Cannot Believe How Many People Knowing They Would Lose Health Care Would Still Vote GOP.

[TheMastersNemesis]

I do not understand why someone would still vote GOP when they KNOW they will lose their health care. I am running into so many anecdotal stories where voters admit they will vote for GOP no matter what the GOP takes from them. Does anyone understand such deep mental disconnect?.

[ProfessorGAC]

1. Anybody Over 50 Who Voted For That Buffoon. . .

. . .clearly didn't think things through. They were mad, but didn't know why. They wanted change but didn't know what they wanted changed or how.

And mostly, they wanted a white GUY back in the White House. The consequences were a distant second to that factor.

[Cracklin Charlie]

20. Is there any friggin way...

That we could get them to stop using their vote as a middle finger?

We need a slogan.

[ProfessorGAC]

37. How About...

...think about how dumb this seems?

[csziggy]

42. What did we expect? These are the same people who objected to Obamacare

Because it was "socialized medicine" and held up signs insisting that their Medicare not be touched! I keep going back to this scene in my mind:

[greymattermom]

2. Somehow to them it means

vote white.

It would be great if folks had to vote on major issues without seeing the candidate's name.

[Johonny]

9. There is always the blind assumption the GOP will get the freeloading minorities off these programs

so they can continue to help the "hard working" whites. It never dawns on them that it isn't race these politicians exactly care about, but power and money. It's a socioeconomic order of a small rich ruling class that the GOP has ushered in since Reagan and they've been able to establish it out of the pockets of the white middle class voter. The more they lose, the more they vote GOP, the more they lose. A wise man might figure out the con, but these people...they'll go to their graves convinced it was some secret minority plot.

[saltpoint]

3. A lot of Trump voters did not strike me

as high-information voters. The ones who came in droves to his rallies in particular.

They didn't strike me as especially good grown-ups either. In one clip a grown man shouts vulgar slang at a Trump rally right next to a kid (who would likely be punished if he used that kind of speech at the supper table).

Definitely a disconnect. Howard Dean tried to tell many rural voters in a lot of red states that they should consider voting for their own interests rather than against them.

[Ohioblue22]

4. Let them have the full trump experience .

Some people don't realize a bear trap is dangerous till they loose their leg in one.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. Do you honestly think they actually thought it throug?

I doubt it.

[loyalsister]

6. They don't think they'll need it

The eat and exercise "responsibly," and they are upstanding citizens. There is no way that they would be punished with illness or disability.
"I'm good enough and smart enough to never get cancer, or get into a car crash."

[Nay]

27. I have a SIL just like that. nt

[Nay]

30. I have a SIL just like that. nt

[pbmus]

7. My sons pay 400 and 450 each per month...

They are 45, and 52....f

Frankly anytime there is insurance involved in healthcare, there will be problems...

Many simply could not afford health insurance..so yes I can see many throwing a Molotov cocktail into obamacare.

[JimBeard]

14. I paid 936 a month when I was 64 to Bluecross

Insurance costs but it is cheaper when your employer is paying for part of it.

[DetlefK]

8. Because they don't believe in "facts".

It doesn't matter what Trump does or not does, what the GOP does or not does. These people have their beliefs and they will stick to them come hell or high water.

You cannot talk sense into these people. What if they vote against healthcare, lose their healthcare, and fall into poverty and die from medical problems? Fine. Fuck them. They are adults. The GOP has tried to take away their healthcare for 6 years. They made their decision and that's the consequence of their decision.

And all those pundits lamenting that the Democrats ignored those people... What could the Democrats possibly have said that would have won these true believers over?

They don't believe in facts and they don't care.
They know that they are being lied to and they are lying to themselves and try to pretend otherwise.
They know that Trump is a rich asshole who has never-ever had dirt under his fingernails in his life. But they choose to ignore that.
They know that Trump is the polar opposite of any definition of a decent Christian. But they choose to ignore that.
They know exactly what kinds of policies the GOP wants to enact. But they choose to ignore that.
Fuck them.

[JimBeard]

15. They will pick up on the Republican talking points on FOX News

[meow2u3]

38. It's not true at all that the Democrats ignored those people

And all those pundits lamenting that the Democrats ignored those people... What could the Democrats possibly have said that would have won these true believers over?

It's that they ignored the Democrats. You just can't penetrate the thick skulls of true believers who don't want to see any point of view other than their own. There's none so blind as those who will not see, so they'll just have to learn the hard way that repukes don't give a rat's ass about them. The only problem is that they're taking us down with them and they don't care about that either.

[Arkansas Granny]

10. The Trump supporters that I know didn't bother to study the issues.

They knew Trump’s name from watching tv and liked his "fuck you" attitude. Of course, it didn't help that Hillary has been relentlessly criticized and even lied about for the last 30+ years.

