Donald Trump's supporters have bought his promise to "Make America Great Again." The decisive factor in his victory was the defection of Democratic working class voters to the Republicans. The mass protests rejecting his victory suggest the progressives have become the depressives.
Hillary Clinton made strategic and operational errors in her campaign. In a year of major political insurgencies, the Democratic Party played dirty to impose the most insider of all candidates who is the very embodiment of the unholy nexus between the political and financial elites that repel increasing numbers of voters. She did not go to Wisconsin after being nominated, taking it for granted as it had been a solid Democratic state since the 1980s. She lost it. Too many voters had had enough of the Clinton dynasty and rebelled at its sense of entitlement. Even more importantly, Clinton could not shake off deeply held perceptions of untrustworthiness.
The larger cause of Clinton's defeat are broad structural forces sweeping the Western world. Foul of mouth, lewd of act and light on job-relevant resume notwithstanding, the billionaire Trump successfully sold himself as the people's champion against a corrupt political establishment in hock to big money. He channeled the frustrations of the forgotten heartland of hollowed-out Middle America with a promise to stick it to the snobs (elites) and scolds (political correctness warriors). The progressivism of the privileged loses its appeal in the rust belts of America. Their core demands are a decent job, affordable education, accessible health care and a modest income on retirement.
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