Proud Dad’s Note: Many readers will remember Sam, my oldest, about whom I’ve written since before he was born. That’s him on the right down below. He’s a first year law student at Vanderbilt University, and he shared the following thoughts on the election. I thought some of you might find this insightful and interesting. I certainly did. — Andy
By Sam Heller
Obviously, I am not overly happy with the results of this election. I think that if Trump at all sticks to his campaign promises (which he likely can, given the composition of the legislature) America will be reviled by our neighbors for breaking treaties and acting as though we exist in a vacuum, less free internally as Trump imposes harsher crime measures (perhaps up to and hopefully not including the unconstitutional stop and frisk) to a country that has been steadily decreasing its crime rate, and will stagnate economically as Trump effectively removes us from the global economic system by trying to force manufacturing jobs to return that are 
more efficiently performed elsewhere. This last point is especially concerning because America, in my view, has nearly acclimated to being a service sector economy, but such policies could derail the progress that has already been painfully made. But, I’ll return to the specifics on why I think Trump’s policies are imprudent later in this status, or perhaps in other statuses because Trump having bad policy is not particularly novel. What is more interesting is the cultural dynamics that can explain this election, and discussion regarding how to progress both as a nation and as liberals.
First, I’ll address the division within our nation that this election cycle has made abundantly clear. The demographic breakdown of this election alone should prove sufficient to demonstrate the extent of division within our nation: Only 8% of Black voters supported Trump, under 30% of Hispanic and Asian voters supported Trump, between 7-9% of people who identify with a party voted outside that party, only 14% of LGBT voters supported Trump. Moreover, this election was also relatively stratified by education only 28% of White voters without college degrees supported Clinton, but 75% of non-White non-college educated voters and 71% of college educated non-White voters did support Clinton. In fact, the only education demographic that was close is White college educated voters, who were fairly evenly split, with a slight preference for Trump. You can say what you’d like about Trump receiving wide based support, but these numbers do not lie. This election is undeniably split along racial terms. This was White America against the rest of America, and I think the rhetoric used by the Trump campaign makes it abundantly clear why. It should come as no surprise that a candidate who was quite contentedly endorsed by the KKK and white supremacists, who promotes racially biased police procedures, who has openly stereotyped Mexicans, and who has been so notoriously suspicious of Muslims that he suggested creating a nationwide registry for people following that faith is viewed as a horrifying candidate for those groups. What Trump has said alone would be sufficient to characterize this election as a divisive one, but it is the disturbingly high number of hate crimes and acts that have occurred since the election that I think color the election with the most fidelity.
The divisiveness of this election is, perhaps, not overly controversial, but it bears pointing out because if this election has taught liberal Americans anything, it is that the rhetoric and actions of Trump and his supporters are not to be taken lightly. The media and Democrats alike disregarded Trump and laughed off his supporters throughout the entire election, and in doing so was blind to the views held by a significant chunk of Americans. Moving forward, no policy suggestion or public view should be treated as flippantly as Trump’s views were this election. Rather, any and all statements of such improvident and hateful views must be noted and challenged directly, in the clearest terms. This is not to say that we should decry those who do not agree with us, to do so would be the antithesis of democracy; No, all Americans, particularly those upset by the outcome of this election, must engage in politics with critical eyes and courageous minds. I do not believe that the results of this election are representative of all Americans, but they are undeniably representative of those Americans who felt strongly enough to vote. The burden is now on those who disagree to boldly step forth and let their dissent be known, not in a reactionary manner, but through the process of intelligent, forward-minded discourse.
The other divide that this election unearthed, which I did not discuss above, is the education gap that these results suggested to some. According to some analysis done by The Pew Research Center, the gap between support among college educated and non-college educated voters is the highest in well over 30 years, with voters with college degrees supporting Clinton. It seems that the commentary on this phenomenon has brought some of the harshest retaliation, with some liberals claiming that only “stupid” people would vote for Trump, and some conservatives reviling that conclusion. In considering this claim, I think it is first necessary to separate views on whether various policies are intellectually respectable from discussion of what segment of society supported who. In this regard, it is clear that education level had little to do with this election. Though the demographic gap is larger than ever before, it is still only 52% of college-educated voters who supported Clinton. The real divide that this educational split refers to is the cultural split that has been occurring in America since the Republican Contract with America. This contract refocused presidential politics from pure policy considerations, to moral/cultural differences. It was this contract that firmly entrenched the abortion debate as a dispositive issue, and nearly wholly removed working-class White Americans from any liberal coalitions (other factors like unions losing favor due to corruption, etc played roles in this as well).
