Do you have any regrets?

[HAnnA MArin County]

No, since I don't see what I personally could have done differently to change the eventual outcome.

This is off topic but I LOVE your signature picture on here! I laughed for a good 10 seconds at when I saw it

[Antonio the Sixth]

I shouldn't have been complacent. I shouldn't have bought into the "coalition of the ascendant" narrative following 2012. I shouldn't have assumed that White working-class Obama voters were locked in or that whatever losses Hillary would make there would be made up by a surge in Latino and educated women vote. I should have paid attention to what was going on outside of my urban liberal bubble. I should have made some effort to understand why so many people were going to vote for T***p, not just written them off as bad people.

I failed as a leftist, as a political scientist, and as someone who loves America. I hope I can find a way to atone.

[DavidB.]

I shouldn't have been complacent. I shouldn't have bought into the "coalition of the ascendant" narrative following 2012. I shouldn't have assumed that White working-class Obama voters were locked in or that whatever losses Hillary would make there would be made up by a surge in Latino and educated women vote. I should have paid attention to what was going on outside of my urban liberal bubble. I should have made some effort to understand why so many people were going to vote for T***p, not just written them off as bad people.

I failed as a leftist, as a political scientist, and as someone who loves America. I hope I can find a way to atone.

I love this post and your honesty here, and I'm not saying this in a mean way. I can empathize with this. I obviously have very different views than you, but my failure as a political scientist to understand this movement in time -- which is largely due to the fact that I live in an academic bubble too -- is something that will haunt me for a long time.

Due to this I'm really done with establishmentarian politics. Done. It only works for the few.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I shouldn't have been complacent. I shouldn't have bought into the "coalition of the ascendant" narrative following 2012. I shouldn't have assumed that White working-class Obama voters were locked in or that whatever losses Hillary would make there would be made up by a surge in Latino and educated women vote. I should have paid attention to what was going on outside of my urban liberal bubble. I should have made some effort to understand why so many people were going to vote for T***p, not just written them off as bad people.

I failed as a leftist, as a political scientist, and as someone who loves America. I hope I can find a way to atone.

I love this post and your honesty here, and I'm not saying this in a mean way. I can empathize with this. I obviously have very different views than you, but my failure as a political scientist to understand this movement in time -- which is largely due to the fact that I live in an academic bubble too -- is something that will haunt me for a long time.

Due to this I'm really done with establishmentarian politics. Done. It only works for the few.

Thanks. I find it comforting to know that this feeling is shared by someone on the right as well. I hope there are more of us on both sides, as it's probably the only hope this country has.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean with establishmentarian politics. Of course politics that's driven by the interests and desires of the establishment is despicable. At the same time however, all successful political movements (from fascism to communism through social- and christian-democracy) have won by coopting some parts of the establishment, and I think that's an inevitable part of the political game. To me, the important thing is that politics work with the establishment, but not for it.

[RINO Tom]

I also regret that we, as a country, got to the point where this election produced MORE than a few very uncomfortable moments among close friends and family.  That was sad, and it had never happened with previous elections.  What's worse is that I witnessed several people I KNOW to be good people behaving in *deplorable* ways toward each other on both sides.

[DavidB.]

Thanks. I find it comforting to know that this feeling is shared by someone on the right as well. I hope there are more of us on both sides, as it's probably the only hope this country has.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean with establishmentarian politics. Of course politics that's driven by the interests and desires of the establishment is despicable. At the same time however, all successful political movements (from fascism to communism through social- and christian-democracy) have won by coopting some parts of the establishment, and I think that's an inevitable part of the political game. To me, the important thing is that politics work with the establishment, but not for it.

Yeah, of course. Even Trump is someone who's as establishmentarian as it gets. With establishmentarian politics I mean the type of politics that says "this is how it works in politics, live with it" while for so many people "how it works in politics" is not what works for them anymore. In the past, the left was there for these people, but the mainstream left has been co-opted by the establishment and the mainstream right has sold out all its communitarian ideas to the free market. True political differences don't seem to exist anymore in the real world and no one truly seems interested in understanding the "deplorables" anymore, and that is how someone like Trump becomes popular.

Trump's success has also shown that everything we've been taught about conventional rules in politics can be thrown right into the trashcan. It's all about having a vision that enough people can believe may make their lives better. The rest will follow. The world of political science, as wonderful as it is, is a bubble, and it teaches one to think in a narrow-minded way. I understood this as a freshman, and I feel so bad for falling right into that trap just after finishing my master's degree. And here's another regret: due to group-think, I started believing that Hillary Clinton was a good candidate, and that she would make a good president. Irrespective of the alternative, she would not. Just the same old type of neoliberalism hidden under the veneer of progressivism.

