(CNN) Why I'm voting for Trump. A look inside Trump's supporters

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Very true. But the knee-jerk ridicule aimed at these people is getting kinda tiresome. They're undereducated, confused and frustrated with their situation. Shouldn't we focus on how they got there, instead of just laughing at them?

It's 2016 and these are adults with responsibilities toward society. They are undereducated because they had the luxury of being so and still living a comfortable life. Now that circumstances have changed, they need to educate themselves if they want to be less confused and frustrated.
 
It's 2016 and these are adults with responsibilities toward society. They are undereducated because they had the luxury of being so and still living a comfortable life. Now that circumstances have changed, they need to educate themselves if they want to be less confused and frustrated.

It's easy to say this but when millions of people are exhibiting the same symptoms it stops becoming an individual's problem.
 
It's 2016 and these are adults with responsibilities toward society. They are undereducated because they had the luxury of being so and still living a comfortable life. Now that circumstances have changed, they need to educate themselves if they want to be less confused and frustrated.
Yep. They're lashing out at what they don't understand, because they've never had to understand before. Their lives were comparably easy to just about anyone else's life in history.

It's easy to say this but when millions of people are exhibiting the same symptoms it stops becoming an individual's problem.
He's not saying it's an individual's problem. We're literally living in the uneducated country we were warned against becoming. They're so distant from the things they're upset about that they don't even know how to verbalize what they're feeling about it.
 
I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.
 
Trust me, I know that. It's just easy to have a bit of a positive outlook on the millennial because everyone always says they're more progressive, but no... it's just the millennial minorities that are. The white millennial are fucking dumb. I say that as a white millennial myself. Some of the stuff I see said, I just want to slap them with a fucking history book sometimes.

The American left is going to have a HUGE eye opening twenty years from now when they realize the demographics don't turn the country into a European Utopia. Just because the country will swing Democrat doesn't mean it will decisively be to the left of center.
 
Bush Heralded an Economic depression, cost hundreds of lives on a pointless war, and went to war twice, causing the current instability in international affairs due to the rise of ISIS (his own interventions creation). Bush was the biggest Presidential fuck up in a very long time. You'd have be physically blind to what actually happened under Bush's term's to think otherwise.

Obama hired Bush's head of treasurer overseeing the economy (Ben Bernakie) , and continued Bush's wars, and continued his wire tapping on us citizens. You have to be blind to not see Obama's an continuation of the biggest Presidential fuck up in a long time.

Amazingly enough, fucking up the economy isn't a switch. The economic crash began during Bush's presidency, and not even like a "the hints were there", Bush is the one who bailed out the banks.

Obama bailed out the banks too, and continued to pumps millions of dollars per day into wallstreet. which is why their profits reached alltime highs UNDER OBAMA!
 
He's not saying it's an individual's problem. We're literally living in the uneducated country we were warned against becoming. They're so distant from the things they're upset about that they don't even know how to verbalize what they're feeling about it.

I know, but he's saying that the solution is that they need to educate themselves. Sure, you can do that, but that's like saying "the solution to obesity is that people should just eat healthy. The information's out there!" That's true but there are vast systemic factors that cause people to be obese. There are other factors that have to be taken into account.

I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.

Nobody said that you're supposed to be the bad guy, just that there are reasons that these people believe these things and that we can't just ignore a massive bloc of millions of people and pretend they're going to fade into obscurity. They are, if anything, mobilizing and become more and more of a unified national group. What we are witnessing is (I hate to use the phrase, but...) the birth of a nation, essentially, or rather a rebirth of a nation of white people. This is the shit that fascists eat up, because they see this as the "awakening" of white people across the US, and that will make it easier to sway them.

It's not about feeling sympathy necessarily, it's about feeling empathy and trying to figure out ways to stop it.
 
I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.

This.


The American left is going to have a HUGE eye opening twenty years from now when they realize the demographics don't turn the country into a European Utopia. Just because the country will swing Democrat doesn't mean it will decisively be to the left of center.

