By Jim Hightower
Trump may have lost his bid for reelection, but many will still wonder: How has America turned so right-wing that a narcissistic, wannabe-dictator like Trump was even in the running?
A vocal of minority of the president’s supporters may be racist, xenophobic, and misogynistic. And a bunch of uber-wealthy corporate profiteers are making a killing from his rich-man’s agenda.
But if you look closer, many of Trump’s rank-and-file voters aren’t such right-wingers at all.
To see evidence of this, look at the multitude of overtly progressive ballot issues that won majority support on Election Day. Many were in blue states, but others came in purple states, and others deep in so-called “Trump Country.”
For instance, 53 percent of Arizona voters said yes to a tax surcharge on incomes above $250,000 a year, specifically to raise teacher pay and recruit more teachers.
A whopping 78 percent of Oregon voters approved a populist proposition to put strict controls on the corrupting power of big-money corporate donations in elections.
Over 60 percent of Floridians voted to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour, a working class advance vehemently opposed by corporate giants and right-wing groups.
In Colorado, 57 percent voted yes on to require corporations to let employees earn paid time-off for medical and family needs.
Between 53 and 69 percent of voters in six states — including in such supposedly conservative bastions as Arizona, Montana, Mississippi, and South Dakota — approved initiatives liberalizing and even legalizing marijuana and other drug use.
Plus, there were some big symbolic victories, such as Mississippi replacing a Confederate symbol on its state flag with a magnolia blossom. And the people of Nebraska overwhelmingly voted to amend their constitution to excise an antiquated provision authorizing slavery as a punishment for certain crimes.
The hope that resides in these progressive policy positions is the prospect that a truly great American majority might yet be forged — not around some mega-politician, but around our people’s basic values of fairness and justice for all.
Jim Hightower is a national radio commentator, writer, public speaker, and author of the book, Swim Against The Current: Even A Dead Fish Can Go With The Flow. Hightower has spent three decades battling the Powers That Be on behalf of the Powers That Ought To Be – consumers, working families, environmentalists, small businesses, and just-plain-folks.
Steve Robinson says
I’ve always been a big Hightower fan, and it’s nice to read an optimistic take on our benighted republic, but I don’t buy it. Legalizing marijuana hasn’t been a “progressive” issue since about, oh, 1986. Minimum wage increase? You’re a parent whose grown kids have moved back in with you and are working the overnight shift at the local Shell station. Their $8/hour pay doesn’t even begin to pay for the extra groceries you have to buy every week. Fifteen bucks an hour suddenly looks pretty good,. In Arizona, how many Trump voters do you think make more than $250,000 a year? They’re all for raising taxes, as long as the other guy is getting soaked. I’ll punt on the Oregon proposition, only because I don’t know much about the specifics, but how does the Colorado decision reflect a “progressive” mood? Hey! More time off! I can vote for that! As for Mississippi and Nebraska, I guess the former state is finally making amends for having missed out on the 20th century, and as for Nebraska, how brave is it to vote against something that was outlawed in 1865?
Not a Unicorn says
The authors claim that “a vocal minority of Trump followers are racist, misogynistic and xenophobic,” is debatable. From what I’ve see firsthand as a white person is the majority of Trump supporters are indeed covertly racist, xenophobic and sexist. I’ll even go so far to emphasize racism as the main impetus propelling Trump supporters. Don’t forget that these are the same people who yell “go back to where you came from” to Asians, Latinos and Hispanics. Those yelling these hateful slurs began their campaign to turn their communities and America into an intolerant white nationalist state, with impunity. This began the day he was elected and I witnessed it firsthand.
We must never forget what happens when we elect a person who is unfit to lead and puts himself and the wealthy first. He showed us all who he was repeatedly and the trumpists didn’t care if it was evil or people have been dying for the better part of a year.
Teach your children about this failure in leadership and it’s destruction. In the GOP’s status as enablers of a Kim Jong-un wannabe they’ve shown us they are untrustworthy and dangerous to our very democracy.
We have a lot of work to do cleaning up this awful mess.
Excuse me if I have a problem with any Trump supporters. I saw your signs. I see you. Notice I did not say republicans. I said trump supporters. Don’t make nice with me just yet or maybe never.
Now, let’s get to work.
Jimbo99 says
The fact remains, Trump had over 73+ million votes. That’s more than HRC received in 2016 by 7+ million. Popular vote is a matter of where those votes are. In either of the HRC’s or Biden’s popular vote wins, that margin of popular votes was in California & NY, particularly NYC where people are stacked on top of each other. Got to less densely populated areas and you’ll see that those counties voted Red. The Electoral System was created so that the masses that have a better quality of life wouldn’t be voted into having to accept the Los Angeles & NYC style lifestyles. Look at where Coronavirus has hit the hardest. That’s because that lifestyle of being stacked on top of each other sucks. I lived in Miami, if anyone thinks that gridlock of overpopulation is preferable to Palm Coast/Flagler, please pack up & move there. And that 20 year social experiment of diversity is a sad joke. The racism there, it’s more common among the minorities. South Beach, a lot of the LGBTQ community was chased out of there to the Ft Lauderdale area with violence. Not uncommon to read about violence of the f*g bashing beatdowns in South Beach, Miami, FL.