[JimBeard]

11. Fellow DU's I need help making sure my feelings that Parts of Medicare Part D has an amendment to

the Affordable Care Act. I am referring to the complete closing of the doughnut hole of the original Part D by the ACA being completely closed in 2020.

I wonder if this is correct. From what I have read, it is but I need confirmation . Thanks

[BSdetect]

12. Obamacare NO: ACA Yes - that is what many thought.

[Va Lefty]

13. The thing that I have trouble with and it's scary...

so many trump voters say "He says what I'm thinking" or something along those lines. As a straight, white male (54) I had no idea that many racist assholes were out there just wanting to lash out and hurt people regardless of the effect on themselves.

[JimBeard]

16. I'm almost 70 and white thing the same thing. I knew there were some

but not as many.

[Kittycow]

24. Heck, I'm disabled and my mixed race family STILL voted for that pig!

ETA: I'm on SSDI, the parents on SS and Medicare, and a few of us are nearly in their 50s. No Soup for you!

It's all about the name I will not speak appointing pro-lifers to the Supreme Court. No matter the cost to the suffering people already here!

[gollygee]

39. I'm astonished that I was so naive

And I knew there was a lot of racism. I had no idea how bad it is. I feel bad that I was so naive. But of course I'm not the victim of racism so I haven't always seen it.

[Wellstone ruled]

17. As some one who has

spent a life time working in and with the Rural Community,here is my take. Our Democratic Party truly dropped the ball. Just going to mention what I saw and heard for folks in Rural Towns and Small Rural Cities. First is how the Rethugs organized their base,they made sure they had the local newspaper people on board,there are rules for free advertising based advertising if you are doing Community projects or a Group that does Community Service. And do they use this to the max,knowing full well the major newspapers are not going to challenge them. Second big thing is,they are in 24/7 contact with their local operatives. If there is a Farmers or local Business meeting or gathering,you know darn well someone from the County or State Party is or was there. Glad handing works wonders.

Thirdly,one of the most influential person in a small community is the Insurance Sales Person. When ACA was first being drafted in Congress,we were receiving a steady stream of anti ACA lit Once you make the mailing lists,it's a bugger to get off one,and these lists are sold all over the world. The locals are so brain-washed by the propaganda they receive via the boxholder or our friends at,it is just crazy the nature of this crap. And we wonder why they vote the way they do.

[Lithos]

18. They believed the crap that Obamacare was the reason behind the huge rate hikes

And by repealing it, Healthcare would magically fix itself.

Stupid, stupid, gits.

[Baitball Blogger]

19. They do count on the Democrats to push back.

A hardcore Republican once told me that Democrats make the hard decisions, while Republicans harvest the earnings. That's why it's better to be a Republican than it is to be a Democrat.

[Yavin4]

21. Their White identity is the most important thing to them.

More important than education, health care, a decent income, a stable environment...you name it.

[jaysunb]

35. 1000 n/t

[MadDAsHell]

22. Keep in mind that the ACA really didn't give anyone "healthcare" to lose.

It gave some people access to health insurance, but even they don't actually have healthcare unless they can both afford the crazy premiums and the crazy copays and deductibles that go along with it.

For the rest of us, the ACA, at best, slightly slowed the rate of growth in healthcare costs, which made the annual preimum increases slightly more palatable (my work saw 9.5% last year and 14.5% this year).

The only people I know that I would consider to have actual "healthcare" are my brother and sister-in-law who both work for the state government here.

They both have:

$0 premium
$0 deductible
$10 copay for doctors visits and prescriptions

5 kids, they haven't paid a single dollar; now that's healthcare.

[Miles Archer]

23. They didn't know. They chose to believe a lie.

Someone more ambitious than I am right now can dig up the links if they'd like, but it comes down to two things:

1). During the campaign, Trump promised he would not screw with Medicare or Social Security.

2). On the wording found on his new Website, he now says these programs need to be "improved."

We will never know if Trump was "all in" for Paul Ryan from day 1, or if he was "persuaded."

But what we have right now is Ryan calling the shots on the future of healthcare. It's not the bill of goods Trump sold. It's the bill of goods Trump voters bought.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

25. It's about preventing other people from getting "entitlements"

Republican voters have been doing this for decades now. Shooting themselves in the foot to keep "the others" from getting benefits they think should only go to them.

[Raster]

26. They voted AGAINST Hillary Clinton, plain and simple...

...they voted AGAINST what they perceived as "politics as usual."

...they voted AGAINST a candidate that spent most of her time articulating "I am not Donald Trump."

