.
