Van Jones Talks to Barack Obama Voters Who Switched to Trump

[portlander23]

This is uncomfortable to watch. At the end, Jones talks to these voters about the fear of "taking guns away", and the response is they need rifles for hunting, not for sport, but to feed their families. I didn't grow up in Maine, but I moved here years ago, and one of the truly shocking things I learned was that for a lot of hunters in Maine, even those that lived less than an hour away from the city, hunting meant food.

It's shocking how much poverty exists in the United States and it's tragic that people like these voted for Trump.

[elmac]

1. Should be titled

Van Jones talks to idiots or Van Jones exposes a Fox News Lobotomy epidemic.

[Eko]

3. No these people are not idiots

or anything like that,they just live in a different world. They are ignorant when it comes to politics and history, if you talked about the gulf of tonkin indecent they would not know anything about what you are talking about, but working on a truck, skinning a deer, reality shows or footballs stats and bam! they know waaaayy more than probably most of you.

[Got it]

9. Wow...

You are clearly missing a very important message.

[raging moderate]

2. Oh, I understand that they need guns to get meat.

I think that they just don't understand that we understand it.

And I think covertly right-wing media has engineered that sad fact.

Hillary Clinton did not call for taking away these people's hunting guns. There are a few Democrats who would do that, but there are many more who believe in the 2nd amendment just as much as they believe in the 1st amendment.

The mention of "morals" is another tipoff that this woman is getting her information from right-wing media. That is the source of the false rumors about Hillary's loose morals.

[MFM008]

4. bullshit

many of these fat bastards cant throw a stone without hitting 3 fast food stores and a couple of WinCOs or something.
They need to feed their families a lot less before they drop dead .
Jones should have told them to take their stupid shit and shove it up to their eyebrows.

[markpkessinger]

17. The issue isn't that there aren't stores from which to buy food . . .

. . . the man specifically said he was talking about "when there's an economic downturn," meaning when people get laid off, have their hours reduced, etc. Maybe they don't want their families eating a steady diet of fast food. And btw, fast food isn't cheap when you are feeding an entire family.

I grew up in rural PA (and have lived in NYC for my entire adult life). I knew -- and still know -- families in central PA for whom hunting provides a significant portion of the meat they consume each yea.

As for the tendency of many rural folks to be overweight, often as not the issue isn't how much they eat, but what they eat: a starchy, carb-heavy diet and a lot of processed foods.'

I gotta say, your hostility reflects everything that has been wrong with the Democratic Party in recent years.

[MFM008]

39. I dont really care

My family is from PA. My dad made sure we were at least 1000 miles from them.
My mom was from rural Illinois--- she didnt speak to her conservative family for 30 years.
You seem to be whats wrong with this election by people voting for the maggot.
Probably STILL waiting for Obama to take that gun.

[markpkessinger]

40. I don't own a gun, and I strongly support MUCH stronger gun regulations . . .

. . . in fact, I'd be perfectly happy to repeal the Second Amendment TODAY if it were possible to do so. I am also originally from PA -- rural PA -- and still have family there. I understand hunting culture (even if I don't particularly like it), and I also understand the economics of areas like that. I also know you are painting people with much too broad a brush.

[handmade34]

30. it seems you don't want to

understand rural USA... to be fair I have not watched the video but I grew up in rural USA and everyone I knew hunted and put food on the table from the hunt... I am not a meat eater but many hunters (legal and necessary per state's Fish and Wildlife Departments) would rather eat meat from the field than meat produced from destructive agribusiness.

I don't eat meat, I don't hunt and I don't particularly appreciate the killing of deer and other wildlife but I understand why people hunt... the problem is these people have been duped (by right wingers) into thinking Democrats will take their hunting rifles away... not true!

these people are not bullshit, these people are a product of a poor education system and fake news and corrupt Republicans (politicians)

note: my neighbor just yesterday offered my husband some venison to put in the freezer

[markpkessinger]

41. Thank you!

As someone who also grew up in rural America (PA), this is EXACTLY the point I was trying to make in my other posts in this thread.

[LovingA2andMI]

5. I Second The Bullshit Comment...

This is a family that wanted 15 minutes worth of TV fame. First, those boys have never voted Obama. The Dad probably thought about it in 2008 but did not and, never did period in 2012. The Mother is likely the only one truthful. Period.

Van Jones must have needed a "CNN Special" to earn his keep at the Network this week.

[think]

10. Trumbull county went for Obama in 2008 and 2012. The county went for Trump in 2016

Obviously there is a problem that goes beyond the family Van Jones interviewed.