There were people I knew who got it. I didn't, and that makes me a bad political scientist. I held on to the models and to the polls, and I think I still don't entirely understand why I didn't get it or how I should have possibly gotten it: my gut feeling very much said Trump wasn't going to happen, just as it said Brexit was not going to happen. This entire period has been a tsunami of absurdities and confusion, and I think it will take me a long time to understand all of it and draw the right conclusions.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Thanks. I find it comforting to know that this feeling is shared by someone on the right as well. I hope there are more of us on both sides, as it's probably the only hope this country has.

I'm not sure exactly what you mean with establishmentarian politics. Of course politics that's driven by the interests and desires of the establishment is despicable. At the same time however, all successful political movements (from fascism to communism through social- and christian-democracy) have won by coopting some parts of the establishment, and I think that's an inevitable part of the political game. To me, the important thing is that politics work with the establishment, but not for it.

Yeah, of course. Even Trump is someone who's as establishmentarian as it gets. With establishmentarian politics I mean the type of politics that says "this is how it works in politics, live with it" while for so many people "how it works in politics" is not what works for them anymore. In the past, the left was there for these people, but the mainstream left has been co-opted by the establishment and the mainstream right has sold out all its communitarian ideas to the free market. True political differences don't seem to exist anymore in the real world and no one truly seems interested in understanding the "deplorables" anymore, and that is how someone like Trump becomes popular.

Trump's success has also shown that everything we've been taught about conventional rules in politics can be thrown right into the trashcan. It's all about having a vision that enough people can believe may make their lives better. The rest will follow. The world of political science, as wonderful as it is, is a bubble, and it teaches one to think in a narrow-minded way. I understood this as a freshman, and I feel so bad for falling right into that trap just after finishing my master's degree. And here's another regret: due to group-think, I started believing that Hillary Clinton was a good candidate, and that she would make a good president. Irrespective of the alternative, she would not. Just the same old type of neoliberalism hidden under the veneer of progressivism.

There were people I knew who got it. I didn't, and that makes me a bad political scientist. I held on to the models and to the polls, and I think I still don't entirely understand why I didn't get it or how I should have possibly gotten it: my gut feeling very much said Trump wasn't going to happen, just as it said Brexit was not going to happen. This entire period has been a tsunami of absurdities and confusion, and I think it will take me a long time to understand all of it and draw the right conclusions.

Yeah, that's exactly how I felt. The way election night turned out was so surreal to me that initially I wasn't even sad or angry, just baffled (anger set in late into the night, and sadness the day after). The fact that all my interactions about politics came either from the forum or from my UCLA social circle was a really big part of it.

With regard to the "this is how it works in politics", I think that a middle ground is the only practicable way. You can't just blindly accept reality (because what's the point of politics if it's not trying to change reality?) but at the same time you need to know the constraints you are working with if you want to be effective in changing it. So there's a fine line to walk - a line that both Hillary and T***p strayed far away from in opposite directions.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I regret staying up past ten.

I should have just turned the TV off, huffed some keyboard cleaner, and went to bed.

[Indy Texas]

I don't regret that I voted for Hillary, but I regret that our party put me in a position where I, a lifelong Republican, felt I had to do so to allow my voice to be heard.  Didn't work or anything, but in the voting booth I felt like I couldn't vote for my party's nominee, and that was a pretty sad moment.  Especially because I do believe in the party.

Do you have to be so self-indulgent all the time?

"Lifelong Republican." You're old enough to have voted in, what, two, maybe three presidential elections?

And in 2020 you're once again going to have to choose between Orange Hitler and whoever the Democrats happen to nominate.

[RINO Tom]

I don't regret that I voted for Hillary, but I regret that our party put me in a position where I, a lifelong Republican, felt I had to do so to allow my voice to be heard.  Didn't work or anything, but in the voting booth I felt like I couldn't vote for my party's nominee, and that was a pretty sad moment.  Especially because I do believe in the party.

Do you have to be so self-indulgent all the time?

"Lifelong Republican." You're old enough to have voted in, what, two, maybe three presidential elections?

And in 2020 you're once again going to have to choose between Orange Hitler and whoever the Democrats happen to nominate.

