Hillary Loses. How to console yourself

The CNN poll shows Trump ahead by 2 points among likely voters.

The "likely voter" thing matters.   A big group of Hillary's voters find her acceptable-in-comparison.   Trump does really well among non-college white men, that big group of people who sometimes vote and sometimes don't, so he motivates exactly those people who need extra motivation.

Trump Leads

I was in Hillary audiences and Trump audiences.   Except for those enthusiastic young women identifying with Hillary as a female pioneer I saw people who were polite and supportive.   Trump supporters were enthusiastic.   The difference may not be obvious on TV but it is undeniable when seeing events in person.   

So, let's say Trump might win.  Hillary turnout might be lower than expected.  Hillary has a lot of begrudging supporters who have to decide how motivated they are.  Would Trump really be that awful.  Maybe they could live with Trump.   What's the upside?

Here is what may go through the back of their minds:

1.  If Hillary is elected there will be endless tiresome investigations by the Republican House.  More hearings.  More revelations that Republicans will call shocking.  It is so wearisome.  Anything would be better.   Fox, O'Reilly, Hannity, Rush, that Trey Gowdy guy, that Gomer Texas guy, the Steve King from Iowa not the author, all of them would start saying how wonderful the world is instead of how crappy.   What a relief.

2.  If Hillary is elected TV will be boring.  She will give speeches about trying to push gun legislation that will go nowhere, she will try to fix Obamacare's obvious glitches and she will get stymied.  She will protest on TV and Republicans will say what she is doing is terrible.  There will be stories about gridlock.  Nothing will change and it will be boring.

3.  If Trump is elected TV will be interesting.   Trump is all-American and he is new, pushing new things.  It is like opening a wrapped up surprise package.  He will talk tough about trade deals.   Who knows what will actually happen but he will sound like an American, not a UN person.  

4.  Trump will shake things up.  He will have a Republican Congress and can get things done.  He will immediately sign bills to end Obamacare and he will appoint a really conservative judge to the Supreme Court and he will  make news about deporting people.   There will be stories about families being broken up by deportation and people losing health insurance and re-affirming Citizens United but Trump's voters will realize this effects no one in their immediate family.  

Maybe they should have paid more

5.  Deportations will maybe cause some employers to start begging for workers, which will shake things up and there will be TV ads for people desperate for employees, so maybe they will raise wages.  Maybe hotel maids will be offered $15 an hour.  Maybe high school kids will pick fruit again. 


6.  He says he will cut taxes and make jobs.  Who knows.  Maybe something will happen.  Anything is better than gridlock.

7.  It will be fun to see the end of so much PC.  Everyone acts offended over every imagined little thing, so it will nice to let loose a little.  Sheltered college students can't read Tom Sawyer without a trigger warning because someone found a dead body.   Blacks assume that every time a white cop arrests a black guy it is because of racism, not because the black guy actually did a crime, and things have gone totally overboard, so it's nice to put some reason back in.

8.  It will be fun to stick it to the media.  Their view of things is so different from what one hears on Facebook and from friends.   They push what rich and powerful people like, not what regular people like.

9.  The rich and powerful people get special treatment.   Wall Street.  Hillary.  Anybody with a high priced lawyer.  Trump knows the game is rigged and he will de-rig it, or try to.  It will still be better to be rich and powerful but Trump will move the needle.