# Why did Republicans vote for Trump? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [January 25, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136 "2017-01-25T12:21:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/121 "2017-01-31T21:32:09Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > The point, and it is a quite simple one, is that Clinton spoke to special interest groups. Or at least appeared to focus on them while Trump spoke to average joes. What makes Trump voters the average Joes? Coal miners and autoworkers are as much special interests as any other occupation. What will Trump’s policies do to nurses when he repeals the Affordable Care Act? What will happen to longshoremen when he puts restrictions on trade? What will happen to the aerospace and software engineers when other countries place retaliatory tariffs on the goods the U.S. wants to sell to them? The idea that Trump appealed to the real, bedrock Americans and that everyone else is some liberal, effete, special-interest other is abhorrent. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/122 "2017-02-01T00:36:50Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What makes Trump voters the average Joes? Coal miners and autoworkers are as much special interests as any other occupation. What will Trump’s policies do to nurses when he repeals the Affordable Care Act? What will happen to longshoremen when he puts restrictions on trade? What will happen to the aerospace and software engineers when other countries place retaliatory tariffs on the goods the U.S. wants to sell to them? > > The idea that Trump appealed to the real, bedrock Americans and that everyone else is some liberal, effete, special-interest other is abhorrent. Here is a [map](http://www.businessinsider.com/final-electoral-college-map-trump-clinton-2016-11). Look at it. Clinton broke the Blue Wall in the Rust Belt. Think about why. It seems that a lot of people on this board refuse to understand why Clinton lost. Additionally, I am pointing out why Trump won, not defending his policies. Why? Because I didn’t vote for him for about the eleventy-billionth time. Slee ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/123 "2017-02-01T01:25:40Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > What makes Trump voters the average Joes? Coal miners and autoworkers are as much special interests as any other occupation. What will Trump’s policies do to nurses when he repeals the Affordable Care Act? What will happen to longshoremen when he puts restrictions on trade? What will happen to the aerospace and software engineers when other countries place retaliatory tariffs on the goods the U.S. wants to sell to them? > > The idea that Trump appealed to the real, bedrock Americans and that everyone else is some liberal, effete, special-interest other is abhorrent. And exactly the narrative that he wants. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/124 "2017-02-01T02:06:35Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Here is a [map](http://www.businessinsider.com/final-electoral-college-map-trump-clinton-2016-11). Look at it. > > Clinton broke the Blue Wall in the Rust Belt. Think about why. > > It seems that a lot of people on this board refuse to understand why Clinton lost. > > Additionally, I am pointing out why Trump won, not defending his policies. Why? Because I didn’t vote for him for about the eleventy-billionth time. > > Slee Yeah, I’ve seen the map. Nowhere did I say that you voted for Trump or defend his policies. And I never said the idea didn’t work; I’m sure coal miners love being told that they’re more important than other Americans and that the president will give them extra attention and policies designed to put their interests ahead of everyone else’s. I just think that idea is abhorrent. I don’t think blue-collar workers are less worthy than anyone else, but I don’t think they’re more worthy, either. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/125 "2017-02-01T19:20:57Z")
[A red vs. blue divide: Trump’s more rural states have higher traffic death rates](http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article129837454.html). ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/126 "2017-02-01T23:20:46Z")
> [@Little\_Pig](#): > > [A red vs. blue divide: Trump’s more rural states have higher traffic death rates](http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article129837454.html). Q: Why do people die earlier in trump states? A: Because they want to. ---
**Author:** ![sleestak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@sleestak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleestak)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/127 "2017-02-02T08:16:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Yeah, I’ve seen the map. Nowhere did I say that you voted for Trump or defend his policies. And I never said the idea didn’t work; I’m sure coal miners love being told that they’re more important than other Americans and that the president will give them extra attention and policies designed to put their interests ahead of everyone else’s. > > I just think that idea is abhorrent. I don’t think blue-collar workers are less worthy than anyone else, but I don’t think they’re more worthy, either. You say that you don’t think blue-collar workers are less worthy than anyone else. Good, you are part of the way there. Now the next step,\* the blue-collar workers believed\* that Clinton was treating their concerns as though they were less worthy than everyone else. Get it? Slee ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/128 "2017-02-02T08:32:31Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > You say that you don’t think blue-collar workers are less worthy than anyone else. Good, you are part of the way there. Now the next step,\* the blue-collar workers believed\* that Clinton was treating their concerns as though they were less worthy than everyone else. Which is odd, given that only one of the two candidates had any concrete plans to help them - and it wasn’t the one with a fake-ass spray-tan. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/129 "2017-02-02T10:00:12Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > You say that you don’t think blue-collar workers are less worthy than anyone else. Good, you are part of the way there. Now the next step,\* the blue-collar workers believed\* that Clinton was treating their concerns as though they were less worthy than everyone else. > > Get it? > > Slee > [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Which is odd, given that only one of the two candidates had any concrete plans to help them - and it wasn’t the one with a fake-ass spray-tan. Indeed - Clinton lost because despite the fact that she had actual plans to deal with their actual problems and Trump didn’t, Trump and the Republicans lied frequently and convincingly enough to persuade blue collar voters that she didn’t care about their concerns and he did, in much the same way they’ve completely twisted the meaning of “What difference does it make?” So once again bullshit won over truth. But apparently we’re not allowed to point out that blue collar workers are eating up bullshit as fast as they can because that would somehow hurt their feelings and drive them away. Because everything is Clinton’s fault now. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2017, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/130 "2017-02-02T16:49:54Z")
Hey, not true, a lot of stuff is still Obama’s fault! ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2017, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/131 "2017-02-03T03:12:22Z")