"Does anyone understand such deep mental disconnect?" We do, but did we make sure they did?

"I am running into so many anecdotal stories where voters admit they will vote for GOP no matter what the GOP takes from them."

They were NOT voting for the GOP. They were voting against the alternative.

[MFM008]

28. And they deserve

What's coming.

[Raster]

31. Unfortunately, we're tied into that also...

...and unfortunately, many of them feel the same way about us. That type of attitude gets us no where.

Perhaps next time, we'll run a candidate that does not have such glaring trust issues with a large portion of the electorate. Maybe next time we'll think about this logically instead of papering over the parts we don't like and expect everyone to feel the same zeal and have the same "understanding" as we do.

[loyalsister]

33. The campaign was warned

that a significant number of people were not living the glory of economic recovery. In order to actually reach out to them she would have had to run against Obama and even her own husband. These are people whose kids born during the 90s are coming of age with zero hope of a life better than that of their parents. People who are having trouble feeding their families were bound to see Obamacare as a burden.

For those who didn't go all the way into Trumpland, GOTV was bound to fail.

[get the red out]

29. I do

Guns, Religion, and Racism (misogyny and Religion and synonymous in this case).

[moondust]

32. Superficial voting.

"He's not a DemocRAT!"

"He's a businessman like me and we businessmen know how to do stuff! That will be good for everybody's business!" (Ahem...gubmint is not a business. Then we'll get rid of it! )

"Business as usual isn't working so let's try something totally new and different!" (Like jumping out of an airplane! )

"He must be great--just look at all his hotels and golf courses!"

"He won't be handing out free stuff to all those Mooslins and Mexicans so we'll save on taxes!"

and on and on and on...

Plus a lot of plain old bigotry.



Oh yes, not to forget GUNS, GUNS, AND MORE GUNS EVERYWHERE!!!! GUNS ROOL!!!!

[lumberjack_jeff]

34. If your nearest hospital 50 miles away has just announced its closure...

... the threat is kind of academic.

[lindysalsagal]

36. I don't have the numbers on hand, but it's possible the emergency room bankrupt poor

put him over the top.

These people get treated, and throw the bills in the trash, knowing they don't have a job, own a home, and so have nothing to lose.

They might already be living off the grid, not paying taxes, living in illegal apartments, with friends, family, and just figure when they can't breathe, sit up, walk, or stand, they'll go to the emergency room, get treated, and ignore the bills.

They've given up being a real contributor to society.

So they're actually stealing from everyone else, and don't give one crap.

Voting for fRump geve them the feeling they were giving the middle finger to those of us who do work for a living and pay the taxes.

[wildeyed]

40. They will get mad after the fact.

People like the idea of conservative politicians, but rarely like the results of their ideology. I keep hoping they will hit bottom and finally learn something, but they appear to have moved into Mariana Trench territory.

[gratuitous]

41. Let's get ready for 2018

Democrats need to have a message beyond "We fucking told you so, you ignorant motherfuckers! How do you like the hell on earth you voted in?" So what do we have to say?

Someone up-thread mentioned the Republican presence in rural America. What are we going to do to get the Democratic message out to these people? How do we energize our base voters in urban areas? Is the national party identifying close districts (trending R by, say, 5 points or less), and what can we do in the next 24 months to bump those into the D column?

Remember, we're not the minority. Our national candidate polled more the 2 million votes than the Republican candidate. The Senate map isn't favorable to Democrats in 2018, but it was very unfavorable to the Republicans in 2016, yet they held their majority.

One problem I think Democrats have is a comparative failure to make voters feel good about casting their vote for Democrats. Republican voters are generally gleeful about their ballot, thinking they've poked those goddam liberals in the eye by voting for Buford T. Dumbass, even if old Buford is dumber than a sack of hammers and less trustworthy than an arsonist with a book of matches and a can of gasoline. How happy were you looking at your 2016 ballot? How did that compare with how you felt about your 2008 ballot? I know I felt a bit more glum this year.

Let's make sure people feel good about voting Democratic in 2018. Vote to get your access to health care back. Vote to raise the minimum wage and more money in your pocket. Vote for a congressional majority that will get stuff done for YOU, not just the banksters. We can do this. People like the Democratic position on issue after issue. Let's talk that up, and make sure they know how that contrasts with the Republican position.

[sarcasmo]

43. The three G's plus an A.

God
Guns
Gays
Abortion

[Thor_MN]

44. I don't get paycheck stubs anymore, it's all direct deposit.

I could go online and see them, if I could remember the url and a password from 7 years ago...

But the point is that the dumb kids that the company is hiring now probably have never seen that they are paying for Social Security and Medicare... and are more likely swayed by GOP "entitlement" arguments.