Heeding the Trump nation

Yes, Americans elected an unqualified salesman as President of the United States. I think the magic words were: bring back our jobs, soldiers. There are voices to be heard, and probably a lesson to learn.

I post here a few voices of the so-called "Trump Nation", extracted from this USAToday survey.

Heeding these people, it appears clear to me that Trump was supported by a tide of new electors, rather different and distant from the stereotype of social conservative people, old and new Republicans, Evangelicals. A merely moralizing emphasis on ignorance, bigotry, racism, xenophobia, misogyny, homophobia, can be misleading in an effort of understanding Trump's (narrow) victory.

Let's read.

Dustin Grab, New York , age 29

Dustin Grab (source)

“I like Donald Trump because he’s been saying the same thing about trade since I have been born. He is saying the same thing about the NAFTA and GATT that we went into in [the] ’90s and how we’ have been making policies that benefit a lot of people but maybe not so much America itself. I also really like the fact that he wants to audit the Federal Reserve. I think questioning globalism is the biggest thing after the Brexit vote that we had the other day. I think that’s the next step for major governmental policy is to step back and look at these trade deals that we have, and a lot of them in secret like the TPP where we don’t really know what we’re getting into before we vote on it, and step back and see if we’re actually benefitting from these trade deals and re-negotiate the ones that aren’t benefitting us. So I think questioning globalism is going to be the biggest thing to help out our country and economic status.”

Manny Paulet (American Hispanic), Indiana, age 47

“I support Donald Trump because he's the first American in about three decades that has decided to work for the benefit of the average person. America has a long term addiction to cheap labor. He's going to break this addiction by starting a trade war with other countries. A trade war will cause us to re-industrialize and there will be a better distribution of income. He's a plain-spoken guy, but nothing that he's ever said has made me think that he's racist. He's shown in his hiring and in his businesses that he'll always hire the best person for the job. He doesn't care what your silly sexuality orientation is, your color, your gender or anything like that. Keeping illegal immigration is a big step forward in maximizing the economic value of each American worker. Without those step-up jobs, the long-term integration system that the United States has had, almost since its history, cannot resume. It's broken. Right now, we've got people who are stuck at the bottom, for the most part. If we give them these step-up jobs, which re-industrialization will allow for, then they'll be able to progress and the next generation will be able to integrate better into our society. I don't think it should be at all controversial for a politician to say that America should come first. I expect that the politicians of every country want their country to come first. That is not blame-worthy, that is praise-worthy. This is first politician in 30 years that I've had hope that can enact real change for America and make America better for every American for the forseeable future.”

Phil Berrios (Latin American), New York , age 61

“He’s the best man for the job. He’s going to bring back more jobs for the Americans, which we lost a lot of jobs to Mexico and everywhere else. And he’s going to make America great again. The Obamacare I'’m not too crazy about. This guy’ is going to [give] better health care. And, like I said, more jobs and more opportunities for the American. You have a lot of people unemployed. They're looking for new jobs. We should just bring back the jobs that left the United States.”



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Further readings:

- A liberal view I strongly disagree with: Paul Krugman, accusing a huge number of "white people, living mainly in rural areas — who don'’t share at all our idea of what America is about. For them, it is about blood and soil, about traditional patriarchy and racial hierarchy".

- A very good Naomi Klein, understanding the complexity of structural inequalities.

- Robert Parry adding important points about Clinton's foreign policy big mistakes in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq - To put it simple: US establishment bears the responsibility of having bullied Russia and triggered the Islamic State.

- Something about Bernie Sanders, always wise.


- Last, but not least, a great Glenn Greenwald, with his understanding of the complex intertwinement of poverty and identity, which should remind to Ernest Gellner, Tom Nairn, or, more recently, R. Brian Ferguson, for a more profound insight. A must read.