I don’t know John Goodwin. All I know is something he penned popped up on my Facebook feed and instantly grabbed my attention.
We’ve heard much from the left in this country about why Hillary Clinton lost the election to Donald J. Trump and it pretty much boils down to three reasons in their minds. WikiLeaks, James Comey, and racist uneducated rural America.
Their reasoning lays bare the stark and very real disconnect so many liberals (who live in the large metropolitan areas of the country) have with the rest of America or fly over country as they condescendingly call it and their inability to look inward or have any self-awareness at all.
I don’t know if Mr. Goodwin is a Republican, Democrat, Independent or some other party. All I know is when it comes to the real reason for Mrs. Clinton’s defeat, he’s right.
Here is Mr. Goodwin’s spontaneous reaction to the election result and the protests that followed, as posted on his Facebook page. (Published by permission)
I haven’t posted about the election mostly because 1) I do this for a living and most of you don’t and 2) I understand why some people are scared and disappointed in the outcome and was showing some deference to my friends and family.
But now I am angry.
Intolerant liberal elites still do not understand why they lost the election. You lost the election because you forgot that not everyone lives in big cities and along the coasts. You forgot that not everyone went to elite colleges.
And worse, you deride the people who didn’t and who don’t think like you. You make fun of people who eat at Applebees and shop at Walmart and watch NASCAR. You think they are lesser people than you and don’t deserve a voice or an opinion.
You call them all names. Call them rubes and rednecks and morons. Call them uneducated and backwards.
I am not talking about the racists, sexists and bigots who reared their ugly heads this year. They are disgusting.
I am talking about the average people who work in manufacturing, own their own business or used to anyway.
Have you ever been to a working farm for more than an hour to pick apples? Have you driven through South and North Dakota or Idaho and tried to understand the people who live there instead of mocking them?
Do you understand why people who live in states where 60% of the land is owned by the government might not want a bigger government.
I didn’t grow up with money. Those of you who knew me know that. I grew up shopping at Zayre and worrying that I was wearing the wrong shoes to school and would be made fun of. A big night out for us was TGI Fridays or Ponderosa. I worked hard and went to college and grad school and have had some success, but I never forgot where I came from and I never looked down upon those who grew up like me and may still live in world where they work with their hands.
Do you understand the damage Hillary Clinton did to her chances when she said “she was going to put the coal industry out of business?” If you live in New England or CA or a city where you don’t fully understand where your electricity comes from, that might sound nice. But you have never met someone who works in a coal mine or a coal-powered plant or a manufacturing plant that relies on affordable energy to keep costs down. And that message doesn’t just resonate with people who actually work in the coal industry. Every American who works in an industry that liberals hate or deride was impacted by that statement. “Is my job next?”
You want to tell a person who has spent their whole life working in a particular field that they have to retrain and find something new overnight. You want to tell someone who invests blood, sweat, tears and treasure into starting and growing a business that they should shutter it and do something else because you disagree with the industry they work in?
I grew up hunting and fishing with my father and uncles and cousin. I have been around guns my whole life and understand the dangers and appreciate the need for caution and safety. Most of you haven’t been around them or used one for hunting or self defense. You judge those of us who have. Call me a gun nut? Tell us we cling to our guns? Have you ever met the people who work in the gun industry and work hard to make quality American products and you want to put them out of work too?
Tragedies happen. And I have never cried harder than or longer than Sandy Hook. These things shouldn’t happen. But you can’t blame guns. Blame the people who pull the trigger.
You backed professional protesters and anarchists over the police officers who put their lives on the line every day and whose families don’t know if they will be coming home for dinner or breakfast. I do not believe most of those victims deserved to get shot and I have sympathy for the families of those who died unnecessarily. But i respect the police and know how hard their job is. You think all police are bad and are intentionally targeting people.
So, liberal elites. Stop making blanket statements about people. Stop telling people who think differently than you they are wrong. You have the right to be offended. People have the right to offend you. The government is not meant to protect you from being offended.
Donald Trump is president in part because half of America was tired of being told that their way of life and their way of thinking was wrong. People are allowed to feel the way they feel – wrong or right. People can feel that illegal immigration cost them their job – wrong or right. They are allowed to think that way. People are allowed to be afraid of terrorism and feel unsafe.
Keep making fun of the Robertsons from Duck Dynasty, who I count as friends, and the way they live their life. I have spent time with them and know they are the kindest, most loving people I have ever met. Their family life is what most people should strive for.
You think because they believe in God and enjoy hunting and wearing camo, they are lesser people. News flash, a lot of people live their lives like them. Let them. Don’t make fun of them.
Not everyone can afford a ticket to Hamilton. Some people want to watch football and listen to country music.
Some people think Guy Fieri is a good chef and his food is delicious.
People are allowed to enjoy shooting guns and hunting.
People are allowed to seek comfort and joy in prayer and religion.
You have the right to disagree and do your own thing. Stop judging and insulting and practice some of the tolerance you preach or you may never win another election.