Where Do I begin?
After Donald Trump’s earth-moving campaign not only vanquished 16 opponents, (biggest GOP primary in 100 years) he jolted the tectonic plates again election night. People predicted a possible landslide alright…by Hillary Clinton. Instead it was Trump who took Ohio by storm first and then marched through blue states like Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and turned them red.
How did he do it in those blue-now-red states especially where polls and pundits gave him almost no chance? No place better to start than in Michigan and with a democrat who was called crazy when she said Camp Clinton was in trouble. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell writes the first warning was strong support for Bernie Sanders in her district during the primary. Sanders came to her district 10 times.
*Bill* Clinton came once. Sanders stunned Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary. Dingell predicted people in her district would vote for Trump in the presidential election too. She says even though the Obama administration saved the auto industry, blue-collar working men and women of the industry feel forgotten ever since.
Political Irony Anyone?
Robert Reich was President Bill Clinton’s Labor Secretary. He held the very job that tracks U.S. employment and helps Mr. and Mrs. America get a fair shake at the office.
In Democrats Once Represented the Working Class. Not Anymore, Reich explains how Hillary Clinton lost. He also says Trump’s victory shouldn’t be seen as a victory for hatefulness over decency. He says voters blew up the American political power structure.
The Sins of 2016
Fareed Zakaria took a different approach in explaining Tuesday and it’s one that should give ALL of us pause. He writes elitism and racism are the two sins that defined the election.
Stick a Fork in Him?
Lastly, what about Governor John Kasich? He bought into the narrative of a certain Trump defeat months and months ago. Remember his calculation? That Trump’s divisive brand of politics would turn away much of the country and he’d be there to pick up the pieces November 9 on.
In fact, before the election, the governor scheduled a speech for Thursday November 10 to do just that at a think tank in Washington D.C. The Trump win obviously scuttled the speech but the conservative Washington Times reports after the election, Kasich’s staff had to have in their words a 'come to Jesus' meeting with their boss.
I could keep writing because there’s so much to process after an 18-month campaign and election but let’s wrap it here for now. As always, don’t hesitate to send your thoughts my way at scott.light@10TV.com.
