Garrison Keillor wrote about his reactions to the election. As always, what he has to say is insightful, poignant, and funny.
Here is a soupçon:
“So he won. The nation takes a deep breath. Raw ego and proud illiteracy have won out and a severely learning-disabled man with a real character problem will be president. We are so exhausted from thinking about this election, millions of people will take up leaf-raking and garage cleaning with intense pleasure. We liberal elitists are wrecks. The Trumpers had a whale of a good time, waving their signs, jeering at the media, beating up protesters, chanting “Lock her up” — we elitists just stood and clapped. Nobody chanted “Stronger Together.” It just doesn’t chant.
“The Trumpers never expected their guy to actually win the thing, and that’s their problem now. They only wanted to whoop and yell, boo at the H-word, wear profane T-shirts, maybe grab a crotch or two, jump in the RV with a couple six-packs and go out and shoot some spotted owls. It was pleasure enough for them just to know that they were driving us wild with dismay — by “us,” I mean librarians, children’s authors, yoga practitioners, Unitarians, birdwatchers, people who make their own pasta, opera goers, the grammar police, people who keep books on their shelves, that bunch. The Trumpers exulted in knowing we were tearing our hair out. They had our number, like a bratty kid who knows exactly how to make you grit your teeth and froth at the mouth.
“Alas for the Trump voters, the disasters he will bring on this country will fall more heavily on them than anyone else. The uneducated white males who elected him are the vulnerable ones and they will not like what happens next….
“We liberal elitists are now completely in the clear. The government is in Republican hands. Let them deal with him. Democrats can spend four years raising heirloom tomatoes, meditating, reading Jane Austen, traveling around the country, tasting artisan beers, and let the Republicans build the wall and carry on the trade war with China and deport the undocumented and deal with opioids and we Democrats can go for a long brisk walk and smell the roses….
“Back to real life. I went up to my hometown the other day and ran into my gym teacher, Stan Nelson, looking good at 96. He commanded a landing craft at Normandy on June 6, 1944, and never said a word about it back then, just made us do chin-ups whether we wanted to or not. I saw my biology teacher Lyle Bradley, a Marine pilot in the Korean War, still going birdwatching in his 90s. I was not a good student then, but I am studying both of them now. They have seen it all and are still optimistic. The past year of politics has taught us absolutely nothing. Zilch. Zero. Nada. The future is scary. Let the uneducated have their day. I am now going to pay more attention to teachers.”
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Ay ay ay ay ay!
While Garrison Keillor thinks he and others taught us “absolutely nothing” about politics, here are 3 things I learned
For millions of Americans, the chance to elect the first women president who has a long progressive record was less important that expressing frustration about various issues
Many people who have not found a job after layoffs are very frustrated, and feel that there are not enough opportunities to find a good job.
People who spend the most amount of money on a campaign don’t necessarily win.
Good points. If I can add
Fear and emotion overrule rational thought and pragmatism.
Too many people see violence or the threats of violence as a solution.
America is deeply divided and our leaders seem more willing to exploit that for party over country and for personal gain.
Voters need to put in more effort on understanding issues.
Mr Nathan,
Those frustrated millions elected pretty much the same Republican-dominated House of Representatives.
Agreed. Why do you think they voted for Trump and for many of the same House members? (I’m interested in what you and others think)
Yes, there are always complaints with every administration, and opportunities have been lacking through time. The policies proposed, evaluated by conservative economists, will not be a panacea and will limit job opportunities further. Presidents who lack government experience almost always fare badly. The job requires focus and discipline as well as finesse. “You’re fired” doesn’t work. It is complicated, not simple as soundbites imply. Healthcare costs will rise and no support will remain. Inflation will take its toll. The naive will not fare well.
Yes, the disasters of Trumpland will fall hardest on those uneducated Trump voters. It’s also true that the consequences of this devastating loss will be felt just as much by those who could not quite muster up the enthusiasm as it will be felt by those of us did.