The eye opening you are looking for won't ever come if the alternatives to the American center left continue to be so damned terrible. People are going to choose slower than expected progress over full on regression every single day of the week.
 
The American left is going to have a HUGE eye opening twenty years from now when they realize the demographics don't turn the country into a European Utopia. Just because the country will swing Democrat doesn't mean it will decisively be to the left of center.

I'd take it as a generation coming into power with a distinct lack of opportunity in building a foundation for themselves. Less families, less homeowners, saddled with debt. It's gonna be a wild fucking ride once the boomers kick the bucket at the very least.

Poverty or lack of opportunity seems like it'll be the bigger factor in the coming years. When everyone is scraping by what then? No one wants to be the guy at the bottom rung, but what happens when everyone feels like they are?
 
Nobody said that you're supposed to be the bad guy, just that there are reasons that these people believe these things and that we can't just ignore a massive bloc of millions of people and pretend they're going to fade into obscurity. They are, if anything, mobilizing and become more and more of a unified national group. What we are witnessing is (I hate to use the phrase, but...) the birth of a nation, essentially, or rather a rebirth of a nation of white people. This is the shit that fascists eat up, because they see this as the "awakening" of white people across the US, and that will make it easier to sway them.

It's not about feeling sympathy necessarily, it's about feeling empathy and trying to figure out ways to stop it.
There is no "awakening". No one is scared a bunch of Boomers and 90-pound nerds trolling on /pol/. These people are irrelevant in the grand scheme of humanity.
 
I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.

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Obama hired Bush's head of treasurer overseeing the economy (Ben Bernakie) , and continued Bush's wars, and continued his wire tapping on us citizens. You have to be blind to not see Obama's an continuation of the biggest Presidential fuck up in a long time.

No he didn't he got out of Iraq as soon as a possibly could. The whole point he's seen as a "weak leader" is that he's reluctant as all hell to actually put troops on the ground in regards to ISIS were it's arguable to actually be needed. The country is no longer in a recession and the number of American troops on the ground are about as minimal as they can possibly be. Seriously, as much as want to paint Obama's terms as being as bad as Bushes, they're not even remotely as bad.

He's made his fair share of fuck ups, but Bushes really were that colossal.
 
"I could shoot someone and people would still vote for me" -What Trump basically said a few days ago.

And people want that as a president? Ugh. Can you imagine if Obama said this back in 2008 or 2012? No way that would have passed as easily. The amount of forgiveness his "fans" gives him is ridiculous.
 
Obama hired Bush's head of treasurer overseeing the economy (Ben Bernakie) , and continued Bush's wars, and continued his wire tapping on us citizens. You have to be blind to not see Obama's an continuation of the biggest Presidential fuck up in a long time.

That's ignoring:

ACA
Iran deal
Marriage equality
Executive order on gun loopholes
Partial end to Patriot Act
Killing Bin Laden
Strong push towards energy independence
End to Cuba embargo
etc.
 
The eye opening you are looking for won't ever come if the alternatives to the American center left continue to be so damned terrible. People are going to choose slower than expected progress over full on regression every single day of the week.

That's the problem. I really don't see the Republican party really lasting like it is that terribly much longer. If they're still trying to elect people like Trump in a decade or so then I'll eat crow. The problem I see is that if the Republican party actually did get rid of the social side of their platform I think they'd do insanely well. Like painfully well, in my opinion. Personally, I think their economics are almost as evil as anything else they believe in, but my peers don't really see it that way. With the way our education is, it's very easy to sell the bootstraps bullshit to people. The reason it isn't selling as well to my generation as of now is because of the social side of conservatism right now.
 
