November 2016

There were 23 posts published in November 2016 (this is page 3 of 3).

It was the Democrats’ embrace of neoliberalism that won it for Trump | Naomi Klein | Opinion | The Guardian

More truth. I believe if Bernie Sanders had run against Trump we’d be saying “President-elect Sanders” today.

Here is what we need to understand: a hell of a lot of people are in pain. Under neoliberal policies of deregulation, privatisation, austerity and corporate trade, their living standards have declined precipitously. They have lost jobs. They have lost pensions. They have lost much of the safety net that used to make these losses less frightening. They see a future for their kids even worse than their precarious present.

At the same time, they have witnessed the rise of the Davos class, a hyper-connected network of banking and tech billionaires, elected leaders who are awfully cosy with those interests, and Hollywood celebrities who make the whole thing seem unbearably glamorous. Success is a party to which they were not invited, and they know in their hearts that this rising wealth and power is somehow directly connected to their growing debts and powerlessness.

Source: It was the Democrats’ embrace of neoliberalism that won it for Trump | Naomi Klein | Opinion | The Guardian

Don’t Panic

Some unexpectedly good political advice from Cracked.Com’s David Wong.

The truth is, most of Trump’s voters voted for him despite the fact that he said/believes awful things, not because of it. That in no way excuses it, but I have to admit I’ve spent eight years quietly tuning out news stories about drone strikes blowing up weddings in Afghanistan. I still couldn’t point to Yemen on a map. We form blind spots for our side, because there’s something larger at stake. In their case, it’s a belief that the system is fundamentally broken and that Hillary Clinton would have been more of the same. Trump rode a wave of support from people who’ve spent the last eight years watching terrifying nightly news reports about ISIS and mass shootings and riots. They look out their front door and see painkiller addicts and closed factories. They believe that nobody in Washington gives a shit about them, mainly because that’s 100-percent correct.

Source: Don’t Panic

Post-election mop-up

The November 2016 election is now in the books. Hillary Clinton lost. We have President-elect Trump. I’ve been very busy doing what I could to put the Democratic Party over the finish line and had little time to reflect. Last night I did gather some pertinent thoughts and will share some of them in a post or two.

I took the day off from work Tuesday to work the polls (I’m the Democratic precinct chair for my precinct, 01-13). I saw a steady stream of people coming to vote, both Clinton supporters but also a surprising number of Trump supporters. Most were friendly to my greeting but some were obviously angry. One man who took my voter guide returned afterward and – very worked up – told me he wished the incumbents had been listed on the ballot, because he “wanted to vote all these assholes out.” I nodded, not really sure what to make of that.

I love working the polls on Election Day and saying hello to all of my neighbors, though. I shared the responsibility with Dave Malette, Heidi, Tammy, and Julie. Kelly and Travis joined me for the 5-7:30 PM shift. We were joined by a reporter named Ben from a newspaper in Belfast (yes, Belfast, Ireland) who was interviewing voters after they had voted.
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