Hillary Clinton did not lose because she is a woman. She lost because she is woefully corrupt, untrustworthy, and unrelatable to working class Americans.
Cosmopolitan writer Jill Filipovic seems to think Hillary lost because “America failed women.”
Not only is this incorrect, this is damaging and demeaning to women, and Americans as a whole. No, Filipovic, you did not underestimate “the sheer rage of resentful white men.” You overlooked the struggles of the working class in America, particularly the “Rust Belt.”
It is sad to say, but one of Hillary’s most outspoken supporters, Michael Moore, had the right idea. In his documentary Trumpland, he explained why Trump has appealed to so many voters, and why voters were quick to listen to the message Trump gave them.
Moore was so accurate in his analysis that he mentioned the exact states that were the key to Trump’s victory, states that have been blue in the past. These voters are upset with a system that has hurt them. “He is the human molotov cocktail that they have been waiting for,” Moore said, “the human hand grenade they can legally throw into the system that stole their lives from them.”
This was about lashing out against the establishment – not against women. According to the Pew Research Center, 42% of women voted for Trump and 54% for Clinton: a margin too close to attribute solely to sexism. By comparison, in 2000 and 2004 George W. Bush was more favorable among men by 11%, a similar margin.
Similarly, there was a gap in support for Trump and Clinton among voters with and without a college degree. Pew reported 52% of college graduates voted for Clinton; 43% for Trump. In contrast, 52% of voters without a college education voted for Trump; 44% for Clinton. As Pew described: “This is by far the widest gap in support among college graduates and non-college graduates in exit polls dating back to 1980…in 2012, there was hardly any difference between the two groups.”
This sharp contrast shows a realignment in which Republicans have won the working class vote. Trump won because he tapped into the emotions of the American working class: people who are struggling to provide for their families, who resent politicians who promise change and make no real change. These people have historically voted Democrat and have now finally changed their party in hopes that it will help them.
Playing the dangerous game of identity politics is not only detrimental to women, but to one’s party as a whole. The crusade against the media and the establishment gave the frustrated masses something to fight against, and it worked. This is why Clinton did not win.
Calling society sexist will not give you your first woman president. I am saying this as a former Carly Fiorina supporter. We must get our first female president by presenting one that is qualified, has policies that appeal to the people, and is willing to fight the entire way there – through her own achievements and who is scandal-free.
So no, Cosmo, this was not a “slap in the face to women,” this was a slap in the face to the establishment – a yuge one.