> [@sleestak](#): > > Did I ever say that? > > What I said is that for Trump voters there were other issues that were more important to them than gay rights. > > Do you understand that? Non-gay Trump voters have real world problems that have nothing to do with gay rights. Those problems will be their main concern. > > Also, note that I didn’t vote for Trump, hence the use of the phrase ‘Trump voters’. So take your outrage and figure out something useful to do with it instead of pointing it at people who would be on your side if you stopped throwing around baseless accusations. So how is this NOT saying to certain demographics, not all of them minority, “I acknowledge that voting in this administration will make your life worse, but I’m sorry, I can’t care about that right now”? And if the listener is upset about it, it’s their own fault, because we should just agree to disagree on their rights? How does this encourage those listeners to treat the speakers nicer? What would make them believe that it would make a difference? Because that’s what this is all about: whether liberals are to blame for some people voting Trump and the subsequent victory, and I think it’s mindblowingly ridiculous. It’s like, “liberals call people they don’t like bigots!” No, they generally call bigots bigots. > [@](#): > > Ohhh. I can beat that. My friend of 31 years is a lesbian and got married this year, I have known her since high school and I was the first person she came out to back in 1986. My best friend is a gay Mexican and he voted for Trump! (Figure that one out. He is also Catholic and doesn’t believe in gay marriage. A rather odd guy). He is also god father to my twin boys. Good to hear! Have you ever discussed politics with them? What are their political leanings? Are they at all concerned that their lives will get harder under Trump? What do they think about people who voted for Trump? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/132 "2017-02-04T21:39:10Z")
Democrats didn’t just lose the White House. They lost even more seats in state legislatures, and they failed to make serious gains in the Senate and House in a year that should have been favorable to them. Democrats are being rejected at the local, state, and federal levels. This isn’t just about Trump. It’s about the Democrats and their shift away from blue-collar issues and support for the poor, towards identity politics and radicalism. Until the Democrats are willing to look at themselves critically instead of trying to figure out what’s wrong with Kansas, they’ll continue losing. 2018 is a very dangerous year for you Democrats. Given the mathematical advantage the Republicans have going into that election, you could be facing a wipeout that gives Republicans a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. So the clock’s ticking. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/133 "2017-02-04T21:56:45Z")
So, do you approve? Outside of warning us of our impending doom, do you approve of this brisk tonic, this agenda of ripping so-called progress right out? OK, **Sam** , you tell me that, and I’ll believe you. But up until that moment, I won’t, as I have a better opinion of you than that. You gotta flat say it, this is the time, he is the man, and these are the things that will make America great again. I got you down as being a mite stiff in your conservative leanings, revising that to “nuts” will require some convincing. But you say so, well, there it is, then. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/134 "2017-02-04T22:36:53Z")
Do I approve of what? Your last post was a little incoherent. Do I approve of shifting away from identity politics? Damned straight I do. I think attempting to split a population along racial, gender, and economic lines is toxic. I think the notion of forced ‘progress’ towards some ideal state of man is dangerous and generally leads to misery. I think progressivism is an illiberal, intolerant philosophy with a long history of atrocities and policy disasters. I think there is a huge difference between the old liberal left of the JFK, MLK variety and this new breed of radical progressivism as espoused by the likes of Elizabeth Warren - much to the shame of modern ‘progressives’. Since you asked… None of this should be taken as support for Trump. But imo, the radicalism of the left is what allowed Trump to happen in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/135 "2017-02-04T22:45:41Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > …None of this should be taken as support for Trump… Crux of the biscuit, I am reassured. And of course its our fault, if she hadn’t gotten all those votes, he wouldn’t be so insecure and needy. Pretty damn thoughtless of her! ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/136 "2017-02-04T22:51:35Z")
And here I thought it was his small hands. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/137 "2017-02-04T22:55:28Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > 2018 is a very dangerous year for you Democrats. Given the mathematical advantage the Republicans have going into that election, you could be facing a wipeout that gives Republicans a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Yes, but counteracting that is that Trump may have 20% approval and drag the entire GOP down. It might cancel out. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/138 "2017-02-04T23:14:55Z")
It might. Do you want to bet your political future on that? I never thought Trump would get the nomination. Once he got it, I never thought he would get elected. It seems that betting against Trump might not be the smartest move. And I can tell you that so far, Republicans are positively giddy with what he has done so far - even the neverTrumpers who can’t stand the man. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/139 "2017-02-04T23:20:16Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > It might. Do you want to bet your political future on that? I never thought Trump would get the nomination. Once he got it, I never thought he would get elected. It seems that betting against Trump might not be the smartest move. > > And I can tell you that so far, Republicans are positively giddy with what he has done so far - even the neverTrumpers who can’t stand the man. If he does well, then whatever, I can get onboard with republicans that govern well, and at least achieve some results. In that case, if he gets reelected because the republicans are running things well, then I have no problem with that. If, as some one this board predict, the administration is going to be a disaster, then at least it will likely wake people up to the fact that republicans are not governing well, and they may look elsewhere(like to the democrats) for leadership. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2017, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136/140 "2017-02-04T23:52:46Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Do I approve of shifting away from identity politics? Damned straight I do. I think attempting to split a population along racial, gender, and economic lines is toxic. I keep seeing this. The way I see it, one side thinks that black people are shot more because they’re more criminal, that birth control is murder, and that there’s nothing wrong with poor people dying because they can’t pay for health care. Another side disagrees, and is fighting against those ideas. Yet it’s the latter who are “splitting a population”? Why? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-republicans-vote-for-trump/778136.md?page=8)