Former Obama backers in blue-collar Trumbull County now pinning their hopes on Donald Trump

WARREN, Ohio -- You might not expect that a lot people who voted for Barack Obama, not once but twice, are now Donald Trump fans.

But it's not that hard to find them if you look in blue-collar Trumbull County, which voted overwhelmingly to elect and then re-elect President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but backed Donald Trump this year.

Read more:
http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2016/11/former_obama_voters_in_blue-co.html

[JohnnyRingo]

6. I live in Trumbull County Ohio

I read in the paper that they were interviewed. These people are really typical here this election cycle. Trumbull County historically votes 66% democrat... until this year. It's a strong union area, home to my former employer, Packard Electric (now Delphi) and Lordstown assembly plant, home to the Chevy Cruze.

When I worked the primaries this spring I saw the writing on the wall as one after another registered dem came in and changed parties. The county went to a republican in November for the first time since 1972. Many who long for manufacturing jobs to return from Mexico compared Trump to our former congressman Jim Traficant, a man who garnered substantial votes in his last election from prison. he's been since replaced by Tim Ryan. Yes, that Tim Ryan.

Traficant (and Ryan) are known for their fiery 3 minute speeches, with the former often punctuating them with an exasperated "beam me up Scotty" as he railed against outsourcing.

I don't think my neighbors there got their Traficant, but he's likely as much a con man. If they think Trump would have bailed out GM, they've been swindled.

[TrollBuster9090]

7. "It's a strong union area." And therein we have the onion.

I haven't seen any statistics or polling on it yet, but I'm pretty sure the Democrats lost this election because union members had finally had enough with being ignored by the federal Democratic Party. All they wanted was a carding law, to make it easier to form unions, and the federal Democrats were too spineless to do even that.

Support from union workers would have made the difference, but they didn't get it because they did absolutely nothing to EARN it.

[PatrickforO]

11. Yes, if the Democratic Party doesn't get back to strongly

supporting unions and get rid of this 'free trade' bullshit, they will keep losing election after election.

[Victor_c3]

8. I don't get the gun grabber vs hunter thing

I always believed that sensible gun regulations was what we were after. To me, that means you can own a bolt action rifle or such for hunting but assault rifles and things like "cop killer" bullets would be outlawed.

Hunters and outdoor sportsman people like that can be a valuable ally when it comes to conservation. Like us pinko-commie-hippies, they want nice forest to hunt in and clean water to fish in.

Sensible gun laws have nothing to do with restricting a person's ability to hunt.

With a little bit of finagling, we could get the gun lobby to support environmental objectives and begin to chip away at the right's power base.

[Lotusflower70]

29. Feeding the narrative

That's the thing though, when we say sensible gun control, some people make the fantastical leap that guns are being taken away. I have always said I am not against gun ownership. But I think we need reasonable parameters around that. And then we talk loopholes and background checks, and some people lose their damn minds. I think we need to change the terminology and be more precise in our message in order to alleviate any fears.

[greenman3610]

12. really not interested in what dumbass crackers have to say

I have lived and worked with these morons my whole life.

[SunSeeker]

13. Bullets for their "hunting rifle" cost about the same if not more than meat.

And then there is the time, driving to and from, gas, and other equipment involved in hunting, hunting licenses, etc., making hunted meat one of the most expensive meat there is. This is utter bullshit. Wish Van Jones-or anyone-would call them on it. What crap.

[markpkessinger]

19. You don't know what you're talking about . . .

A box of 70 30-06 rounds (a fairly common caliber for deer hunting) costs about $32 (or about 45 cents per round), and it doesn't usually take more than one or two to bring down a deer. And as for any rounds fired that miss their target, most hunters will be lucky if they even have an opportunity to fire a shot. And even, in a given deer season, if a hunter went out every day, in most cases, it would be rare that they would fire even 10 or 12 shots over the course of a two-week season. So that $32 box of ammunition could easily last a typical hunter 5 years or more.

You mention the cost of gas, etc. in getting to and from a hunting location I grew up in rural PA, where hunting was practically a religion. From my parents' house, there was decent hunting to be had within less than a ten-minute drive in just about any direction. A decent supermarket, by contrast, was eleven miles

And you do understand, don't you, that a single deer can provide at least a couple of months worth of meat for a family of four? So when you apportion those costs you mention on a per-meal or per-serving basis, they are really quite negligible,

[portlander23]

20. That doesn't come close to how long a moose will last

We can get into the economics of bullets but man that's missing the point. Hunting for sport is one thing, but we have people in this country that are hunting for food. This is a problem of poverty. Van Jones, gotta give him credit, is interviewing the "economic losers" from 35 years of Reaganomics and neoliberal trade deals. Bernie Sanders was not wrong when he said there is real pain in this country and I don't know why Democrats would cede any of their votes to the GOP.