But let’s get back to Biden’s popular vote win ? Depending the source it was a 5.6 million vote differential. In CA alone Biden received 10.76 million votes to 5.75 million votes for Trump. NY same story, 3.8 million Biden, 2.9 for Trump, & NY is predominantly NYC votes. Just that fact that the votes are that lopsided, every Republican has always had to overcome CA & NYC to become POTUS. Take PA even, where did Trump not get votes in that close loss ? Philly & Pittsburgh, the rest of PA is a Red state pretty much, that didn’t vote Biden. Just click on any individual state of the map and you’ll see what I’m talking about. These other issues, $ 15’hour, nobody will be getting rich on $ 30K/year. There’s a reason the Govt. subsidy for Healthcare goes up to $ 50K. $ 50K is really the new poverty line level to have any quality of life. Indicated as the starting salary out of college & yet employers low ball that figure. There are CEO’s paid & pocketing that difference. A any rate, America will continue to overpopulate and nothing will get better. Because that’s just the way this world is. You’re neighbor is still going to speed, get involved in a hit & run accident. Others will sell drugs out of their houses. It will be both R’s & D’s that do that too.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ALeKk00urcjKy7CLKloLjk12_lXZ2qYRHQ%3A1605501029401&source=hp&ei=ZQCyX8imFtKZ5gK31pPABg&q=us+election+results&oq=us+&gs_lcp=CgZwc3ktYWIQARgAMgoIIxCxAhDJAxAnMgcIIxCxAhAnMgcIIxCxAhAnMggIABCxAxCDATIKCAAQsQMQgwEQCjIHCAAQsQMQCjIHCAAQsQMQCjIKCAAQsQMQgwEQCjIECAAQCjIICAAQsQMQgwFQixpYqCxg0S9oAHAAeACAAbQSiAGVFZIBBzMtMS45LTGYAQCgAQGqAQdnd3Mtd2l6&sclient=psy-ab
Tampa Native says
People vote not land. Biden won the major populations centers. He cannot help it if, the rest of Pennsylvania with the exception of Philadelphia area and Pittsburgh is rural with smaller populations. Again, land does not vote, get over it.
Fascist Cult Hater says
He lost. Please get over it, snowflakes.
John Stove says
As a former Republican (switched to Democrat when Trump became the nominee) and just voted for Biden….I can see a lot of cross-over in the desires from most people in the two parties. We all want reasonable taxes, good and cost effective health care, protect our military and peace officers, take a strong stand against foreign and domestic enemies etc etc
The problem as I see it is the extremism that has crept into the Republican party and the current (not for much longer) President. His views and those he has appointed to manage them are NOT the Republican Party that I joined in 1980. I continue to be embarrassed not only by the current President but also by those who enable him and dont call him out.
As a veteran with 5 combat tours, I can tell you that the Republican Party is NOT the party of “Law and Order”…..it currently is the party of lies, extremism and only interested in maintaining power and NOT serving all of our citizens.
Trump is running out the clock and his time is coming to an end and he has lost.
DW says
Thank you for your service.
Sherry says
Thank you John Stove! Very well said! Regardless of our old party affiliations we all need to “come together” for the “common good”. EVERYONE (including the Billionaires) paying reasonable taxes to support the vital foundation of our nation. Wearing masks to protect ourselves and our neighbors. Striving to “do the right thing” in living our lives by a moral code that encourages and glorifies “honesty”, “ethics”, “integrity”, “the golden rule”. . . etc., etc.
In my mind, the Republican party has, over many years, been essentially taken over by the “far right” ideas of “white nationalism”. trump came along and seized on “the market power” of that fear based passion and fervor. Those courageous, “thinking ” Republican party members like you were not fooled, and not swept up into an almost mindless wave of acting and reacting through negative emotions only.
We are lost as a civilization, if we cannot move away from “FEAR” and “HATE”!
Only Me says
Donald Trump destroyed the Republican party. Donald Trump has shown us over and over he doesn’t care about this country or the people that live in it. A perfect example of how he handled this deadly virus and attacked all reputable scientists. This is not what a description of the President of the USA is about. Him telling people not to wear masks and then over 40 of his staff have come up with the virus. And he wants to run again, give me a break.
I still am baffled that people could vote for someone that spreads lies, hate and violence.
And, now his childish behavior not to take a loss as an adult and cooperate with President-Elect Joe Biden adds to his incompetency which he has possed for four years now. He is a poor example of any politician.
If this is what the Republican party decides to remain like I sure will never ever vote for any of them. Their opinions of the USA is sure isn’t the same as mine.
Pogo says
@Context is essential
urban rural divide
https://www.google.com/search?d&q=urban+rural+divide
“Thus did a handful of rapacious citizens come to control all that was worth controlling in America. Thus was the savage and stupid and entirely inappropriate and unnecessary and humorless American class system created. Honest, industrious, peaceful citizens were classed as bloodsuckers, if they asked to be paid a living wage. And they saw that praise was reserved henceforth for those who devised means of getting paid enormously for committing crimes against which no laws had been passed. Thus the American dream turned belly up, turned green, bobbed to the scummy surface of cupidity unlimited, filled with gas, went bang in the noonday sun.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
palmcoaster says
I knew a bully, racist, totalitarian style man could not continue as POTUS of our USA as I believe most Americans do not like that and this is why we are still # One. The one thing I was mistaken is that I though only 1/3 of our of USA citizens were bigots and the election proven me wrong with a much higher number unfortunately. The other unexplained to me was since I moved to FL in 91 I had always my ears full of native Floridians sarcasm snotty comments directed at snow birds visiting or from “up north” moving here, heard in restaurants, bars and large events with deranged comments like ” if they don’t like it 95 runs North too” and now I saw them southerners kissing the wide TTT a…. and rallying allover with his T flags and signs harassing the heck of everyone in vehicles around. All that for a native NYorker??? Can someone explain why the change? Or just was all about bigoted hypocrisy?
I am still puzzled by the fact that in this county that TTT won 60 to 40 with many Republicans like myself voted for Biden and many NPAs that I know did the same. From about over 92,000 registered voters, about 20,000 didn’t vote..?
Palmcoaster says
Data gathered here: https://www.flaglerelections.com/