We veterans of education with endure Trumpism like Keillor’s old mentors. Those in the trenches of public education will have a much harder time. The bigger question for me is how much more assault can public education endure. It will be up to local communities and states to remain vigilant, organized and prepared to take a counter action.
Correction: will, not with
Great article by Garrison. I predict that Trump will preside over one of the most corrupt presidencies in US history. Just think about Gingrich, Giuliani and Christie floating around in his administration, not to mention Trump himself. AreTrump’s tax returns still being audited? We could have had a serious wonk in the White House but instead we have this incompetent spiritual gargoyle.
Joe,
Yup. First President with 3,000+ lawsuits. What will be Bill Stepien’s (former Christie staffer who was national field manager for Trump’s campaign) reward?
Thank you for this editorial of hope from Garrison Keillor.
This article is incredibly insulting and disrespectful to our U.S. President and millions of his supporters. The Republicans won in part because the East Coast Liberal “Elites” have nothing to offer but cruelty and vile racist name calling. Perhaps the Democrats should get off their morally superior high horse and figure out why they lost. It’s obvious to me and I am a Liberal.
Concur RTBH! “It’s obvious to me and I am a Free Thinking Skeptic (many times a cynical one at that).
But if I may correct one thought: “Perhaps the Democrats should get off their SUPPOSEDLY morally superior high horse. . . “
Listening is not the Democrats’ strong suit….
Dienne,
Glad to hear from you again. We are moving on to the education issues that are at the heart of this blog, and I look forward to your always valuable contributions.
Trump himself is an insult to the US presidency. Being elected to the presidency does not make you a saint whom we should bow down to. If you are a liberal, you will be howling when Trump appoints the new SCOTUS justice. In a year or two, a huge chunk of the Trumpers will rue the day they voted for him.
Joe,
Over the next four years, we will be thankful for the existence of the filibuster in the Senate.
The question, as Lincoln posed about McClellan’s army, is: will the Senate Democrats use it?
Jersey Jazzman gave a speech at the teachers’ convention in Atlantic City. Here’s one small snippet: “There is no question about what is going to happen over the next year or so regarding compulsory dues. The Republican Senate has held up the nomination of Merrick Garland, an extremely well-qualified and moderate candidate to replace Scalia, for an unprecedented months-long period. He will not be a Supreme Court justice – at least, not any time soon. Donald Trump will very quickly nominate a new candidate, and he will fly through the Senate nomination process. The Democrats will try to filibuster; they will not succeed, even if that means the Republicans throw out years of Senate rules and precedence.”
For the whole inspiring speech: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com
One should remember. Trump did not win. Hillary received more votes than he did.
Also, Trump did not win; America, the planet lost.
Trump won the Presidency.
In our system, the reality is you can try to influence the Republicans or Democratic party leaders. But just complaining as I read here by several posters, does little and seems repetitive by now. I’m picking Democrats.
Keillor is a bit much in the article. All Americans should respect the Office of President. But it is also every American’s duty to disagree with Trump.
There is a difference between respecting the Office of the Presidency and the person who occupies the office. Trump has lost any right to respect in my eyes although long years of training in courteous behavior would make me treat him with civility if I met him person. I can’t conceive of any situation in which I would be forced to converse with the man, thank goodness. I do not have the control of Obama or Hillary although I suspect they behave with graciousness for the sake of the country rather than for the man.
I don’t find any hope or reassurance in GK’s article. In fact, I find his attitude of checking out and not caring about what happens to fellow community members – citizens and non-citizens alike – appalling. I think that his comments reflect his privilege as an educated white male American citizen.
Perhaps, but at least it’s not a bunch of BS.
Not engaging in politics is not the same as abandoning his community. There are plenty of good people who go about helping others totally separate from party politics. We will have to step up to try to protect our most vulnerable community members privately. Trump isn’t going to do it. He never has before, and there is no reason to think he will start now unless it provides a photo op and none of his own money.
I think the point of the article was to find some peace of mind. Everyone will have their own individual approach to this election result. I haven’t quite figured out mine. I won’t be checking out but when Trump supporters express their disappointment because they will suffer tremendously under his policies, it will be hard not to tell them that they deserve it.