LOL, it's self-indulgent to give context as to why I felt a little sad not wanting to vote for the GOP nominee?  Jesus, dude.

[windjammer]

No,
It's not my fault if the USA is full of white thugs

[RINO Tom]

No,
It's not my fault if the USA is full of white thugs

Europeans' critiques of US intolerance are always ... err ... ironic, to say the least.

[Fuzzy Says: "Abolish NPR!"]

No.

First of all I'm still glad Bernie didn't win the primaries because too many his followers were nuts. A lot of them weren't even progressive except on the surface, they were simply attracted to Bernie-as-alternative-to-Hillary and Bernie-the-personality. In a way, they were just as insane as the Trump supporters. They were even more prone to conspiracy theories than Trump supporters, if anything. Had he won, we would have had a surface progressivism hiding regressivism beneath the surface. Also, the progressivism of 2015/2016 was not appealing to me -- actually, I was getting pushed to the right by the SJW nonsense. It seems like the lesser threat now, but when I read an article attacking empathy, I'm reminded of it again.

Secondly, the campaign may have f__ed up the GE, but I didn't.

I said from the convention onward that Hillary should be laser focused on white working class voters in the Midwest, because that's where most Electoral Votes were. I didn't agree with the Kaine pick. I didn't agree with the lineup of speaks at the DNC. I said Hillary shouldn't campaign on gun control. None of my views were followed by the campaign and on all of them, I feel vindicated over the campaign. Post DNC leaks, I suggested handing the nomination to Bernie at the Convention. That would have ensured our strongest possible candidate in the GE, while preserving the humbling loss of the Bernie Bros in the actual process.

I never got overconfident. I was always worried, and pointed out Ohio, as a trouble spot early on. I'm fully satisfied with my efforts -- I volunteered at every opportunity I had from the convention until election day. I donated, canvassed, and phone banked. I researched Hillary's positions, and tried to tell them to people I knew. In my personal persuasion while volunteering, I tried as much as possible to focus on positive things about Hillary, especially her economic policy stances, rather than making negative comments about Trump. I did everything. I even went above and beyond. I volunteered in a state (Pennsylvania) that turned out to be one of the close ones. I also did some betting on prediction markets and made money there (on net).

Finally, I never looked down on white working class voters, or felt contemptuous of them. I have always felt the Democrats should try to include them in our coalition.

Basically, on the whole I am totally satisfied with my positions and efforts over the campaign. The only thing I regret is the end result, but this was out of my control.

Congrats on the amount of effort you put in & how you were involved - That is commendable & also the fact that you focused on inclusive positive message during your campaigning is also praiseworthy!

I hope this comes to pass.  The WWC needs a Democratic Party in their corner.  The folks running the ship over there have no idea how offensive they are to the folks that should have been their primary constituency over time.

> tacitly admitting republicans aren't actually in the "white working class"'s corner

👍

Folks like you have never been.

There are many Republicans who are not in the corner of working people.  Trump, however, was elected by them.  I am hoping that Trump will keep faith with the folks that elected him, and address issues that apply to them in addition to the issue of job creation.

But folks like you who spent the campaign expressing contempt toward WWC voters need to crawl back under a rock.  You're a big reason for Hillary's deserved defeat.

[SPQR]

No.

First of all I'm still glad Bernie didn't win the primaries because too many his followers were nuts. A lot of them weren't even progressive except on the surface, they were simply attracted to Bernie-as-alternative-to-Hillary and Bernie-the-personality. In a way, they were just as insane as the Trump supporters. They were even more prone to conspiracy theories than Trump supporters, if anything. Had he won, we would have had a surface progressivism hiding regressivism beneath the surface. Also, the progressivism of 2015/2016 was not appealing to me -- actually, I was getting pushed to the right by the SJW nonsense. It seems like the lesser threat now, but when I read an article attacking empathy, I'm reminded of it again.

Agree 100% with this.

Other than that, my regret is not betting on Trump on election day as a hedging strategy...he was given at 4/1 in Italy.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I voted for Kasich in the GOP Primary to try to stop Trump and force a brokered convention. I should have gone with my gut and voted in the Dem Primary for Bernie. Last time I try to do something like that.

[RINO Tom]

No.