As a result of the resultant rhetoric, America has been left in a state of perpetual cultural war between the revered Midwestern laborer, and the elite, liberal city dwellers. Each side, generally, views the other as imprudent its political choices. I could go into more depth on this subject, but doing so would only highlight the insults and misconceptions that have been retarding the creation of nationwide discourse and respect. One factor of this split that is worth noting is that this culture war has so vigorously animated each side that they have even gone so far as to vote against their own best interest. Particularly, the insightful book, “What’s the Matter with Kansas,” pointed out that because of the cultural gap and flavor of the diction used by Republicans, working class middle-Americans have supported economic policies which have been proven to be harmful to them.
This is precisely what I think happened in this election. Significant swaths of American society viewed Clinton as an idol of the liberal elites, as the face of entrenched privilege and power. This did not sit well with the bulk of middle America, and was disquieting to the point that Trump could have said nearly anything without losing their support. Moreover, Trump promised to bring back the manufacturing jobs that these same voters lost over the past two-decades as America adapted to being a service-sector economy.
The combination of these factors left no question in the minds of these voters as to which candidate would best represent them.
Image credit: Donkey Hotey
Very interesting read. If this election supposedly turned out voters in record numbers, and yet 47% did not vote for president, there has to be a worry that in future elections there will be far fewer people taking part in the election process. It’s important to remember that, in elections as in other things, someone wins and someone loses. As adults, we need to accept that, or we miss teaching our children an important part of life. I would rather teach my children that other people’s hatred should not be acceptable, than to teach them that ours is acceptable.
Good info but we must remember that the popular vote would have elected Clinton. I for one am not proud to have a president that can stand in front of America and make fun of handicapped people,disrespect woman and on and on. Uneducated white supposedly put trump over the top. Snake oil was popular in its day too. I am an uneducated white man that did not support trump. But I was smart enough to see a wolf in sheeps clothing. He says he will be bring back manufacturing jobs. Problem is that technology has done away with a lot of them. What use to take 10 people to make something now takes almost no one. You don’t have to be educated to make a sound decision about a candidate only informed. The trump supporters will soon find out that most of his promises are fantasy.
I’m an older white “uneducated” guy too and I supported Clinton. I’m probably more educated than most people with college degrees and I often disagree with my union so don’t exactly fit in the demographics.
One thing I do agree with Sam about on elections is they (Republicans) often convince people to vote against their own self interest by using single issue topics that hit their hot button.
Outstanding article! Andy, that apple did not fall far from the tree. 🙂
Andy,
You should be extremely proud of Sam, ( I am sure you are).
This is a very articulate and well written article, I agree with his positions.
I remember when Sam was born and you wrote about about becoming a father for the first time. Now he is grown and in law school. Very well written article and on point completely. Thank you for all the years you have been writing for us and now sharing his writing with us.
How about we have this conversation in, let’s say, 2 years, and see what all the complainers feel? I may be wrong, but 8 years ago I was correct in saying Obama would turn America way toward Socialism by now. In 2 years or less I feel we will be on our way back.
On our way back from what? You remember the stock market was 4,000 or something when Obama took office, right? And that it’s 18,000 now. And that Bush tanked the economy? And that now unemployment is around 4 percent? We’d have more progress with a Congress that didn’t auto-block anything the guy proposed, too.
As I said, Andy, let’s see what happens in 2 years or less. You might like it.
IMO, it doesn’t matter if any of this is true. You need to look at a candidate’s theme. Trump was the candidate of hope and change, HRC was the candidate of stasis and fear. Voters want hope and change so much, 8 years ago they elected a black president. This time they elected an outsider.
Why hope and change? We all know their is something rotten at the core in Washington (K street lobbyists, Wall Street bankers, military-industrial complex, etc.) and we want someone to fix it before it takes our country down. We also know that no matter what the unemployment numbers say, millions of American working families are struggling. In some cases, entire towns are struggling. Someone’s getting rich (we see it on TV) but it isn’t the average American worker.
HRC is a decent person, but she was part of the problem. Trump is a piece of work, but he promised to fix it. It doesn’t matter if it is true or not. He offered hope. That’s what won him the election.
This young man is quite the thinker!! I am sure that you and your wife are very proud of him. You guys must be doing the right thing in raising your children.
Thanks, as always, for an insightful and informative column.
This kid is spouting the trite old liberal ideas of his professors. Check back in a few years when he has to meet the hard world. And what do you mean Andy that unemployment is at 4 per cent. Are you nuts? When you count the numbers of people on welfare and who do not work and have no desire to find a job, that 4 per cent figure is not at all a fact. Get real.
Ann, I forgot I’m supposed to use the Republican Party unemployment rate of 20 percent instead of what the Bureau of Labor Statistics says: Total nonfarm payroll employment rose by 161,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 4.9 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today.
Is there no fact that is a fact to you people? My god.
If things were turned around and the Republicans were in office the last 8 years and all the stats were the same they would be saying everything is in great shape and there would be no need for change. I have a carpenter friend who voted for Trump and said he couldn’t find work 8 years ago, but now he has to turn work away because he has more than he can handle. He also said that he is NOT better off today than he was 8 years ago. Go figure.