No he didn't he got out of Iraq as soon as a possibly could. The whole point he's seen as a "weak leader" is that he's reluctant as all hell to actually put troops on the ground in regards to ISIS were it's arguable to actually be needed. The country is no longer in a recession and the number of American troops on the ground are about as minimal as they can possibly be. Seriously, as much as want to paint Obama's terms as being as bad as Bushes, they're not even remotely as bad.

He's made his fair share of fuck ups, but Bushes really were that colossal.

Newsflash: we still have forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now we have troops in Syria. So much for ending wars....yet another Obama broken promise.
 
"I could shoot someone and people would still vote for me" -What Trump basically said a few days ago.

And people want that as a president? Ugh. Can you imagine if Obama said this back in 2008 or 2012? No way that would have passed as easily. The amount of forgiveness his "fans" gives him is ridiculous.
It proves how absurd the "no one's looking out for the white man" thinking is. Everyone is looking out for the white man. Trump got a boost in the polls and had to deal with commenters on the Internet saying that was fucked up. If Obama said it, it would have fully ended his life and career, and black people as a collective group would still be dealing with the judgment because he said it. We've all watched hundreds of moments of Obama clearly keeping his cool no matter what because if he lost it for a second, the angry black man criticism would've started up full force.
 
Newsflash: we still have forces in Iraq, Afghanistan, and now we have troops in Syria. So much for ending wars....yet another Obama broken promise.

Newsflash: After you go to war and making a country unstable and vulnerable to terrorist attacks you have some obligation to at least try to fix your screw ups. Your not even helping your case anymore. Why do you think those troops are station their in the first place. Who caused the majority of the instability within those countries? Hint the President decided to go on illegal war based on false pretences and got burnt badly for it.
 
There is no "awakening". No one is scared a bunch of Boomers and 90-pound nerds trolling on /pol/. These people are irrelevant in the grand scheme of humanity.

I didn't say there was, I said that's what fascists see it as. Are we going to literally have a Neo-Nazi party in control in the US? No. But their sorts of ideas cannot, any longer, be considered too outlandish to be counted out since Trump is promoting exactly the kinds of ideas that they like. Considering these thoughts and opinions carry down from one generation to the next, I don't think this stuff is going away any time soon. I don't really see these as the last dying gasps of the baby boomers so much as the increasing radicalism of a large segment of the population. It will never have the power again to be a nation-wide power but it can certainly became increasingly pronounced regional issue.

In other words, this isn't just "these people are idiots and bigots and they're getting what's coming to them". It didn't have to be this way. It wasn't destiny. It became this way because of various factors instigated and utilized by the capitalist class. This does not mean that destroying capitalism in and of itself fixes the problem or that racists or sexists deserve to be pat on the head and coddled. It's just an examination of the material basis for how this came to be so that we can understand possible ways to fight back.
 
Oh man, please oh fucking please win the primary. Please, you can't imagine how happy it would make me fill if we have to deal with a Trump general election and just how much dirty laundry all the racists PoS will be able to air out for the entire country to see.

The country needs to see how prevalent racism is in America, and I think Trump is going to be able to show it off for everyone to see.
A presidential election should be a system to decide how a country decides to govern itself for the next four years, not a freak show for letting people embarrass themselves.

The fact that Trump has a reasonable chance at all to make it into the Oval Office should be a cause of concern, not something to be celebrated.
 
That's ignoring:

ACA
Iran deal
Marriage equality
Executive order on gun loopholes
Partial end to Patriot Act
Killing Bin Laden
Strong push towards energy independence
End to Cuba embargo
etc.

ACA - raises rates and forced others to lose their healthcare, and it's still over 40 million americans without healthcare.
Iran deal - to be determined, even though Iran is still testing missles.
Marriage equality - that was actually Joe Biden who done this when he said he beilieved in marriage equality. Obama only "evolved" when it because politically safe for him
Executive order on gun loopholes - no he didn't.
Partial end to Patriot Act - this is an flatout lie! Eric Snowden revealed this is still going on with mass collection of phone and email data on americans!
Killing Bin Laden - the only real accomplishment under Obama.
Strong push towards energy independence - we're still under the control of fossil fuels
End to Cuba embargo - how does this help americans?
 