First of all I'm still glad Bernie didn't win the primaries because too many his followers were nuts. A lot of them weren't even progressive except on the surface, they were simply attracted to Bernie-as-alternative-to-Hillary and Bernie-the-personality. In a way, they were just as insane as the Trump supporters. They were even more prone to conspiracy theories than Trump supporters, if anything. Had he won, we would have had a surface progressivism hiding regressivism beneath the surface. Also, the progressivism of 2015/2016 was not appealing to me -- actually, I was getting pushed to the right by the SJW nonsense. It seems like the lesser threat now, but when I read an article attacking empathy, I'm reminded of it again.

Secondly, the campaign may have f__ed up the GE, but I didn't.

I said from the convention onward that Hillary should be laser focused on white working class voters in the Midwest, because that's where most Electoral Votes were. I didn't agree with the Kaine pick. I didn't agree with the lineup of speaks at the DNC. I said Hillary shouldn't campaign on gun control. None of my views were followed by the campaign and on all of them, I feel vindicated over the campaign. Post DNC leaks, I suggested handing the nomination to Bernie at the Convention. That would have ensured our strongest possible candidate in the GE, while preserving the humbling loss of the Bernie Bros in the actual process.

I never got overconfident. I was always worried, and pointed out Ohio, as a trouble spot early on. I'm fully satisfied with my efforts -- I volunteered at every opportunity I had from the convention until election day. I donated, canvassed, and phone banked. I researched Hillary's positions, and tried to tell them to people I knew. In my personal persuasion while volunteering, I tried as much as possible to focus on positive things about Hillary, especially her economic policy stances, rather than making negative comments about Trump. I did everything. I even went above and beyond. I volunteered in a state (Pennsylvania) that turned out to be one of the close ones. I also did some betting on prediction markets and made money there (on net).

Finally, I never looked down on white working class voters, or felt contemptuous of them. I have always felt the Democrats should try to include them in our coalition.

Basically, on the whole I am totally satisfied with my positions and efforts over the campaign. The only thing I regret is the end result, but this was out of my control.

Congrats on the amount of effort you put in & how you were involved - That is commendable & also the fact that you focused on inclusive positive message during your campaigning is also praiseworthy!

I hope this comes to pass.  The WWC needs a Democratic Party in their corner.  The folks running the ship over there have no idea how offensive they are to the folks that should have been their primary constituency over time.

> tacitly admitting republicans aren't actually in the "white working class"'s corner

👍

Folks like you have never been.

There are many Republicans who are not in the corner of working people.  Trump, however, was elected by them.  I am hoping that Trump will keep faith with the folks that elected him, and address issues that apply to them in addition to the issue of job creation.

But folks like you who spent the campaign expressing contempt toward WWC voters need to crawl back under a rock.  You're a big reason for Hillary's deserved defeat.

LOL, I don't think you know what kind of poster you're talking to.  Not all Democrats are Lief and Non Swing Voter, and in fact, they make up a tiny minority of them (though I suspect you'd like to believe otherwise?).  Hell, Crabcake isn't even a Democrat.

[Antonio the Sixth]

No,
It's not my fault if the USA is full of white thugs

Europeans' critiques of US intolerance are always ... err ... ironic, to say the least.

Yeah, T***p took a note out of Le Pen and Wilders' playbook if anything.

[Devout Centrist]

Not buying more alcohol, not having more sex after the election, etc.

[Bojack Horseman]

I regret that I underestimated the stupidity of the American voter.

[esc1010]

Yes.

Not voting.

[Antonio the Sixth]

I regret that I underestimated the stupidity of the American voter.

Oh, great, keep it up...

[pikachu]

With hindsight, I would've voted for Bernie in the primary. I don't think he would've won, but I know Hillary didn't, so might as well have taken the chance. I also would've been less complacent and volunteered in PA and talked more about politics with people I knew who didn't care or supported Trump. Beyond that, I'm not really sure what I could've done.

[FEMA Camp Administrator]

Life is a long string of regrets, yes.

[Hammy]

My biggest regret was the "Trump will not win x" comments with MI/PA/WI and assuming some states were a lock despite nobody getting 50% in those states polls.

Can't say I regret supporting Clinton mainly because I didn't actively campaign (practically everybody I know lives outside the US) and Clinton won Georgia by a large enough margin that I could've changed the votes of everybody in my county and it wouldn't have made a difference.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

Yes, my representatives, Pelosi, and Boxer who are my representatives supported Clinton instead of Bernie Sanders and they were wrong; we as voters, non delegates, shouldn't be faulted for supporting Clinton over Sanders in the primaries. The Superdelegates got it wrong.