[SunSeeker]

21. I knew someone would come out of the gungeon to insult me re how I dont know what I'm talking about.

You don't mention the cost of a yearly license, actual time involved in hunting (including butchering the deer). The gas bill is on top of going to the supermarket, which you must go to whether you hunt or not. You still need all the other items on your grocery list, toiletries, etc. So if all you shoot is deer and you never missed, maybe you could get away with a box of bullets a year or so. But there is no way your family will put up with eating nothing but deer meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner for months on end. You're just making shit up if you claim they do.

An 8 hour shift, even at minimum wage, will buy a week's worth of a variety of meat, that your kids would actually eat. And poor people would probably be eligible for food stamps which would allow them to buy any type of meat.

[markpkessinger]

22. I am not part of the "Gungeon" . . .

. . . I do not hunt, I do not own a firearm, and I favor much stricter controls on gun ownership. I hunted for a few brief years before I went off to college at age 18, but haven't hunted since, nor do I have any desire to do so. I am now 55 years old, and have spent the entirety of my adult life living in NYC. But the fact of the matter is, I grew up in that culture, and I know it, and have family members who are stil very much a part of it.

But I gotta tell you, to whine about being "insulted" after having dismissed residents of rural America as "fat bastards" who "need to feed their families less" is beyond rich. And in any case, I did not personally insult you; I merely pointed out that on this issue, at least, you are talking out of your ass. It is certainly the case that many rural folks have certain bigotries and blind spots; but that fact does not confer any validity onto your wholesale dismissal of their concerns.

[SunSeeker]

23. OFFS. I NEVER called anyone a "fat bastard."

I never dismissed residents of rural America as "fat bastards" who "need to feed their families less." I don’t know who you have a beef with about those alleged assertions, but it is not me. At no time did I indicate a "wholesale dismissal of their concerns." I just called bullshit on their one claim that they need to go hunting with guns because they're poor.

But it is is rich that you accuse me of "talking out my ass" about hunting when you state that you do not hunt, you do not own a firearm, and, as a 55 year old, that you "spent the entirety of" your "adult life living in NYC."

[markpkessinger]

24. My apologies . . .

. . . I guess I lost track of which reply I was responding to, and conflated your post with Number 2 above.

As for being a 55-year-old who has spent his entire adult life in NYC, I was also raised in rural Pennsylvania, where hunting is practically a religion. I, too, hunted as a teenager, and many members of my family still do. I really never enjoyed it, and once I left for college, I never had any desire to do it again. But I have handled guns, and I have hunted, so no, I am not talking out of my ass on this subject.

[handmade34]

32. boy are you wrong...

most people I have known walk out their back door and hunt

[SunSeeker]

36. Cool story bro. nt

[handmade34]

42. true story

I have moose. bear, deer, rabbits, etc. all living in my back acreage...

it is well past time for all of us to take to heart "Stronger Together" ...you seem not to want to understand how very different people live in different parts of the United States...

I don't particularly think the people in the video are very smart (as far as voting Trump for change) but I understand that culture that I grew up in and for any of us to dismiss it as bullshit/crap is not wise... that makes us no better than them... they are a product/victim of poor education, propaganda from conservatives, and they lack critical thinking skills that are necessary to understand the bigger picture... but this said, hunting and reasons for it are not bullshit for quite a few people

[SunSeeker]

43. I am not dismissing them, I am calling bullshit on their claim about hunting. nt

[Perseus]

14. This is where I start pulling my hair

"We put democrats in office"...true the 1st two years, although not as a majority with enough strength to battle the obstruction, but I will take it...that was an opportunity lost.

But after that it was obstruction from the republicans that screwed working america, and they haven't seen nothing yet...their choice, I hate to say and I hope I am 100% wrong, but their vote will reap negative effects as they have never seen before...

It is painful to hear this woman say "Hillary's morals and Trump's morals" WHAT????

[raging moderate]

15. Yes! What makes them think Democrats have been in power 30 years?

What makes them think Hillary Clinton has been in power 30 years? The Democratic President can't even get most of his appointments considered and voted on as the Congress is Constitutionally required to do, but supposedly the Democrats have been in power 30 years? Boy oh boy, Perseus, you are right! And about the morals delusion, too!

