Sunday, November 20, 2016

Why Shillary Lost

Once again WSF goes off his meds and explains why Shillary lost the election in a simplistic way. You have been warned.

Many people, me included, were offended by Shillary’s “Basket of Deplorables” speech. What we tend to overlook is the other “basket” she described. From her speech.

"But the other basket -- and I know this because I see friends from all over America here -- I see friends from Florida and Georgia and South Carolina and Texas -- as well as, you know, New York and California -- but that other basket of people are people who feel that the government has let them down, the economy has let them down, nobody cares about them, nobody worries about what happens to their lives and their futures, and they're just desperate for change. It doesn't really even matter where it comes from. They don't buy everything he says, but he seems to hold out some hope that their lives will be different. They won't wake up and see their jobs disappear, lose a kid to heroin, feel like they're in a dead-end. Those are people we have to understand and empathize with as well."

What I took from that was, oh your poor people. We, the smart people, need to take care of you. There, there, it will all be alright. Smug, patronizing and demeaning remarks lapped up by an audience many ordinary people feel uncomfortable to be around.

For people still sitting on the fence, their silent reaction was probably, “Fuck you bitch. Just get the hell out of my way and I will take care of myself and my family”.

What people label as “privilege” should be labeled “tribalism”. We tend to identify with, and protect, family, clan, and groups that are similar to us. It has been the survival mechanism of humanoids throughout history. You see the same behavior in all species.

 In this country we have moved beyond that in many respects because we use our intellect.  What we have on the (P)regressive side is a demand to have the “privilege” without having to do the work to earn it. I believe few people favor barriers to individual success and a safe environment to grow and prosper. 


What Shillary and her fellow travelers demand is various groups must prosper to the determent of other, in their view, less deserving groups. That, more than any other reason, cost her the election IMO. As always, YMMV.

5 comments:

Ami said...

I think you're probably right about everything you said. I also think a couple other things contributed. The media, obviously slanted toward Hillary, convinced so many of her people that she had already won that I think they didn't even bother to go vote. So that backfired. Also, the oft-mentioned 'likeability factor'. I think everyone on her team seriously underestimated how many people actively hate her. And therefore voted against her, rather than a vote FOR Trump. It has certainly been interesting. I am hoping that Trump's tremendous ego will spur him to succeed. I doubt that he expected to win.

Old NFO said...

Can't disagree. And our 'tribe' finally woke up and reacted...

Well Seasoned Fool said...

I fell into the "Anybody but Shillary" camp. Like any rational person, I hope Trump is Yugely successful.

LL said...

There are no more smug liberals to tell us what to do (and what caliber of handgun not to carry). They're gone. And they are not at all happy about being cast aside by the different baskets of people in fly-over-country.

Now they sit around in faculty lounges and country clubs, blaggarding us for not appreciating them.

Well Seasoned Fool said...

That, and blowing up social media.