# The state where you reside gives Trump the electoral votes. How can you live with that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 28, 2016, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952 "2016-10-28T18:18:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/21 "2016-10-28T23:16:18Z")
My 11 year old has to ride the bus with little kids who are chanting “TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP”. They held a mock election yesterday and allowed the kids to speak for their choice. They said Clinton was “pro-abortion”. My daughter came home asking me what that term meant because I guess she hasn’t much been exposed to the type of people who would refer to it as “pro-abortion”. Not surprisingly Trump won by a landslide in their election. My daughter, bless her heart, took the political compass test (the whole class did) and she said her closest match was Jill Stein. She’s just 11 but I’m kinda proud of that. I know Jill Stein isn’t presidential material, but I like to see my daughter is a compassionate and considerate child who at least understands what climate change is and seems more concerned about that than trying to take away women’s rights to our own bodies. It seems strange to me that all these kids in her class are already trained to think that way and they may never change, given that their families all think the same way. But there’s hope. I used to be a Republican myself! I’m just really disappointed. I know they’re only voting for him because they want a Republican in office and they have found the clown with mass appeal to do that for him. I really think he could shoot someone now and his fans wouldn’t budge. They’d just blame a Democrat for setting him up. Anyway, it sucks living here in Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2016, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/22 "2016-10-28T23:46:17Z")
I’m with some of the others. What do you mean “cope?” Arizona has cast its electoral votes for the Republican candidate in every election except for 1996. I supported Kerry in 2004 and Obama in 2008 and 2012. Bush won in 2004 and Obama the last two times. Life goes on. Sometimes you’re happy with the results and sometimes not. If Trump carries Arizona, but Clinton gets the majority of EC votes, I’ll be happy of course, but either way I expect to go on living the way I have and cast my vote again in 2020. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/23 "2016-10-29T00:05:49Z")
I wouldn’t feel much different if Trump won. I used up the last of my youthful idealism when Bush comfortably won reelection because America thought gay marriage was going to bring about the end times. Maybe they were right. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/24 "2016-10-29T00:20:34Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > My 11 year old has to ride the bus with little kids who are chanting “TRUMP TRUMP TRUMP”. They held a mock election yesterday and allowed the kids to speak for their choice. They said Clinton was “pro-abortion”. My daughter came home asking me what that term meant because I guess she hasn’t much been exposed to the type of people who would refer to it as “pro-abortion”. Not surprisingly Trump won by a landslide in their election. My daughter, bless her heart, took the political compass test (the whole class did) and she said her closest match was Jill Stein. She’s just 11 but I’m kinda proud of that. I know Jill Stein isn’t presidential material, but I like to see my daughter is a compassionate and considerate child who at least understands what climate change is and seems more concerned about that than trying to take away women’s rights to our own bodies. It seems strange to me that all these kids in her class are already trained to think that way and they may never change, given that their families all think the same way. But there’s hope. I used to be a Republican myself! I’m just really disappointed. I know they’re only voting for him because they want a Republican in office and they have found the clown with mass appeal to do that for him. I really think he could shoot someone now and his fans wouldn’t budge. They’d just blame a Democrat for setting him up. > > Anyway, it sucks living here in Tennessee. And your daughter comes to her ideology intrinsically or is she a product of her training? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/25 "2016-10-29T00:58:07Z")
If my state gives Trump the electoral votes, it’s the last time I’m voting. Ever. Because I live in Illinois. If we go to Trump, after polls show a 25 point lead for Clinton in this state, then I’ll finally be convinced that the vote is rigged. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/26 "2016-10-29T01:03:29Z")
> [@Drum\_God](#): > > I live in Texas, so my vote for president has never counted. Your vote has always counted the same as each of your fellow Texans’. It’s just that most of them have disagreed with you. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/27 "2016-10-29T03:16:51Z")
I can’t imagine wasting emotional energy worrying about what other people do. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/28 "2016-10-29T03:22:55Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > And your daughter comes to her ideology intrinsically or is she a product of her training? As much as we’d like to believe we come of all our opinions _sui generis_, the reality is, we are all the products of our environments. Complaining that a 5th grader had her political opinions influenced by her parents is silly; of course that’s true. A parent can still be proud of their child nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/29 "2016-10-29T04:09:29Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > I was raised in Oregon but now live in Texas. Talk about political whiplash. In years past, I was always disappointed, but never surprised, to see all the Romney/McCain/Bush yard signs. While I’m sure Texas will go for Trump (barely, maybe), I take some encouragement by the fact that there are very few Trump signs/bumper stickers to be seen. I would estimate 10-20%, at most, the number you’d typically see from a Republican candidate. At least many of those who’ll vote for him feel some shame or embarrassment for it I think. Living here just means not talking politics this time around. I saw more Trump signs in Massachusetts than in Texas. Maybe it’s the “minority likes to be loudly defiant but majority can be contentedly quiet” phenomenon. ---
**Author:** ![cornflakes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@cornflakes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cornflakes)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/30 "2016-10-29T05:08:46Z")
I’m a native Texan, and I’m just used to the majority being wrong on some things. I will say that even though the state has always been conservative, things went solid right/modern Republican only about 20 years ago, and things are starting to pick up a bit on the left. (Does anyone else have “Sweet Home Alabama” running through their head because of this thread?) ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/31 "2016-10-29T05:43:08Z")
Because the alternative is to not live, and that is not something I want. My response isn’t to get upset–it’s to be more suspicious of people. That the whole “yeah they’re less intellectual but they’re still good people” idea doesn’t hold as much. But it’s not like I wasn’t getting used to it before. Obama on Facebook told me a lot about these people. It’s why I barely had any Trump posts on Facebook–I got rid of those people before. Not that they are remotely the same as me politically–nearly all my friends are conservatives. But I got rid of the bad people. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/32 "2016-10-29T17:55:49Z")
> [@harmonicamoon](#): > > If you live in such a state, how are you going to cope? Shrug my shoulders? I mean I live in CA, so it really isn’t an issue. But I don’t have any intrinsic sense of worth tied up in what state I live in. The whole concept strikes me as rather odd. Now if I lived in a community where my politics were very much in the minority, I _might_ feel a little uncomfortable. Maybe. And it wouldn’t have anything to do with the election per se. But that is intrinsic to the surrounding community. You can find little oases of blue and red in every state. ---
**Author:** ![scabpicker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scabpicker/32/8268_2.png) [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/33 "2016-10-29T20:34:46Z")
“Well, what the hell, you can’t win 'em all,” says Osiris, “I’m hustling myself.” ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/34 "2016-10-29T21:59:49Z")
Grit my teeth and move on, just as I did in 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984, 1988, 2000, 2004, and 2008. (Regardless whom I support, the person for whom I vote rarely seems to take the state in which I am living, even if they eventually win the overall election.) This is a nation governed (with some shenanigans and without complete fairness) by voting for our executive and legislative branches and even if I am not on the “winning” side, (or my state does not support my candidate), I am opposed to changing things so that “my” side always wins. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/35 "2016-10-29T22:45:56Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I lived in Columbus, Ohio in 2004. That was the hardest political experience I ever had. Not only did I canvass for the Kerry campaign, I also worked against the same sex marriage ban and in favor of a citywide smoking ban in restaurants and bars. Yeah, my side won on the smoking ban but I had my heart ripped out and stomped on with the two big issues. Yes, 2004 was tough. I happened to drive through Amish country that October, and virtually every house had a yard sign opposing same-sex marriage, including the phrase “Save Our Children.” The GOP did a great job of politicizing the formerly-non-political Amish. To answer the OP, it’s not easy living in a major battleground state. You have to fight for every small victory and learn to accept the losses. And in the worst of times, you learn to be grateful that at least in your own community, people tend to vote the way you do. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/36 "2016-10-29T22:51:34Z")
At this point, I’d feel a little out of place if I wasn’t the black sheep on my Facebook feed. Being a lefty surrounded by conservatives is all I’ve ever known. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/37 "2016-10-29T23:02:20Z")
> [@BorgHunter](#): > > As much as we’d like to believe we come of all our opinions _sui generis_, the reality is, we are all the products of our environments. Complaining that a 5th grader had her political opinions influenced by her parents is silly; of course that’s true. A parent can still be proud of their child nonetheless. Actually, the primary way parents influence their children’s politics is through genetics, not anything that they directly teach. This is a good reference on the topic: > **[psp806845.pdf](https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp806845.pdf)** > > 1011 B Heritability varies for the specific political issue under consideration, but is strongest for immigration, abortion, and the death penalty. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/38 "2016-10-29T23:15:10Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > I was raised in Oregon but now live in Texas. Talk about political whiplash. In years past, I was always disappointed, but never surprised, to see all the Romney/McCain/Bush yard signs. While I’m sure Texas will go for Trump (barely, maybe), I take some encouragement by the fact that there are very few Trump signs/bumper stickers to be seen. I would estimate 10-20%, at most, the number you’d typically see from a Republican candidate. At least many of those who’ll vote for him feel some shame or embarrassment for it I think. Living here just means not talking politics this time around. I’m seeing very few signs either way in Indiana, which is sort of a relief, because they’re eyesores, but _Indiana_. Pence was not a popular governor, but it’s funny to think that Trump, who did so well in the primary here, may actually have damaged his credibility with Hoosiers by choosing Pence as a running mate. And, it heartens me that some of the “H” signs I’m seeing are in wealthy parts of town-- places I’d expect to be Republican. There’s a huge house on Cold Spring Road that has had a “Dump Pence” sign in the yard for two years. I just assumed they meant “for a different Republican,” but now I’m not so sure. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/39 "2016-10-29T23:16:13Z")
> [@Hector\_St\_Clare](#): > > Actually, the primary way parents influence their children’s politics is through genetics, not anything that they directly teach. This is a good reference on the topic: > [https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp806845.pdf](https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp806845.pdf) > > Heritability varies for the specific political issue under consideration, but is strongest for immigration, abortion, and the death penalty. My stepsister must have been switched at birth. ---
**Author:** ![Hector\_St\_Clare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5ac83/32.png) [@Hector\_St\_Clare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hector_St_Clare)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952/40 "2016-10-29T23:36:33Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > My stepsister must have been switched at birth. I mean, I have very little in common politically with my brother, mother, or most other people in my immediate family. The paper says what it says though. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-state-where-you-reside-gives-trump-the-electoral-votes-how-can-you-live-with-that/769952.md?page=3)