• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Ta-Nehisi Coates op-ed: We should have seen Trump coming

If you fixed all the "economic anxiety" the GOP will still win the White vote (shit they'd probably win a slightly higher percentage)... the lack of solidarity doesn't come from economy it comes from morality.

Racism doesn't get cured by white people having more money.

I agree. I think the entire "economic anxiety" story line in 2016 was bullshit. It was mostly racism.

His most significant comments came in 2013.

I thought the "If I had a son" comments came right after the shooting. I know he also made some comments during the trial.
 

Mael

Member
It's sad how in many ways Obama has become America's Black Friend.

By the time the 1st white idiot uttered the sentence "Racism is dead, we have a black president" Obama became America's best friend.
I don't think I hate a more hypocritical sentence than "I would have voted for Obama a 3rd time!"
Like it's saying : I want to be able to say there's nothing wrong while we continue oppressing minorities.
 

Slayven

Member
They voted for Obama and turned right around and voted for a raging racist. I think that says more about the voter then the platforms
 

TarNaru33

Banned
The guy didn't even manage to enthuse people who were close to him politically, there's no scenario where that guy does better after the GoP throw everything they have against him.
People didn't vote for Clinton because they were the only ones who didn't know any better, it's frankly insulting to even hint at that.
If we are to entertain that they voted for Clinton for anything but what her proposal were, we can do the same for pretty much every candidate and claim that silly bird was really why they "felt the Bern" or whatever.

Democrats are likely going to vote Democrat regardless of who is on the ticket same for Republicans, which is why Hillary wasn't needed and Sanders had a better chance as he was stronger with Independents and didn't have NAFTA and Email Scandals dragging his feet.

Do you mean people who voted Clinton? I am not saying all of them didn't know any better, even I didn't think she would actually lose, just I knew she had a higher chance of losing than Sanders. I am not sure why feel insulted over it, people had too big of a head when they chose her as candidate, ignoring most of her faults and giving so much attention to Trump every day.

He's also the most charismatic dude ever. Again, look at what the voters who flipped to Trump say they care about.

EDIT: Also, he didn't say "Travon could have been my son" until the following year, if my memory serves.

You are excusing it simply because he is charismatic?

Bull. Look at Obama's poll numbers before and after Travon Martin. White people abandoned him enmass after that. He's also the most charismatic politician since Kennedy.

Look at what the Trump voters who flipped say they care about: terrorism and immigration. Not the economy, they care about terrorism and immigration. Trump lost everyone who said they cared about the economy.

The facts bear this out. It wasn't the economy, it was race.

The whole campaign switched to identity politics, never claimed that it didn't, even on the Democratic side it took a high priority. I am saying it is a combination of a bad candidate for the Democrats and racism being the reason it was lost. The race was never as far as most was believing it to be and I also believed that as well, which is why I wanted Sanders (or just anyone besides Hillary who isn't more right wing than her).

It never was just racism that cost us that election and that is my main point here. So many things made her campaign untenable, we have no idea just how much of an effect the Comey letters had, just that it did. I blame the candidate and our naivete more than the racist rural voters.
 
The whole campaign switched to identity politics, never claimed that it didn't, even on the Democratic side it took a high priority. I am saying it is a combination of a bad candidate for the Democrats and racism being the reason it was lost. The race was never as far as most was believing it to be and I also believed that as well, which is why I wanted Sanders (or just anyone besides Hillary who isn't more right wing than her).

It never was just racism that cost us that election and that is my main point here. So many things made her campaign untenable, we have no idea just how much of an effect the Comey letters had, just that it did. I blame the candidate and our naivete more than the racist rural voters.

Clinton focused on the economy

HRC_WORDS.jpg

.
 

Mael

Member
Democrats are likely going to vote Democrat regardless of who is on the ticket same for Republicans, which is why Hillary wasn't needed and Sanders had a better chance as he was stronger with Independents and didn't have NAFTA and Email Scandals dragging his feet.

What makes you think that the people who preferred to vote for Clinton would settle for Sanders to begin with?
What makes you think that Sanders was properly vetted during the campaign that nothing would bring his numbers down?
From what we've seen from the primary last year, Sanders's campaign was even more ineffectual than Clinton so why should we expect his campaign to not do similar or worse mistakes than Clinton's campaign?

