Support NeoGAF

[entremet]

In the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, many analysts suggested that Hillary Clinton lost to Donald J. Trump because of poor Democratic turnout.

Months later, it is clear that the turnout was only modestly better for Mr. Trump than expected.

To the extent Democratic turnout was weak, it was mainly among black voters. Even there, the scale of Democratic weakness has been exaggerated.

Instead, it’s clear that large numbers of white, working-class voters shifted from the Democrats to Mr. Trump. Over all, almost one in four of President Obama’s 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate.

This analysis compares official voter files — data not available until months after the election — with The Upshot’s pre-election turnout projections in Florida, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. The turnout patterns evident in these states are representative of broader trends throughout the battleground states and nationwide.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/28/...prod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share

Cool stats at the link.

 

[Autoignition]

White people threw the election to Trump, you say?

I'm shocked, I tell you. Shocked!

 

[The Technomancer]

This is...interesting. On its surface this backs up arguments I and others have been making, but that feels a bit too easy

 

[SolarPowered]

Instead, it’s clear that large numbers of white, working-class voters shifted from the Democrats to Mr. Trump. Over all, almost one in four of President Obama’s 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate.

That right there is disastrous.

 

[CrocMother]

 

[Brinbe]

That economic anxiety.

 

[Permanently A]

Yep. Rust belt gobbled up Trump's rhetoric.

That economic anxiety.

literally this time, lol

 

[Linkark07]

Because Obama and Clinton were doing a White genocide and were discriminating those poor Christians.

Spoiler

/s

 

[OrangeGrayBlue]

I thought Trump actually got less of the white vote than Romney did? Perhaps I read wrong. 🤔

 

[Master Yoshi]

Third party votes were like flipping American politics off through the window.. only the window was a fucking mirror.

 

[Krauser Kat]

Fucking idiots. I wish nuance and actual policy changed minds more then bravado.

 

[Forerunner]

emails!

 

[Stinkles]

To paraphrase George Carlin, think how stupid the average person on your commute was. Think about the dumbest driving move you saw today. Voters aren't even risking life and limb.

 

[Nafai1123]

I'm sorry
-White Person

 

[old manatee]

It still blows my mind that there are people that voted for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

 

[CrocMother]

It still blows my mind that there are people that voted for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

This is what I don't get!

 

[Autoignition]

It still blows my mind that there are people that voted for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

It shouldn't. Voters just chase the shiny thing. No one actually gives a crap about policy.

 

[jack_package_200]

Because Donald stroked racial tensions

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

It still blows my mind that there are people that voted for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

There are people who voted for Bernie who voted for Trump (Jontron).

 

[avaya]

To paraphrase George Carlin, think how stupid the average person on your commute was. Think about the dumbest driving move you saw today. Voters aren't even risking life and limb.

That Carlin quote is a life lesson.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Why did white people do this?

 

[the-pi-guy]

Decades of anti-Hillary/anti-Democrat propaganda finally taking its effect.

Oh, and racism.

 

[tbm24]

Not even remotely surprising. All the GOP had to do was appeal to overt racism and the WH is yours. Mitt had it all wrong doing it behind the scenes.

 

[jack_package_200]

There are people who voted for Bernie who voted for Trump (Jontron).

It cannot be said enough that Jontron is a fucking idiot.

 

[The Kree]

Why did white people do this?

No one knows. It's an enigma wrapped in a conundrum.

 

[capitalCORN]

In before "It's Hillary's fault!"

 

[chaosblade]

It still blows my mind that there are people that voted for both Barack Obama and Donald Trump.

Politicians are all 100% liars and elections don't have consequences. One guy (or woman) is the same as the next, they just have a different letter by their name.

- Shit load of American voters

 

[Knuckle Sandwich]

All the third party folks can fuck off.

People who went to Trump from Obama... It's... I don't even know. Social issues are the main thing for me so I can't really understand those people.

 

[water_wendi]

i think im reading this article completely different than how people in the thread are reacting.

 

[The Last Wizard]

Why did white people do this?

Thought they were playing with house money😂

 

[Gallbaro]

Yas Queen

 

[akira28]

son of a bitch

 

[BlueTsunami]

Not even remotely surprising. All the GOP had to do was appeal to overt racism and the WH is yours. Mitt had it all wrong doing it behind the scenes.

This article states that the edge came from Democrats who voted for Obama. Racism may have energized the typical GOP base but those former Obama voters, Hillary couldnt hold on to them.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

i think im reading this article completely different than how people in the thread are reacting.

You read the article? We read the thread title and then started posting.

 

[tbm24]

Fucking idiots. I wish nuance and actual policy changed minds more then bravado.

