Trump's Strength on Terrorism Won him the White House

[ericson00]

Everyone is looking for why Trump won this election; some say it was Hillary per se, others Obamacare, others trade.

I've looked at the exit polls, and they say something different. For voters who voted on the economy, Hillary won, tho not bigly. However, for voters who voted on terrorism, Trump won and did so in a landslide, both nationally and in decisive swing states MI, WI, and PA.



If just a small shift in those numbers had occurred in WI, PA, and MI (and those numbers were nearly identical), she'd be POTUS elect right now and our country wouldn't be on its way to a Putinesque kleptocracy, dealing with hate crimes in a POTUS elect's name, etc. And Trump has zero gov or military experience; Hillary has tons. This is what happened to John Kerry in 2004.

That's why Hillary, and Obama, should've just said the term "Islamic terrorism." I watch this video and sigh.

he was right, sadly

BILL MAHER: If there's a silver lining from this, me personally, it's the two issues that I have been on the case of liberals for, and they've been booing me about this for years, and maybe they'll listen. One is political correctness. I think I did a show about that for nine years.

You're outrageous with your politically correct bullshit and it does drive people away. And Islam. You know? Islam.

Democrats, there is a terrorist attack and Democrats reaction is: don't be mean to Muslims instead of how can we solve the problem of shit blowing up in America. And, you know, that's not a good way to get votes.

[Spider Jerusalem]

1. I think you'll find xenophobia was a bigger factor (look at numbers for "immigration")

and Bill Maher is an Islamophobic piece of shit.

[ericson00]

5. immigration probably also includes Syrian refugees

which is a very polarizing issue and unpopular too, certainly in swing states.

Fact is let's weigh what should've been more important: a few Syrian refugees, or marriage equality, Paris agreement, embryonic stem cell research, etc.?

[bettyellen]

9. So you're suggesting we go after xenophobes now? FUCK THAT !

[ericson00]

13. There are legimitate xenophobes, but there are also legitimate

Non-xebophobes who simply are scared of Syrian refugees. They voted, and clearly, we know how many did.

Now, because Democrats couldn't accept the reality of the public voice on Syrian refugees, goodbye marriage equality, LGB progress, climate change action!

[duffyduff]

2. Wrong. First of all, he didn't win the popular vote.

The reason has nothing to do with terrorism. Why are we so afraid to put the blame where it belongs, and that is solely on the media?

The media created this MONSTER for ratings, and they OWN this disaster.

[ericson00]

4. the results on the terror question were heavily in Trump's favor in MI, PA, and WI

and the links are in the body.

Yes the media should've taken Trump down a year ago, but they didn't, and at this point in 2015, it was obvious Trump was on his way to the nomination. I don't blame Hillary; in the 2000s, she used the term "Islamic terrorism." I, quite frankly, think Obama, MoveOn types, a lot of their surrogates were the reason this mistake was made. They thought they'd get out the MoveOn vote (an wing that thinks that if America pisses off Muslims less, terror will happen less) and the academic left (post-colonial theory for terror), but what they didn't realize is that a wave of terror attacks would cancel their numbers out, and a lot of them wouldn't turn out for Hillary anyway.

[Spider Jerusalem]

6. The results on "immigration" were even more so

xenophobia and racism won this for Trump, not his positions on terrorism.

[bettyellen]

8. Scares me this OP ignores the racism implicit in that chart. Wow.

[JonLP24]

17. The OP doesn't care

Prefers Hillary Clinton took the xenophobic and fear pandering approach.

[ericson00]

19. I'd have preferred to WIN.

also, there is a difference between people who had genuine fears of Syrian refugees and people who just want non-whites out. This lumping everything in with racism didn't help the Democrats this time around.

[JonLP24]

22. If we didn't adopt a free trade strategy we would have won

Here is just a small example of him pandering to fears which couldn't have been more from than reality.


https://m.

He came to Maine played on people's fears letting in refugees who have been great for the community but had deal with racism from the fans in the state championship game.

[MyNameIsKhan]

3. Wrong our voters did not turn out, look at PA, WI, MI vote count all less than 2012...

WI was 300k less when I last checked. Trump under performed Romney in every state other than FL, NC

[ericson00]

25. not all of the same people vote from one election to another

and many do switch of the ones who do vote. A win is a win, a loss is a loss. This isn't 2000 where the decisive electoral state(s) was decided by the candidate's family and apparatus there.

[MyNameIsKhan]

26. Well turnout low and population increase based on census... I find this not easy to understand.

We definitely got people out in FL for Don but we had similar vote count for HRC as 2012.

[bettyellen]

7. Are we ignoring the implicit racism in that chart? Let's not.

[NurseJackie]

10. Americans are idiots. There. I said it. We're idiots.

Why, as a nation, do we place more value on the "revenge" portion of (gag) "handling terrorism" rather than actually doing the smart things, the diplomatic things, the peaceful things, that ELIMINATE IT IN THE FIRST FUCKING PLACE!??

Jesus Fuck me on Monkey Bars! Why is our country so fucking STUPID???

[Paladin]

12. There are more stupid people in this country than I ever imagined.

Trump's electoral victory is proof positive of this. No one will ever convince me otherwise.

[Martin Eden]

11. Trump's DEMAGOGEURY on terrorism

Sadly, that translated into "strength" in this election.