Exactly. It’s ridiculous. I know plenty of union people who voted Republican. That’s literally taking food out of your family’s mouth.
You’re both right and wrong. Yes Andy, the BLS number is 4.9% and 161K jobs were added. This number is great for measuring apples to apples as it tells us where we’re heading month to month. It is a positive sign.
But Ann also has a point. When you quit looking for work or pick up a part-time job or go onto some sort of government assistance, you fall off the unemployment rate list. This can be measured by the Labor Force Participation Rate, which has gone down.
http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS11300000
Note the increase the past year and a half. Bush tanked the economy good and hard, and we’re still not all the way back. But we’re a helluva better off than we were. The stock market was down in the 6000s and look at it now.
First two Bushes, then (almost) two Clintons, now two Hellers! When will this nepotism end….
I know, right? Make it stop!!!
Sam, beautifully, perfectly written. Your daddy’s proud, I’m sure. One thing I wish op ed pieces would do is list sources for the stats they post. That gives me homework to delve deeper into truth. As far as this election goes, in the crudest of terms, it was not so much about race, economics, or any other demographic; it was about smart vs. dumb. Smart had no other choice but to vote for something other than what would eventually get elected. Smart needs to galvanize for the next one. Swallow this fiasco, gird stronger for the next, find ways to teflon yourself against what’s about to rain into your pan. Beautiful job Sam, and Andy.
Tim, Sam wrote that as a Facebook post for his page only, so he didn’t source it. Somewhere in his responses on Facebook, he explains where he got the numbers.
I think T-“rump” won because of the “Jesse Ventura syndrome”. When Jesse ran for governor of Minn. he energized so many people who had never voted or had not been to the polls in a long time. He was only a one-term governor, so we can only hope……..
My friend Jerry sent this email today. He headed it, “So It Begins…”
‘The manager at our Ohio store is African American.
Last Thursday, a customer (white) had a problem with an item he had purchased. Despite getting a prompt refund of the purchase price, he was still angry and wanted to speak to the manager.
When Dan appeared, the customer pointed at him and said:
“No. Not YOU, nigger. Trump is coming for you.”‘
Uh-Oh.
You are rightly proud. Very well written and thought provoking. The remarks? Well those are another story. The only point that Sam did not cover is the effect all the free publicity that trump got from the media. I believe that they didn’t think it was all for real, that it was just a pitch for more fame and glory, as I did. WOW what a surprise. NOW we should all learn the contact forms for our Representatives and Senators no matter the party and flood them with our concerns. Steady, clearly stated positions, and pressure will have to be applied to control what is to come. Good job Sam and kudos to a great set of parents for steady guidance.
Congratulations Sam! As your Dad said: insightful, interesting, and I would like to add intense.
If people are so worried about division in our country, it certainly is not helping anything by making a point of indicating which color of skin, country of origin, level of education, sexual preference, (sexual preference???) Midwestern laborers, elite liberal city dwellers, cultural gaps and so on. Is all this information meant to blame someone for the outcome? Get the lying media to shut up and get out of the election business, and cut back campaign time to 2 months. Why waste all that time and money which could be put to better serve our country? Elections are also like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.
As President obamma commented in 2012 when he was reelected to a 2nd term when some republicans were unhappy with it he said “we won, get over it”.
Did the republicans riot in the streets, looting and destroying private and public property?
No! They did not . We said ok and went on about doing our work or whatever.
Trump wins and what happens?
College age spoiled brats the age of Sam are holding protests, rioting, and destroying both public and private property.
When Sam has the moral courage to stand up and write and article about those who are rioting and the other acts of violence that being carried on around this nation, then maybe I might be more willing to listen to his comments.
As I have told you before Andy, the KKK is a group that was founded by members of the democratic party. The dixiecrats as they were known in the last century.
They fought against the 1st civil rights bill introduced by the republicans in 1958. President Eisenhower was for the bill along with the republican party. The democrats led by Strom Thurmond and LBJ and other democrats defeated the bill.
It should also be noted that after the civil war and lot of African-Americans voted republican and ran for congress as republicans. They were also elected to Congress.
I could go on with more examples, but, I have learned that liberals do not like to hear or read the truth. Their minds are already made up.
It is the anti-free speech and other democrats that are going to cause a lot of problems in the future.
shan gao, huangdi yuan
This is a Chinese Proverb. It says, The mountains are high and the Emperor is far away.
We all can survive Trump by just being West Michigan peasants, far removed from the Emperor. He is far, far away, does not directly affect us or our families.
Best Thing Trump Could Do Now:
Appoint Hillary Clinton as the USA representative to the United Nations.
Trump can’t appoint Clinton to any position, remember he said a special prosecutor would be put in place and she would be charged, found guilty, then put in prison. Sadly, many Republicans think this is possible and he is going to keep this promise.