[tenisfin]

16. And these people

Are regarded as "real Americans"? I call BS on the narrative that they are longtime Democrats based upon their statements which are straight out of Fox and hate-radio. ANd I'm sorry, people who vote for racists are racists themselves, however small a part that may be.

[think]

18. Here are the actual voting results for Trumbull county for all 3 presidential elections.

Obama won twice with over 60% of the vote and over 60,000 votes each time.

Clinton lost getting only 44.8% of the vote and getting only 42,130 votes.


Obama won Trumbull county with 60% of the vote in 2008

http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/states/president/ohio.html

60.0% of total votes reported in Trumbull

Obama 62,254 votes
McCain 39,319 votes

In 2012 Obama won with 60.6% of the vote:

Obama 61,672 votes

Romney 38,279 votes

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/2012_ohio_presidential_electio.html

In 2016 Clinton lost getting only 44.8% of the vote.

Trump 48,152 votes
Clinton 42,130 votes

http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president/ohio/

Clinton had over 19,000 less votes than Obama got in each of the 2 previous elections. And Trump gained around 10,000 votes compared to the other 2 elections.

Something to consider...

[BainsBane]

25. One presidency isn't long term

Did they vote for George W Bush and Reagan?

[think]

27. The discussion is in regards to Barack voters who voted for Trump. This information would seem

sufficient for that discussion.

If you'd like to do the additional research to see how they voted in the long term I would encourage you to do so.

[BainsBane]

33. My mistake

I thought you might be interested in actual voting patterns rather than a convenient talking point to flog a dead horse. You are correct that your data serves the only point you care about.

You should move to rural Ohio and run for office, given your keen insight into what it takes to win there. Be sure to bring an AR-14 with a 50 round mag to hunt squirrels with.

[think]

34. The discussion is about Obama voters who then voted for Trump. How does the data not address that?

[think]

35. Trumbull county overwhelmingly vote for John Kerry in 2004

Trumbull Bush 40,977 votes 37.9% Kerry 66,673 votes 61.7%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/2004_ohio_presidential_electio.html

And in 2000 Trumbull county overwhelmingly vote for Al Gore:

Trumbull Bush 34,654 votes 36.0% Gore 57,643 votes 59.9%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/2000_ohio_presidential_electio_1.html

So for the previous FOUR elections Trumbull county went to Democrats. In 2016 it went to Trump.....

[think]

37. Trumbull county has voted for a Democrat the previous EIGHT elections. They voted for Trump in 2016

Trumbull Dole 24,811 votes 26.2% Clinton 55,604 votes 58.7%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1996_ohio_presidential_electio.html

Trumbull Bush 25,831 votes 24.0% Clinton 54,591 votes 50.7%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1992_ohio_presidential_electio.html

Trumbull Bush 38,815 votes 39.5% Dukakis 58,674 votes 59.7%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1988_ohio_presidential_electio.html

Trumbull Reagan 45,623 votes 44.2% Mondale 56,902 votes 55.1%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1984_ohio_presidential_electio.html

[think]

38. Trumbull county has voted for Democrats for president 13 times out of the 14 previous elections

Trumbull Reagan 41,056 votes 44.1% Carter 44,366 votes 47.7%
http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1980_ohio_presidential_electio.html

Trumbull Ford 36,469 votes 39.4% Carter 53,828 votes 58.2%

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1976_ohio_presidential_electio.html

They did vote for Nixon though in 1972.

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1972_ohio_presidential_electio.html

So since 1972 Trumbull county has voted for a Democrat in the previous TEN elections. 44 YEARS later they now vote for Trump...

In 1968 they voted for Humphrey (D)

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1968_ohio_presidential_electio.html

In 1964 they voted for Johnson (D)

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1964_ohio_presidential_electio.html

In 1960 they voted for Kennedy (D)

http://www.cleveland.com/datacentral/index.ssf/2016/06/1960_ohio_presidential_electio.html


Since 1960 to the present 2016 Trumbull county voted ONCE for a Republican. Now in 2016 they have once again voted Republican.

It's pretty obvious that Trumbull county has a long history of predominantly voting for Democratic presidential candidates....

[BainsBane]

44. Ok, thanks for the info. Nt

[Jean-Jacques Roussea]

26. real reason

"I voted for a black guy twice so there's no way I can be racist if I vote for the Grand Wizard neo-nazi"

[TubbersUK]

28. k &r n/t

[ebbie15644]

31. I believe it's about guns but not food

I live in Western Pa and it has steadily been turning red. There is a deep distrust of gov't here anymore and it's all tied into guns. The NRA has done a masterful job of "fear mongering"