Do you mean people who voted Clinton? I am not saying all of them didn't know any better, even I didn't think she would actually lose, just I knew she had a higher chance of losing than Sanders. I am not sure why feel insulted over it, people had too big of a head when they chose her as candidate, ignoring most of her faults and giving so much attention to Trump every day.
Trump didn't need Clinton to give her attention.
You misunderstand the appeal of Trump if you think that he would deflated like a balloon without Clinton to go against.
Most of the problems Trump had as because of something Trump did, he's literally his own worst enemy and his own biggest promoter.
Nothing negative (but maybe that Hollywood tape) stuck to him, everyone was ready to excuse his fault all the time (and that's STILL not over, all the excuses thrown for him even when it kills people).
That wouldn't have changed with Sanders.
What I find insulting is assuming that a candidate's supporters would be somehow stupider because they support a candidate over another one.
On top of that Clinton DID win the popular vote so quite a lot of people actually thought she could do it.
 

royalan

Member
Read this earlier. Another great piece from Coates.

They voted for Obama and turned right around and voted for a raging racist. I think that says more about the voter then the platforms

Exactly.

Line by line, Democrats offer policies that are more beneficial for the working class than Republicans, and it has been that way for decades. Republicans don't win because they offer better policy prescriptions for the working class, and Democrats don't lose because they offer worse policy proposals.

It is race. It has always been race, and the GOP knows it. They will never win the working class in a genuine debate over policy. Stoking racial animus, and hiding behind divisive social issues (gay marriage!! abortion!! immigrants!! terrorism!!) are the only tools they have because they know that if the conversation ever focused in on "Who is going to do more to help the average American?" they would lose every. fucking. time.

And when the left allows itself to buy into bullshit ideas like, "we don't do enough to speak to the white working class," or "we talk about minority issues too much," or "we don't do enough to focus on the economy and that's why we lose," we miss the point and allow Republicans to keep that race weapon primed and sharp.
 

norinrad

Member
I will keep it short, but I have always had a different view on this. At the heart of it all is Africa. A truly prosperous and working Africa would empower all POC across the globe. They the powers that be exist on Africa's vast resources and by keeping that continent in chaos helps to keep their evil ways intact. Heh call me crazy.
 

TarNaru33

Banned
What makes you think that the people who preferred to vote for Clinton would settle for Sanders to begin with?
What makes you think that Sanders was properly vetted during the campaign that nothing would bring his numbers down?
From what we've seen from the primary last year, Sanders's campaign was even more ineffectual than Clinton so why should we expect his campaign to not do similar or worse mistakes than Clinton's campaign?

Because it is historically accurate, just like most Hillary voters voted Obama and Bernie voters voted Hillary when their candidate lost. Most Democrats isn't going to suddenly vote Republican or not vote at all just because their candidate lost.

Because a primary campaign and a general isn't the same and we knew Clinton's baggage was potential death of her campaign. They had an email scandal, benghazi, and her being for the upper-class establishment politician running against her.

Granted Bernie, did have issues as well, but not very recent ones that stuck fresh in the memory of most Americans due to the issues being high profile. He was much better to gain independent votes

Racism is a major reason we lost especially since it is also tied to economics for said racist people, Hillary's issues was the icing on the cake for why we lost. That is all I am saying in this thread.

Trump didn't need Clinton to give her attention.
You misunderstand the appeal of Trump if you think that he would deflated like a balloon without Clinton to go against.
Most of the problems Trump had as because of something Trump did, he's literally his own worst enemy and his own biggest promoter.
Nothing negative (but maybe that Hollywood tape) stuck to him, everyone was ready to excuse his fault all the time (and that's STILL not over, all the excuses thrown for him even when it kills people).
That wouldn't have changed with Sanders.
What I find insulting is assuming that a candidate's supporters would be somehow stupider because they support a candidate over another one.
On top of that Clinton DID win the popular vote so quite a lot of people actually thought she could do it.

You a mistaking what I am saying, I am faulting the media for giving him so much attention, along with any and everyone who did. It was clear he was a threat when he was clinching the Republican nomination, they should of taken it seriously at that point.

Only a person who wants to be insulted will assume that I am calling them stupid. I defend Jill Stein voters from others, why would I be calling those who vote Hillary in the primary, stupid?

