Trump and the GOP seem like they are curtailing some of their promises. The wall, repealing the ACA, deportation forces, etc. Either the executive or GOP legislature is walking back some of these promises. However they haven’t even taken power yet, so we can’t predict what’ll happen.
But I remember when Obama ran in 2008 and progressives had a lot of hope he would change things. When he didn’t take things as far as they liked, they didn’t just go away. They turned their energy to people like Liz Warren or Bernie Sanders. The progressive movement didn’t die just because it felt somewhat disappointed in Obama or the democratic party. They found people who more deeply believed the same things they believed.
So I’m assuming the same will happen with the alt-right and white nationalism. They may get upset if (emphasis on if) Trump doesn’t clamp down on civil rights in the ghetto, deport illegals, build a wall, renegotiate trade agreements, repeal the entire ACA, etc. But even if Trump doesn’t do it, won’t those people still be there and start looking for someone who actually will?
I kept hoping demographic changes would protect the US from these people, but I doubt it. Trump got more minority support than Romney did. So even if the US is more millennial, more-non white, more multicultural in 2024 that doesn’t mean the electorate will reflect that. In 2024 could an unashamed white nationalist gain 20-30% of the minority vote and enough support from white voters to win?
actual voting returns and comparison with recent past, with the context of demographic growth.
the hysteria is overdone.
if you wish to change things, then your political tendency needs just to increase its competence in finding the talented and the charismatic political figures that by the high variability in the rates of the voting are needed for turn out of the votes.
I was playing an online game today, and 2 different times people made comments in chat similar to “Trump will make America white again.” People apparently voted for that bigoted prick because he’s a bigoted prick.
I see a resurgence of white nationalism because I see a resurgence of black nationalism. Meaning that the forceful protests we’ve seen against the rampant cultural and systemic bigotry in the country will grow and therefore will be countered in various ways by the people who are saying “make America white again.” Only a few are doing so literally, but the Trump defenders certainly exhibited a strong element of wishing that whites could assume superiority by default just like in the old days.
While there are obvious elements of racism in this, I’d suggest that the Other here is larger than just blacks and includes all the standard enemies that got trotted out in interviews over the past year. Putting up walls - literal and figurative - against the Other is the ancient remedy for hard times. Problem is that the Others today are just as numerous and won’t be backing down. That the extremes on both sides will act extremely is inevitable.
Trump got roughly the same votes as George W Bush 12 years back despite an electorate which is more than 10% bigger. There is really little evidence of some kind of white surge for Trump. He lost some college-educated white voters and gained some working-class whites but overall pulled similar numbers to recent Republican candidates. What did happen was a collapse of Hillary’s votes in the Midwest not just compared to Obama but even compared to Kerry 12 years back. That is the real story and it’s probably due to her weaknesses as a candidate and lack of a clear economic message.
The real story, as was said, is that people didn’t show up to vote for Hillary. Which is, you know, shocking, since that means they handed over the country to Trump.
Maybe in 2020 we can nominate a person that voters will show up for.