Some post-election thoughts from a blue dot in a red state
Why we'll keep fighting for Trump supporters, even if they won't fight for us.
In the last week, I have seen a number of posts online about how people are eagerly deleting/ unfollowing/ blocking/ and otherwise disowning anyone who voted for Donald Trump. Plus, a bunch of hateful hot takes dismissing the entire South as an irredeemable, backwards place.
Both were from white leftists in blue states and both pissed me off, so let’s talk about it.
I’ve lived in Kentucky my whole life and was raised on a cattle farm in a rural area of our commonwealth that just turned out in droves for Donald Trump. I have lived in a “blue” area of our state for over seven years. I visited home this past weekend for a family birthday and saw multiple “Trump/ Vance For The Kids” yard signs on the way. So, I really get being disgusted with (and perplexed by) some of our fellow Americans right now.
No one was surprised last Tuesday when Kentucky was one of the first states called for Donald Trump. The map was pretty depressing.
If you buy into some of the discourse online though, we should just give up on two thirds of Kentucky, or the majority of the South, who voted for Donald Trump.
The progressive movement cannot afford to give up on half the country. I’m not completely disowning the majority of Kentuckians (or the nation) who voted for Donald Trump, and I don’t think you should either.
To be clear: I am in no way, shape, or form asking anyone – especially people of color, LGBTQ+ people, or other communities targeted by Trump’s hateful rhetoric and policy – to jeopardize their physical, mental, or emotional wellbeing to make inroads with Trump supporters right now.
And of course, I understand the desire to distance yourself from anyone who voted for a rampantly racist and misogynistic sexual predator with 34 felonies, who is a proven enemy of democracy and brings out the worst in our fellow Americans.
I am pissed as hell at the people I know and love who looked at all of that bigotry and division and decided it wasn’t a dealbreaker for them.
But the most typical, privileged, black square, blue bracelet, bullshit white “allies” could pull right now is to retreat into our echo chambers and disengage from everyone we disagree with, leaving the hard work that comes next to communities of color.
White people handed this election to Donald Trump. You can hardly throw a stone in Kentucky and miss a white Trump supporter. That doesn’t mean we disengage. We push back.
So many white people excused (or embraced) Trump’s bigotry and voted against their best interests last Tuesday. And they are about to find that out the hard way – when prices rise after Trump’s tariffs go into place, when the mass deportations start, when Congress starts talking about a national abortion ban. We know what is coming next.
As if we needed more evidence that the American public knows very little about civics… After the election, there was a major spike in Google searches for “what is a tariff”.
As someone who has spent the last few months – both in my personal and professional life– screaming my head off trying to show people that Kamala Harris has a better plan for the economy than Donald Trump, this graph is infuriating.
But this is proof positive that we are entering an era where more people will be forced to start giving a shit about politics and there is a huge need for political education moving forward.
People of color and other marginalized communities have been doing this education for generations. They’ve been the backbone of the Democratic Party, fighting for the collective, while white allies have let them down at every turn.
There’s undoubtedly a lot of learning and unlearning that needs to be done, but that’s going to be pretty hard to do if people who voted for Harris won’t engage with anyone who voted for Trump.
Liz Plank put it better than I ever could in this video:
“I’m going to fight for the pro life woman who was against abortion… until she needed one… I will keep fighting against the Trump tariffs, for the worker who doesn’t realize yet that he is going to be paying for them”
Put differently, if you’re committed to the fight for the working class, for women, for people of color, for LGBTQ+ people, for immigrants – that’s going to include Trump supporters and people you fundamentally disagree with.
I’m not saying we should pander to Republicans or chase the center. Quite the opposite actually.
Trump and his right-wing populism has a clear hold on Kentucky and many others states in the South.
You know what else is pretty popular in the South? Progressive policies and values.
When you look beyond KY’s results at the top of the ticket, things start to get interesting. And it’s been this way for a while.
Last Tuesday, Amendment 2 was defeated by every single county in Kentucky, protecting investment in our public schools. Statewide, 65% of voters said No on 2.
65% of Kentucky voters also voted for Donald Trump – who supports vouchers and wants to get rid of the federal Department of Education. It’s puzzling.
Kentucky voters also flipped a state Supreme Court seat, electing the first Black woman to the court. For the first time, women will make up the majority of the court!
Something similar happened back in 2022 when there was another ballot measure (also Amendment 2) to specifically say there is no right to abortion in the state constitution. A narrow majority of voters (52.3%) defeated that measure. It was quite the double negative – but we voted down an attack on reproductive rights in Kentucky. National stereotypes be damned.
There were other wins for progressives in “red states” across the nation last Tuesday from ballot measures to protect reproductive rights, raising the minimum wage, and expanding paid sick leave.
These silver linings may seem small compared to what happened at the top of the ticket. But, they give me some evidence to cling to that more Americans are with us on the issues & that love will eventually win.
And until then, we’ll keep fighting for a future where everyone has access to healthcare, clean air and water, bodily autonomy, a liveable wage, education, and a healthy democracy – even for the those who voted against it.
This was really great - instant sub! 🙏🏽💙
NC looks very similar.