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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsHillary Clinton tried to warn us -- and paid the price. Let's at least call Republicans what they are
During a speech in September 2016, Hillary Clinton then the Democratic presidential nominee warned the American people and the world of the dangers represented by Donald Trump and his followers. She described the "volatile political environment" of that moment:
You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump's supporters into what I call the basket of deplorables. Right? The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic you name it. And unfortunately there are people like that. And he has lifted them up. He has given voice to their websites that used to only have 11,000 people, now have 11 million. He tweets and retweets offensive, hateful, mean-spirited rhetoric. Now some of those folks, they are irredeemable, but thankfully they are not America.
In many ways, Clinton was too kind. If anything, she underestimated how many Americans were in fact committed and enthusiastic human deplorables.
After that speech, Clinton was pilloried by the mainstream news media, some leading Democrats, and of course the Republican Party and right-wing propaganda hate machine. Clinton's characterization of Trump's "basket of deplorables" was described as insensitive and unfair to the "white working class" Americans that elites and out-of-touch Democrats had too often ignored.
That reaction to Clinton's truth-telling helped to legitimate Trumpism and American neofascism (operating under the mask of populism) as something that was reasonable and understandable, rather than as a manifestation of racial resentment, a racist temper tantrum and a declaration of white supremacy. This reflected our society's deep investment in a narrative of white racial innocence. In that logic, America is a great and exceptional country, and by implication, this is especially true of white people especially those "real Americans" whose supposed patriotism and presumed Christian values render them a bit more American than anyone else.
https://www.salon.com/2021/09/22/hillary-clinton-tried-to-warn-us--and-paid-the-price-lets-at-least-call-what-they-are/
Sad to say there were even many on DU back then who said Hillary's comments were insensitive.
hibbing
(10,076 posts)She of course was correct for the most part, but I would say it was/is a lot more than half, I'd say about 90%
Peace
Lovie777
(11,986 posts)Now look where we are as a nation, fighting for Democracy.
IcyPeas
(21,737 posts)DeeNice
(574 posts)But being someone whose words have been twisted beyond recognition since cookiegate (probably before) she should have seen the backlash coming. Hell, maybe she did.
LetMyPeopleVote
(143,999 posts)betsuni
(25,122 posts)Democrats had too often ignored [the white working class]" instead of the real reason.
Trump was the perfect candidate. His audiences molded his populist rhetoric, he repeated what the audience responded to, which was racism and hate. In 2008 there were about the same number of white Democrats and Republicans. By 2016 Republicans were the white party. Trump voters made higher incomes than people who voted Democratic. He made the election about racial identity.
Like this idiot:
"It is not good enough to have a liberal elite. I come from the white working class and I am deeply humiliated that the Democratic Party cannot talk to where I came from."
Martin Eden
(12,802 posts)They were in effect embracing their racism, sexism, hemophilia, xenophobia, Islamophobia, and the "you name it" that goes with the context of Hillary's statement.