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Shock, Horror – Trump’s Election Tour Goes To Places That Might Support Trump

It’s a commonplace that Donald Trump is a really terrible politician, shouldn’t be President at all in fact. He had no background in politics, didn’t do the basic legwork, never stood for elected office before the big one. A more realistic view might be that Trump’s a great politician, in that he’s only stood once and he won that race, for the Big Office itself. Which is pretty good going really.

Further evidence of how good he is would be that he campaigned the right way. Sure, he lost the popular vote but that’s not what does elect the President. He won the Electoral College which is what does. And he did that by campaigning in the right places, on the right issues, and just squeaking the right votes in the right places to do so. That’s good politics that is, devoting resources in the right manner. Something Hillary notably didn’t do.

This all makes this complaint more than a little odd:

President Donald Trump is in the final stretch of a 44-city blitz for the midterm elections, but the America he’s glimpsed from the airport arrivals and his armored limousine is hardly a reflection of the nation as a whole.

The president has mostly traveled to counties that are whiter, less educated and have lower incomes than the rest of the United States, according to Census Bureau data. It’s a sign that he is seeking to galvanize the same group of voters that helped carry him to victory in 2016.

Well, yes, that’s how electoral politics works. Sure, at some point you might try to convince the other side that you’re actually right. Good luck with that. There’s also a modicum of trying to tell the undecided that you’re better than the other side. But the real heart of the matter is always to make sure that your own base actually turns out to vote. Especially in tight races, as this one seems to be:

In his rallies, the president often highlights racial divisions, namely raising concerns over people entering the country illegally from across the southern border.

Mr. Trump has largely eschewed the big metropolises for smaller cities. He has been to Tampa, Nashville, Cleveland and Houston — where the arenas could accommodate his crowds. But he’s primarily been jet-setting to smaller places such as Elko, Nevada (population 20,078). Or, Mosinee, Wisconsin (population 4,023). Or, Belgrade, Montana (population 7,874).

That’s where Trump Country is. Those smaller places in Flyover Country which the liberal elites of the coasts don’t really note nor care about. So, to motivate the base to vote Trump is heading to where?

Or would everyone prefer he make the Hillary mistake, of not actually going out and stumping for that turnout, those votes?

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Pat
Pat
5 years ago

I notice the knee-jerk reaction to immigration control as inarguably racist, as though there could be no other reason. Perhaps in a country where the unemployed and lower paid get help from the public purse affordability is a consideration? Especially when the country couldn’t deploy the workers it already had, and especially with regard to uneducated, non English speaking illustrates for whom there is little demand, and an extant abundant supply. Perhaps there is a concern that murderers will come with the rest and add to the problem of crime? etc. But racism is the only motive that can be… Read more »

Moosealot
Moosealot
5 years ago

Or would everyone prefer he make the Hillary mistake, of not actually going out and stumping for that turnout, those votes?
Yup, that’s *exactly* what the coastal commentariat want.

moqifen
moqifen
5 years ago

With regard to the popular vote in 2016. If you took out california – trump would have won the popular vote as well.

Quentin Vole
Quentin Vole
5 years ago
Reply to  moqifen

And if you took out the Libertarian candidate and assumed most of their votes would have gone to the Donald, he would again have won the popular vote. If you have direct elections for the head of state, you need either transferable votes or a runoff (assuming no-one gets >50%), otherwise the vote may be decided by which third party candidates run (as may even happen with an electoral college).

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