Can fit any of that in a tweet, memes or Facebook post(though you'd think otherwise).

 

[Vincent Alexander]

There are too many things combined that led to Trump victory to point to one thing. And saying these people migrated...yeah. But as already asked---why?

 

[Seesaw15]

That's ya'll man.

 

[Magwik]

Why did white people do this?

"He's going to bring back the factory/coal/etc jobs!"
That shit aint coming back

Spoiler

and racism

 

[Miles X]

Why did white people do this?

There are a lot of white people that voted for Hillary too you know, not all white americans are dumb as fuck!

 

[tbm24]

This article states that the edge came from Democrats who voted for Obama. Racism may have energized the typical GOP base but those Obama voters, Hillary couldnt hold on to them.

I'm aware, that's why I said all the GOP and Mitt had to do was appeal to overt racism. Hillary couldn't hold on to them because Trump appealed to them in the way they clearly have been waiting for and Mitt didn't do, which was racism and bigotry.

 

[BeforeU]

In before "It's Hillary's fault!"

It was though

 

[Oblivion]

Instead, it’s clear that large numbers of white, working-class voters shifted from the Democrats to Mr. Trump. Over all, almost one in four of President Obama’s 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate.

In a way, this actually seems worse.

 

[entremet]

Why did white people do this?

White People kept it competitive!

From the article:

The increase in white turnout was broad, including among young voters, Democrats, Republicans, unaffiliated voters, urban, rural, and the likeliest supporters of Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Trump. The greatest increases were among young and unaffiliated white voters.

For this reason alone, it’s hard to argue that turnout was responsible for the preponderance of Mr. Trump’s gains among white voters. The turnout among young and white Democratic voters was quite strong.

But the turnout was generally stronger among the likeliest white Trump supporters than among the likeliest white Clinton supporters.

 

[akira28]

There are a lot of white people that voted for Hillary too you know, not all white americans are dumb as fuck!

but more...most.


is there a new new minority in America?


and even with voter suppression greater than it has been in 3 decades, the black vote was only 1% down...compared to the year when the actual candidae was black. yet I could if I gave a damn go find a list of articles attributing Trump's victory at least in part to lower black voter turnout.

 

[Autoignition]

There are a lot of white people that voted for Hillary too you know, not all white americans are dumb as fuck!

#NotAllWhitePeople

 

[chaosblade]

I'm aware, that's why I said all the GOP and Mitt had to do was appeal to overt racism. Hillary couldn't hold on to them because Trump appealed to them in the way they clearly have been waiting for and Mitt didn't do, which was racism and bigotry.

I think the question there is, why did those people waiting for a blatantly racist candidate vote for the black guy in the last (two?) elections?

 

[MIMIC]

Over all, almost one in four of President Obama’s 2012 white working-class supporters defected from the Democrats in 2016, either supporting Mr. Trump or voting for a third-party candidate.

Well, they had to come from somewhere.

 

[BlueTsunami]

I'm aware, that's why I said all the GOP and Mitt had to do was appeal to overt racism. Hillary couldn't hold on to them because Trump appealed to them in the way they clearly have been waiting for and Mitt didn't do, which was racism and bigotry.

Wait what, a large voter block of democrat voters who helped vote in the first black president twice were really racists waiting for a racist ideologue? I'd say Trumps working class promises drew them in versus Hillary's bone dry pragmatism. She couldn't energize her own base.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

Schuylkill County, Pa. is mentioned by name, so I did some quick googling.

Blight - check
Opioid abuse - check
Old Coal town - check
Unhappy with Obamacare - check
Although...

About 40 percent of Schuylkill County's Affordable Care Act enrollees are 55 or older, more than 10 points higher than the national average. A 60-year-old making $30,000 annually here will pay roughly $8,750 more per year for coverage under the Republican plan moving through Congress, according to the AP analysis.

So as much as we want to blame them just for being white and old, these are all of the chords that Trump clearly hit better than Hillary did during the campaign. So watching these voters swing, even if in previous elections they would have voted democratic thanks to the Dem's better engagement with them during Obama's term, pretty much fits with the 'they were left behind' explanation of the shift in the voter rolls.

I don't wish to underplay the effect 'blame immigrants, mexico, etc' on frustrated white ears, but this is a model county for the DNC to study and strategize about from now, to the midterms, and forever, because clearly they fucking sucked at getting these votes last Nov.

 

[CrocMother]

Well, they had to come from somewhere.

I know this will stir up a lot of shit, but I can't help but wonder how many of those would have voted for Bernie vs Trump.

Speaking of which, nobody has mentioned perhaps the most important reason why people switched. SEXISM.