I believe that the Democrats have been gradually losing the working class for 25 years. When Clinton shifted the party rightward and toward the center, they largely abandoned the working class. Obama was pretty much the same. My biggest issue with Obama was his refusal to defend the working class. Protests in Wisconsin, no comment. Teacher strike in his adopted hometown of Chicago, no comment. Republicans screw the working class but they expect that. But when the Democrats stopped protecting them from Republican policies they felt abandoned. And that resonated much more.
This is a great point…well said.
SK,
Read Kevin Phllips’s The Emerging Republican Majority. Working class voters were shifting to Republican party by 1968 election.
Exactly. When Obama threw the Wisconsin teachers under the bus after promising to walk with them, it changed my opinion of Obama and the Democratic party. I think Hillary would have tried to move left given her historical agenda, but she had learned to suppress her own inclinations to fit what she saw as political reality, which often kicked her in the teeth when she ventured outside what was deemed to be her role.
Some teachers voted for Trump.
The lesson from history is that Americans seldom want to place the ruling party back in the White House. Even when they do, it has been for only single term. Jackson was followed by Van Buren. Hayes following Grant was a reconstruction aberration. Good times sent Hoover to follow Harding-Coolidge. Bush I followed Reagan. Not since the days of the National Republicans have Americans sent a ruling party to the White House again and again.
The one historical anomaly in this election was the role of one of the candidates being under intense investigation for political purpose. FBI director Conoley injecting his cryptic message at the eleventh hour was an amazing thing. Have we ever had such behavior from a hired member of the justice wing of the country? Have we ever had a senate which simply refused to vote up or down on the Court nominee? What do all these things mean to the future of our republic?
I keep coming back to this Garrison Keillor column because I’m just stunned, truly stunned, that people think like him. Seriously, the cruelty and selfishness in his words are very distressing to me. I wonder what a soldier in Afghanistan thinks about this. Does Garrison truly believe a frat boy has more value because he’s in college? I wonder what the waitress, making less than minimum wage thinks about his comments that her economic worries are exaggerated and that her children have every opportunity to become phycists or doctors. Really?
Trump supportiers live in neighborhoods with African Americans and Latinos . Their kids go to the same schools. The young men and women of all colors served in the wars together, bonded in life and death situation “elitist” Garrison Keillor has never imagined.
I left the Democratic Party two months ago because of their cruelty and corruption. After reading this column and watching the hysteria coming from the Left, I may never go back.
Raise the Bar Higher, what about the feelings of Latinos and Blacks who honorably served our nation and want the same respect as other Americans? What about the women who served our country in combat and don’t want to be called “bimbos” or judged by their breast size? What are your feelings for them?
Of course their concerns are valid and they deserve to be treated properly. I agree with your efforts to improve the education opportunities for minorities as well and am very active in that area. I agree Trump is disgusting. I guess I’m still stunned and shocked that the Democrats became equally cruel, greedy, and selfish. I’m still mourning the loss of the Party I believed stood for goodness,
http://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/us/2016/11/10/the-day-after-hard-questions-as-education-reform-wakes-up-to-trumps-america/
If the reformsters are worried, good. Chalkbeat would not miss the opportunity to trumpet their angst for the poor black and brown children in their charter schools that are diminishing neighborhood public schools. Not the right article to choose here. Listen to the voices of teachers and students in public schools who are scared about the future. Trump promises to throw money at charters. Just guess where he will probably find it.
I liked this part too
To all the patronizing b.s. we’ve read about Trump expressing the white working class’s displacement and loss of the American Dream, I say, “Feh!” — go put your head under cold water. Resentment is no excuse for bald-faced stupidity. America is still the land where the waitress’ kids can grow up to become physicists and novelists and pediatricians, but it helps a lot if the waitress and her husband encourage good habits and the ambition to use your God-given talents and the kids aren’t plugged into electronics day and night. Whooping it up for the candidate of cruelty and ignorance does less than nothing for your kids.