The NYT has an article called "What Democrats Don’t Understand About Rural America" looking at why Democrats are failing to win with rural voters:
In the story, a rural woman in Maine said that she'd been
undecided between Clinton and Trump until Election Day but voted for Trump because, at the Republican convention, he talked about regular American working people and Clinton didn’t at her convention.
So, is that true?
We have the transcripts telling us exactly what each candidate said at the convention. Clinton spoke of "working people" four times, Trump once. For Trump, it was a one-liner about how his (slum-lord) father taught him to respect working people. For Clinton, those four references were part of the main section of her speech, which served as its central theme, talking about the struggles of working people and what the government could do to help:
"I’ve gone around our country talking to working families. And I’ve heard from so many of you who feel like the economy just isn’t working. Some of you are frustrated – even furious. And you know what??? You’re right. It’s not yet working the way it should. Americans are willing to work – and work hard. But right now, an awful lot of people feel there is less and less respect for the work they do. And less respect for them, period. Democrats are the party of working people. But we haven’t done a good enough job showing that we get what you’re going through, and that we’re going to do something about it. So I want to tell you tonight how we will empower Americans to live better lives. My primary mission as President will be to create more opportunity and more good jobs with rising wages right here in the United States… From my first day in office to my last! Especially in places that for too long have been left out and left behind. From our inner cities to our small towns, from Indian Country to Coal Country. From communities ravaged by addiction to regions hollowed out by plant closures..... Whatever party you belong to, or if you belong to no party at all, if you share these beliefs, this is your campaign. If you believe that companies should share profits with their workers, not pad executive bonuses, join us. If you believe the minimum wage should be a living wage… and no one working full time should have to raise their children in poverty… join us. If you believe that every man, woman, and child in America has the right to affordable health care…join us.... And yes, if you believe that your working mother, wife, sister, or daughter deserves equal pay… join us… Let’s make sure this economy works for everyone, not just those at the top.
Again and again she spoke about working people -- her own mother working as a house maid at age 14, hard-working immigrants, those with hopes of starting a small business who can't get bank loans to finance their dreams, and the working people Trump had stiffed over the years, as he regularly refused to pay his bills in full, forcing contractors to negotiate or litigate to get paid what he owed them. Then she went through a long list of specific plans, all built around the needs of working people.
Trump, by comparison, was five pages into his speech before he even got around to talking about jobs. His speech focused first and most on "violence in the streets and chaos in our communities." Time and again, it was about "terrorism and lawlessness." His promises were focused not around economic ideas for working people, but rather "appointing the best prosecutors and law enforcement," while fighting immigration.
So, I think we can say with confidence that the interviewed rural woman was lying about why she chose to vote for Trump. As a simple matter of FACT, Hillary Clinton spoke far more extensively about working people than Trump did. Trump ran on fear -- fear of Black people running wild in inner cities, fear of Hispanic immigrants, and fear of Muslim terrorists. Fear of the unfamiliar was the core theme of his speech, and that's what won over the rural voters.
In the story, a rural woman in Maine said that she'd been
undecided between Clinton and Trump until Election Day but voted for Trump because, at the Republican convention, he talked about regular American working people and Clinton didn’t at her convention.
So, is that true?
We have the transcripts telling us exactly what each candidate said at the convention. Clinton spoke of "working people" four times, Trump once. For Trump, it was a one-liner about how his (slum-lord) father taught him to respect working people. For Clinton, those four references were part of the main section of her speech, which served as its central theme, talking about the struggles of working people and what the government could do to help:
"I’ve gone around our country talking to working families. And I’ve heard from so many of you who feel like the economy just isn’t working. Some of you are frustrated – even furious. And you know what??? You’re right. It’s not yet working the way it should. Americans are willing to work – and work hard. But right now, an awful lot of people feel there is less and less respect for the work they do. And less respect for them, period. Democrats are the party of working people. But we haven’t done a good enough job showing that we get what you’re going through, and that we’re going to do something about it. So I want to tell you tonight how we will empower Americans to live better lives. My primary mission as President will be to create more opportunity and more good jobs with rising wages right here in the United States… From my first day in office to my last! Especially in places that for too long have been left out and left behind. From our inner cities to our small towns, from Indian Country to Coal Country. From communities ravaged by addiction to regions hollowed out by plant closures..... Whatever party you belong to, or if you belong to no party at all, if you share these beliefs, this is your campaign. If you believe that companies should share profits with their workers, not pad executive bonuses, join us. If you believe the minimum wage should be a living wage… and no one working full time should have to raise their children in poverty… join us. If you believe that every man, woman, and child in America has the right to affordable health care…join us.... And yes, if you believe that your working mother, wife, sister, or daughter deserves equal pay… join us… Let’s make sure this economy works for everyone, not just those at the top.
Again and again she spoke about working people -- her own mother working as a house maid at age 14, hard-working immigrants, those with hopes of starting a small business who can't get bank loans to finance their dreams, and the working people Trump had stiffed over the years, as he regularly refused to pay his bills in full, forcing contractors to negotiate or litigate to get paid what he owed them. Then she went through a long list of specific plans, all built around the needs of working people.
Trump, by comparison, was five pages into his speech before he even got around to talking about jobs. His speech focused first and most on "violence in the streets and chaos in our communities." Time and again, it was about "terrorism and lawlessness." His promises were focused not around economic ideas for working people, but rather "appointing the best prosecutors and law enforcement," while fighting immigration.
So, I think we can say with confidence that the interviewed rural woman was lying about why she chose to vote for Trump. As a simple matter of FACT, Hillary Clinton spoke far more extensively about working people than Trump did. Trump ran on fear -- fear of Black people running wild in inner cities, fear of Hispanic immigrants, and fear of Muslim terrorists. Fear of the unfamiliar was the core theme of his speech, and that's what won over the rural voters.
Last edited:
