Was the explanation for Trump’s win plain and simple American misogyny?

[Thudlow_Boink]

@Velocity

And if it weren’t for inflation, I think Kamala beats Trump.

You might be right. “It’s the economy, stupid.”

One of my Facebook friends shared this opinion piece by The Guardian’s senior economics commentator:

Why did voters abandon Kamala Harris? Because they feel trapped – and Trump...

I can’t think of a more flammable political economy than a country with a few very rich people where most workers only get by because of low gas and food prices. Then what happens? A second blow. Covid peters out, the world comes out of lockdown and low-wage America is doused in that most combustible of economic substances: inflation. The entire system goes up – and Donald Trump spots his chance.

Faced with the flames, what would be a left-populist response? It wouldn’t be to resort to pedantry, to correct angry voters by showing them the aggregate figures – but that’s what many Democrat supporters did. Nor would it be to roll back all the benefits extended over the pandemic: the improved child tax credit, Medicaid and unemployment insurance. But that’s what Joe Biden did, even as he shovelled billions into infrastructure. The electoral result was that working- and middle-class voters peeled away from the Democrats. Kamala Harris won the most affluent voters, while Trump took those earning between $50,000 (£39,000) and $100,000 (£77,000). The two tied for those on $50,000 and below.

And this comment was posted in response:

I honestly don’t think it’s helpful to insist that everyone who voted for Trump is a misogynistic, racist, xenophobic jerk. In fact, if racism is the explanation, how does one explain all those working class people who voted for Obama twice before voting for Trump? When I was working in social services, I had far, far too many clients who were juggling two or three jobs and still qualified for welfare benefits with no need to lie about their incomes. That is pure travesty. After seeing the precariousness of these peoples’ lives close-up, I can fully understand their rage. And the Dems unfortunately have been no better about helping them than the Republicans. Both parties have abandoned these people horribly because they’re all indebted to billionaires to fund their campaigns and keep them in office. This is not both-sides-ism, it is simply fact. To then turn around and say these people deserve their fate because they voted for the wrong person is like blaming rape victims for wearing the wrong outfit. Like the article said, they’re ready to vote for whoever promises to blow up the system, rightly or wrongly. It might be worth considering that some of us who are so ready to criticize and blame them without having walked in their shoes could be suffering from an overdose of privilege. And yes, I voted for Kamala and am grieving just like a lot of other people. But I hope we can find a healthier way to deal with the loss than just blaming impoverished people. Hopefully this will be a time of reckoning for Dems.