Why Donald Trump Winning The Election Is No Surprise

Shôn Ellerton, November 12, 2016
Why did everyone seem so surprised when Donald Trump won the election?

Why did everyone seem so surprised when Donald Trump won the election? I had my confidence level between the two candidates as 50:50 and was absolutely unconvinced that either candidate had the better chance of winning. I, like others around me during the time of the voting, were mesmerised by the little red and blue dots (each one representing a state) taking over the yet-undecided grey spots on CNN’s website. What was more interesting is that, when you clicked on one of the dots, you were able to drill down into the counties and see what was happening in near-real time. What was staggeringly clear was that the counties without the big cities were pretty much turning all red bar a few. This, of course, represents a far greater area than those in the cities. Yes, those rural areas containing those little towns in the prairies complete with dying businesses on the main street due to many undergoing the great exodus to the cities along with the proliferation of supermalls on the outskirts of the town. As an aside, I remember one of my favourites sayings by Thomas Jefferson,

“When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.” – Thomas Jefferson

I am sure that many of you have seen some of these sad dying towns. I certainly have and, believe me, you do not have to venture very far away from some of these cities to see what they are like. Many of these small towns are in the middle of, usually, large open tracts of land with much of the populace living off the land whether it be farming, forestry, fishing, and so on. A great many of you might be familiar with just how difficult it is to survive off the land just so, in order, to get that bottle of milk or that carton of eggs to your breakfast table. You only have to read one of many books about this subject, try, for example, Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser (give the movie a miss though). Now I’m not saying that the rural community would necessary pick red (Republican) in every election since US election history, but in this case, it so happens to be red because it represents a change from what it is now. These people are disenfranchised and whether the change is, indeed, for the better or for the worse, it is, regardless, a change.

One of the comments frequently made before the election was that Clinton has much more experience and more suited to the job than Donald Trump. This comment, in itself, disappoints me as I have been, on occasion, knocked out of various positions in the corporate world based on the principle of pigeonholing. To give you an example, I remember an occasion where I was not given a Technology Manager role (in a management consulting firm) only because a) I never worked for a management consultant before and, b) I do not have a computing degree. I mean, how can someone with a civil engineering degree do IT? Well, I guess, I did and still do. Not sure if I would even remember how to do a simple bending moment diagram! For those of you who work in the corporate world, I am sure you would agree with me that it is often not meritocracy that gains you access to these positions, but rather, by hearsay with whom you are connected. I am somewhat guilty of this as I believe I’ve only had two job acceptances based on formal interviews; the rest being made by networking. So, was Trump’s comment correct when he said that Hillary has a lot of experience but most of it being bad experience? Maybe, maybe not, but I would surely prefer to have a fresh change if, in fact, it really was bad experience. The present international climate, particularly with Russia, does not seem all that great. In fact, it’s downright frightening if you ask me. So, if the United States relationship with Russia can improve, that’s already a great big tick in the box for me.

So this brings up the big next question. Who did you really vote for? What people do inside the ballot booth and what people say in day-to-day conversation is not necessarily in agreement with each other. I do not like either of the candidates as I have made it patently clear to my friends and acquaintances; however, I personally believe Clinton may possibly be the more dangerous candidate with respect to international stability. I do not claim to know how the inner workings happen of course, but I do take an interest in reading as many independent newsfeeds and websites as I can. I may be taking a pessimistic view but there are many aspects of both the Democratic and Republican parties which I despise and, certainly, Trump exhibits some particularly odious qualities and ideas; however, what is obvious is that a radical change could present some positive changes. A question which I often ask is this. If you look at your own family situation, which candidate would provide the better change for your family? For some, it would be Clinton. For some, it would be Trump. Simple statistics. I also follow up that question with a request to hold off factoring the wider issues such as immigration, global trade, defence, global warming, equal rights, and, instead, to think about how your family will benefit directly upon the chosen candidate. And this is my point. Going back to those rural families. Are they going to think about the wider issues or their families first? Another thing to point out is this: what happens at state level rather than at national level affects daily life more. So, given the choice. Would you rather live in a Republican state with a Democratic president or a Democratic state with a Republican president? Just a question.

Another interesting point of discussion is the reluctancy for many to air their actual views on whom they will be voting for. Clearly, to openly suggest that Donald Trump should be elected will probably be received by vilifying comments (maybe even on this page!) that you are a racist, fascist and chauvinist pig. For those who are infected by the scourge of white collective guilt, you may be holding off your views for the sake of ‘doing the right thing’. Let it be clear, as my friends know, that I am neither a racist, fascist or a chauvinist pig. So if I do not want to pay higher taxes on my income or, if I do not want to see unchecked immigration as what is happening in Europe, or if I do not want to see huge public subsidies being provided to drug users in rehabilitation (along with their two dozen kids), why do I have to show political correctness and be quiet about my views simply because I chose the other side? Here’s another interesting point. It is only becoming more accepted that members of US government are openly declaring themselves as atheists. In fact, there are many institutions (for example, the Freemasons) whereby you cannot be an atheist to join. So here’s my point. How many people lie about their religion in order to get that coveted post?

A recent article in the paper suggested that Michelle Obama has potential to become the next woman president. Are there some that seriously suggest that, out of more than 400 million people in the US, that, yet, another family member should be in line for the presidency? One pet hate of mine is that occasion when a member of the same family attains the presidency, and this, of course, has happened a few times notably with the Bush and Roosevelt families. I remember many discussions portraying just how great it would be if Oprah Winfrey made the presidency. Did she have ‘experience’ like Clinton? No, of course not. So for those same people who suggest that having experience is essential (like Clinton) or having someone like Oprah Winfrey would be great seems to be a contradiction. Many women (and some men) out there seem to feel having a woman president will ‘make things better for them’. I’m highly sceptical in entertaining this blanket clause. Try doing an Internet search on “What did Thatcher did for women“. The results are interesting. What about Condoleeza Rice or Madeline Albright? Anyway, back to Oprah, would she possibly be able to inject some fresh insight into the presidency? Again, maybe, maybe not. As far as electing celebrities and other well-known figures as portrayed by our ‘wonderful’ media, it really does not surprise me in the least that Donald won this election. It could have gone either way.