Was the Trump Election driven primarily by racism and xenophobia?
Or: Unifying the majority of Americans who want to move the country forward requires more than wearing pantsuits and safety pins!
Or: You can't shut out half the party from the convention in July and expect their support in November.

INTERESTING FACT: Of the 700 counties that voted twice for Barack Obama, 1/3 of those flipped to Trump in 2016. (Roemer & Wamp, The Hill, 11-17-16)

The absolute rage of the working class, of those left behind during the Obama administration is a key factor. Many of those whose jobs have been exported & whose children can't afford college can still remember a time when their labor was valued and rewarded.

The absolute neglect of the Obama administration, after promising hope and change, has taken a heavy toll and has directly resulted in the election of Donald Trump. In fact, one reason why normal levels of criticism were withheld during the past 8 years is because many did not want to play into the hands of the right wing by criticizing the first Black president -- not because they were racists. To be promised more of same by HRC and the super-delegates was like being poked in the eye with a sharp stick.

BTW, does your anger at the electoral college system have any antecedents in the undemocratic use of DNC super-delegates to deny Bernie Sanders the nomination? Where was the outrage then? (Hint: Much of it was locked out of the convention hall in Philly in July.)

During the period when we were told that it was necessary to bail out the big banks and to omit a public option from Obamacare, Social Security beneficiaries have lived without any real increases. The COLA adjustment is based on an index that is weighted not toward retirees but by the average expenses of working families and those with disposable income. Those who are well-off and comfy are not required to pay FICA tax on income over $188,500. These are easy fixes, but I don't recall any passion about prioritizing these simple changes in the 'stronger together' campaign.

While Donald Trump held 3 - 4 meetings daily promising (falsely) to take care of the forgotten people, Hillary Clinton spent the entire month of August privately meeting with big donors. She never visited Michigan, because the Dems took the votes of the displaced working class in the rusted-out belt for granted.

Michael Moore has pointed out that Hillary lost Michigan by 90,000 people who voted in Michigan voted on every line except for President. These engaged citizens COULD NOT vote for Trump and WOULD NOT vote for a candidate who touted incremental solutions in the face of their increasing personal desperation, who partied with rock stars while children in Flint were traveling hours on weekends to relatives in order to get their one bath per week. Why didn't Obama send in the National Guard to protect the health and safety of the families in Flint?

You can't shut out half the party from the convention in July (that being the Progressive half) and take their support for granted in November. As Bernie's delegates were blocked from entering the Dem Convention, the DNC was paying $50 per night to actors to come and sit in their empty seats. For the sake of TV optics and suppression of dissenting voices, truth and justice were manipulated. Did that also qualify as fake news? And Nina Turner was not permitted to enter the hall to put the name of Bernie Sanders into nomination. Wonder what parts of her speech they were scared of? Which side of identity politics mattered most that night? That an intelligent and engaged Black woman's voice was silenced -- or that she wasn't wearing a designer pant suit?

Well Bernie is back on the trail. We will never know for sure the backstory of what happened to his campaign. He is definitely breathing fire about the arrogance of those who cast people into a 'basket of deplorables' while toasting over champagne with wealthy donors. Bernie is arguing that we can't cast off our natural allies who have been labelled this way, many of whom are neither racist nor backward looking in their outlooks but who are very hungry for hope and change -- and the audiences are roaring their support.

The majority of Americans continue to support expanding Social Security & raising the minimum wage. They support inclusiveness and social justice, the pursuit of peace and the imperative to address climate change.

But building unity with those who can move the country forward involves more than wearing pantsuits and safety pins. While I have no common ground with racists, I also know that many who have been labelled as ‘deplorables’ are my best allies -- my friends and relatives, my spiritual brothers and sisters, whose hopes and dreams have been rusted out.