[ericson00]

14. Democrats need to strike a balance. They didnt in 2016

And sadly, I think Hillary was scared to piss off the MoveOn crowd. She shoulda been the 2008 Hillary on terrorism.

[Martin Eden]

20. Democrats need to tell the truth and do what's best for the long term health of our country

And they need to do so in a way that connects with voters and instills trust.

The biggest mistake that Hillary made was to join slightly less than half the Democrats in Congress and nearly every Republican in October 2002 in voting to give GW Bush authority to invade Iraq.

It was an albatross around Kerry's neck in 2004 and it has been for Hillary in both 2008 and 2016. The consequences of GW's fiasco in Iraq led directly to ISIS. The next generation of terrorists was recruited and global terrorism metastasized into the mess we have now.

Don't get me wrong; first and foremost I blame this on the Bush/Cheney neocons. my point is that Hillary was in no position to pin it on them and the Republicans because she voted for it. The tables were turned, and Trump employed a successful strategy to paint a horrific picture and blame it on Hillary (however warped and deceitful his arguments were).

[GoCubsGo]

18. Thank you!

He wouldn't know his ass from a hole in the wall when it comes to dealing with terrorism. His only strength was in appealing to those who hate and/or are afraid of various "others."

[JonLP24]

15. No it isn't

Deindustrialization in the northeast. Unless they're worried about terrorists blowing up abandoned factories I don't think it had anything to do with it.

Plus Trump is a clueless moron when it comes to muslims.

52% said the economy, you're posting this over 18%?

[ericson00]

23. as a close election, it was clearly decided on the margins. Also, Hillary WON on the economy.

there was more upside potential on terror than the economy. The 2008 version of Hillary Clinton, who DID call out Islamic terrorism, would've fixed that and won.

[JonLP24]

24. She did better everywhere else

Except North Carolina where there was a lot of voter suppression and scaled back early voting days. The machines "conveniently" went down when the polls closed in a predominantly black neighborhood in Durham.

And the Rust Belt. Vice on HBO went down to these union shops before the election where I heard they're both bad, Hillary Clinton is worst. I don't agree with but there was a lot more Trump support in unions than you'd expect.

[Fast Walker 52]

16. even if that's true, it's still racist and wrong

[ericson00]

21. what race or ethnicity would being tough on Islamic terrorism target?

Islamism is a political ideology based on a religion, Islam. Its not a race.

The Mexican-haters, you can argue many, if not most, are racist and care more about that than lower wages, tho not all.

Also, a Hillary win, under nearly all circumstances, would've been far better for more non-white groups, whatever she could've done to win.

[Fast Walker 52]

27. well, it's against our freaking constitution to single out a religion like that

and there are practical reasons for trying to maintain good relations with muslims.

[ericson00]

31. one can maintain good relations but at the same time, call a spade a spade

also, I, nor Bill Maher, or other people not on the right but who still said Hillary needed to use the term "Islamic" in front of "extremism" or terrorism AS SHE DID IN THE 2000'S, talked of any religious test to hold public office or enjoy the rights listed in the Constitution.

The price for not doing so is President Donald J. Trump, given those terrorism numbers.

[ucrdem]

28. I wouldn't call it a strength exactly, but yeah

terra and immigration won the day. He played the Brexit card and got loads of help.

[Sorceress]

29. I don't care what anyone says, Comey and Racism won Trump the WH.

[LeftishBrit]

30. So one should punish the victims of terrorism (Syrian refugees) for terrorism?

What you seem to be saying is that you believe that Trump is right about hating Muslims, even though he isn't right about the economy - and presumably you at least don't agree with him about hating Mexicans.

And how many Syrian refugees have blown up people in America, compared with the number of Americans who have killed fellow-citizens with guns?

Maher's opinions are a mixed bag. He is absolutely right IMO about some things, but he is over-the-top in his hostility to all religion (and I'm a pretty devout atheist myself), and at the same time, he is a supporter of anti-vaccine scumbags.

[ericson00]

32. 1. beating Trump to help Americans was more important than standing up for Syrians (not Americans )

because after all, this election is about OUR country and people, right? Lets see: the right to choose, marriage equality, ending global warming, or Syrian refugees? Hmmmm, what a hard choice! No, citizenship or green card status is NOT some anachronistic and racist"construct." It matters.

2. with the Syrian refugees, the vetting process and the governments explanation wasn't clear enough on how people who were fighters for one side would be sifted out from people targeted by one side, or just in the crossfire.

[libtodeath]

33. He didnt win and will never be considerd by most to be president.

[ericson00]

34. sadly, you're wrong; the idea that he "stole" the election is not gonna catch fire

and the broader public is going to accept his legitimacy. Conspiracy theory does no good.

And once again, terrorism voters hurt Hillary bad:

9. Terrorism was a crucial factor. The exit poll asked, “Which one of these four issues is the most important facing the country?” Sixty-five percent of voters picked the economy or foreign policy, and these voters went for Clinton. Thirteen percent picked immigration, and those voters went for Trump. The backbreaker was the fourth issue, terrorism. Eighteen percent of voters picked that issue, and they broke for Trump, 57 percent to 39 percent. That gap, fatally, cost Clinton slightly more than 3 percentage points of the total electorate.