Popular vote isn't how we determine our president unfortunately and 2 of 3 most populated states are auto-democrat votes, so unless the Democrat candidate sucks, they are likely to get popular vote.
 
If you fixed all the "economic anxiety" the GOP will still win the White vote (shit they'd probably win a slightly higher percentage)... the lack of solidarity doesn't come from economy it comes from morality.

Racism doesn't get cured by white people having more money.

His most significant comments came in 2013.

The role of economic anxiety becomes even clearer in the data once you control for race. Black and Hispanic Americans tend both to be poorer and to face worse economic prospects than non-Hispanic whites, but they also had strong non-economic reasons to vote against Trump, who had a history of making racist comments. Factoring in the strong opposition to Trump among most racial and ethnic minorities, Trump significantly outperformed Romney in counties where residents had lower credit scores and in counties where more men have stopped working.

The list goes on: More subprime loans? More Trump support. More residents receiving disability payments? More Trump support. Lower earnings among full-time workers? More Trump support. “Trump Country,” as my colleague Andrew Flowers described it shortly after the election, isn’t the part of America where people are in the worst financial shape; it’s the part of America where their economic prospects are on the steepest decline.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/stop-saying-trumps-win-had-nothing-to-do-with-economics/

Fix the above and the Dems could attract a handful of voters to their camp in the right places and bring some new folks in overall. When all you can manage is 65 million votes out of 230 million...you're doing a poor job.
 

Slayven

Member
I will keep it short, but I have always had a different view on this. At the heart of it all is Africa. A truly prosperous and working Africa would empower all POC across the globe. They the powers that be exist on Africa's vast resources and by keeping that continent in chaos helps to keep their evil ways intact. Heh call me crazy.

I too wish Wakanda was real, but sadly we have to deal with reality
 

Mael

Member
Because it is historically accurate, just like most Hillary voters voted Obama and Bernie voters voted Hillary when their candidate lost. Most Democrats isn't going to suddenly vote Republican or not vote at all just because their candidate lost.

In the overwhelming majority they did and that's what they usually do.
With facebook and twitter newfound powers however, I don't think this election would have changed much.

Because a primary campaign and a general isn't the same and we knew Clinton's baggage was potential death of her campaign. They had an email scandal, benghazi, and her being for the upper-class establishment politician running against her.

Granted Bernie, did have issues as well, but not very recent ones that stuck fresh in the memory of most Americans due to the issues being high profile. He was much better to gain independent votes

Racism is a major reason we lost especially since it is also tied to economics for said racist people, Hillary's issues was the icing on the cake for why we lost. That is all I am saying in this thread.

You underestimate GoP's political machine, they've been able to turn former war heroes into "wimp who want America to lose" in no time flat.
Anyone who did a little research on Sanders knows that he's got enough baggage to lose with a proper smear campaign.
I don't think changing Clinton with Sanders would have changed anything.
Sanders would have had to talk to the base of the Dem party which would have riled up the Trump supporters anyway.
they're really quick to outrage and the independents don't seem to care about the issues Sanders was talking about that much anyway.
You a mistaking what I am saying, I am faulting the media for giving him so much attention, along with any and everyone who did. It was clear he was a threat when he was clinching the Republican nomination, they should of taken it seriously at that point.

Only a person who wants to be insulted will assume that I am calling them stupid. I defend Jill Stein voters from others, why would I be calling those who vote Hillary in the primary, stupid?

Popular vote isn't how we determine our president unfortunately and 2 of 3 most populated states are auto-democrat votes, so unless the Democrat candidate sucks, they are likely to get popular vote.

If you didn't mean to say that people who voted for Clinton didn't know any better then I misread your post.
From the moment Trump got the nomination and the GoP never broke rank with him, he was a force to be aware of. I doubt the Clinton campaign took him lightly but then again they're barely able to use computers...
 
I think a lot of people did see Trump coming to be honest, from various perspectives and reasons.



Somehow i think this logic is extremely suspect :l

We have the stats on what she talked about. As much as many want to pretend she focused too much on Minority issues, she didn't. The sad fact is just by talking about them as much (as relatively little) she created this misconception because to many folks just talking about minority issues at all is talking about them too much.
 
Top Bottom