I know, but he's saying that the solution is that they need to educate themselves. Sure, you can do that, but that's like saying "the solution to obesity is that people should just eat healthy. The information's out there!" That's true but there are vast systemic factors that cause people to be obese. There are other factors that have to be taken into account.
Everyone else is suffering for the same systemic reasons, and self-education and respectful discourse are the only solutions. If more Americans don't do this, I don't think the country's wealth of resources and military superiority are enough to keep its economy competitive. Meaning, even if this rhetoric becomes ingrained in our politics, it won't really matter.
 
I didn't say there was, I said that's what fascists see it as. Are we going to literally have a Neo-Nazi party in control in the US? No. But their sorts of ideas cannot, any longer, be considered too outlandish to be counted out since Trump is promoting exactly the kinds of ideas that they like. Considering these thoughts and opinions carry down from one generation to the next, I don't think this stuff is going away any time soon. I don't really see these as the last dying gasps of the baby boomers so much as the increasing radicalism of a large segment of the population. It will never have the power again to be a nation-wide power but it can certainly became increasingly pronounced regional issue.

In other words, this isn't just "these people are idiots and bigots and they're getting what's coming to them". It didn't have to be this way. It wasn't destiny. It became this way because of various factors instigated and utilized by the capitalist class. This does not mean that destroying capitalism in and of itself fixes the problem or that racists or sexists deserve to be pat on the head and coddled. It's just an examination of the material basis for how this came to be so that we can understand possible ways to fight back.
You have much more optimism than me. I respect that a lot. But from what I've experienced in my short life, people like this don't suddenly wake up and realize they've been had by the powers that be. They just go even harder into their worldview. You're right that radicialism is increasing in this segment of America, but it won't be nearly as bad as it was throughout the early 20th century.
 
Newsflash: After you go to war and making a country unstable and vulnerable to terrorist attacks you have some obligation to at least try to fix your screw ups. Your not even helping your case anymore. Why do you think those troops are station their in the first place. Who caused the majority of the instability within those countries? Hint the President decided to go on illegal war based on false pretences and got burnt badly for it.

Newsflash NONE of those countries are "stable". There is an power vacuum which lead to the rise of groups like Isis and Hezbollah
 
Everyone else is suffering for the same systemic reasons, and self-education and respectful discourse are the only solutions.

When has self education ever been the solution to a problem that faced millions of people? This isn't sarcasm, I genuinely can't think of a single instance where this has ever happened.

People are more malleable than we would like to think.
 
A presidential election should be a system to decide how a country decides to govern itself for the next four years, not a freak show for letting people embarrass themselves.

The fact that Trump has a reasonable chance at all to make it into the Oval Office should be a cause of concern, not something to be celebrated.

Except once he goes into the general he has to get the votes of the rest of the country and most importantly people who aren't white middle aged republicans who are specifically voting him in because of the anger for the last eight years of republicans failing as they tried to shove "moderate" options as their best chance.

You know, his chances are very, very, very quite slim to none.

That's ignoring:

ACA
Iran deal
Marriage equality
Executive order on gun loopholes
Partial end to Patriot Act
Killing Bin Laden
Strong push towards energy independence
End to Cuba embargo
etc.

no no no, Obama did nothing remember

Nothing at all!
 
When has self education ever been the solution to a problem that faced millions of people? This isn't sarcasm, I genuinely can't think of a single instance where this has ever happened.

People are more malleable than we would like to think.

That's why I mentioned "respectful discourse."
 
You have much more optimism than me. I respect that a lot. But from what I've experienced in my short life, people like this don't suddenly wake up and realize they've been had by the powers that be. They just go even harder into their worldview. You're right that radicialism is increasing in this segment of America, but it won't be nearly as bad as it was throughout the early 20th century.

Thanks, but I'd say I'm actually pretty pessimistic about it as well! I just try to think in historical terms, and when we think with that kind of large-scale view we can see that things are in constant states of flux throughout history. Nothing ever remains stable and countries that once were most fervently X can become instead most fervently Y over the course of long, long stretches of time. But it always involves mass action in one way or another.

I just think we always need to know the root causes of the problem before we can figure out the long process for fixing it. There's no guarantee a thing can ever be fixed of course, but there is always a guarantee that things will not last the exact same way that they are.
 
Except once he goes into the general he has to get the votes of the rest of the country and most importantly people who aren't white middle aged republicans who are specifically voting him in because of the anger for the last eight years of republicans failing as they tried to shove "moderate" options as their best chance.

You know, his chances are very, very, very quite slim to none.
You're right, but Trump's zealotry throught the GOP primary will still be studied in political science classes for decades to come. Win or lose, he's already changed the game for a very long time to come.
 
Very true. But the knee-jerk ridicule aimed at these people is getting kinda tiresome. They're undereducated, confused and frustrated with their situation. Shouldn't we focus on how they got there, instead of just laughing at them?

We know how they got there, it's WELL documented. Fear of the "other" got them there, now they fear they're becoming the "other".

Hard for me to feel bad for these people....in fact I don't at all.
 
I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.

But the world is changing so fast. Can't you relate to their plight, Bronx Man?

Look at it from their point of view, 50 years ago they could call you a Nigger without worry of reprisal, force you to sit in a different section of the restaurant, force you to sit at the back of the bus and treat you like subhuman garbage.

And now? All they have is FOX News and Breitbart. Don't judge them so hastily, Bronx Man. Try to see it from their point of view. Put yourself in their shoes.
 
You're right, but Trump's zealotry throught the GOP primary will still be studied in political science classes for decades to come. Win or lose, he's already changed the game for a very long time to come.

Yes he did

And thank Trump for blowing up the facade of the media in covering "news", politicians and their BS speak. There is a video I was shown a few days ago, but it perfectly encapsulates what Trump has done, even if we don't know it yet. It was by the nerdwriter or something.
 
I have a question. Why should I, as a black man, show any remorse, empathy, or sympathy for avowed racists? Why should I feel oh-so-bad for the people that look down on muslims? That look down on hispanics? That look down on people that look like me? They spew rhetoric and slurs and dogwhistles, but I'm supposed to be the bad guy for noticing it and not liking it? Fuck that. These people had their chance.

I'd say because a majority of them are just ignorant, and are lashing out. The nebulous welfare queen or thug is a figment of their imagination, and when it comes to Joe or Jane that they know their position changes. That's their "My black friend" crap.

The true evil are the ones using that ignorance to assign blame and use it to their own ends. Educatation and empathy is really the only way to break the cycle.

Unfortunately it's a never ending battle. History shows just when we make progress, some person or event or combination is right there in the muck to harness our worst instincts. But its a fight that needs fighting. Education and empathy is the sword.
 
Very true. But the knee-jerk ridicule aimed at these people is getting kinda tiresome. They're undereducated, confused and frustrated with their situation. Shouldn't we focus on how they got there, instead of just laughing at them?

Nope, the willfully ignorant are last on the empathy train.
 
The only good part of this whole fiasco, is that it's shown the rest of the how racist and xenophobic a reasonably large section of America is and it makes it more difficult, for certain American's claiming that is no racial problems in America. I don't even think it's worth it, but anyone to pretend otherwise means they've lost all reason and likely aren't worth debating with, because even ignorance is no longer an excuse considering how blatantly obvious it is.

It definitely isn't worth it, and in many cases, people still find a way to ease their cognitive dissonance and explain away even blatant racism, but if people being honest about how horrible their views are is what it takes to sway even a few people away from their ideas that we live in a post-racism world, that's what it takes, I guess.
 
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