How’s everyone holding up? Election aftermath hit hard in my house—felt like getting blindsided in a parking lot. I mean, what the hell just happened? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: we, the Democrats, set ourselves up for this. Trade deals, policies, bureaucracy taking over private land…those chic…
How’s everyone holding up? Election aftermath hit hard in my house—felt like getting blindsided in a parking lot. I mean, what the hell just happened? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: we, the Democrats, set ourselves up for this. Trade deals, policies, bureaucracy taking over private land…those chickens have come home to roost.
I’m a 50-year-old straight white guy, no college degree, and I live in southeast Evanston, close to the lake. This is a community where everyone knows each other—a kind of “family” vibe, even if at first, I didn’t exactly feel like one of the family. I’ve spent most of my life being looked down on for not having a fancy diploma or a big city job, and I know that story all too well.
I grew up in the backwoods of Oregon with a dad who went from ranching to logging and a mom who scraped by. We lived off the land, hunted our food, and didn’t give a damn if we looked “uncultured.” Yet, moving to a place like Evanston, I still feel the sting of judgment. I’m not a unicorn; I’m an American like anyone else, and I’ve seen what happens when our party makes choices that leave people like my family in the dust.
In the ‘90s, Clinton signed NAFTA, shipping jobs overseas and gutting towns like mine. Mills shut down, people lost work, families lost everything. Then, fast-forward to now—Trump gets a free pass on federal crimes while in office, thanks to policies and memos our side reinforced. Doesn’t exactly paint the party in a great light, does it?
After years on this journey, I’ve learned one thing: it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from—everyone deserves respect. Love who you want, be who you want, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But here’s the kicker: our party can be overbearing, coming off as elitist, telling people how to think, speak, and live. And when they don’t comply, we label them ignorant or worse. Sound like a winning strategy? I didn’t think so.
This election, we got a classic, no-nonsense beatdown. No conspiracies, no voter fraud—just straight-up rejection. Why? Because the folks in charge of our party forgot about the people they’re supposed to represent. They’ve been so busy dictating everyone’s life choices, they lost sight of the real struggles of real people, like the ones I grew up with.
Want to change that? Stop the finger-pointing. No more coastal elites looking down their noses at folks who don’t have a degree or don’t share the same worldview. Go to any small town, talk to the people, and actually listen. They don’t need pity—they need respect. They need to be seen as equals, not as ignorant caricatures.
If we don’t figure this out, the Democrats are going to keep losing. So let’s stop being condescending, start embracing people with all their flaws, and actually practice the acceptance we preach. It’s time to make this party truly representative again.
Great points. One thing: telling people how to think, speak, and live clearly IS a winning strategy. And I'm terrified about how this administration is planning to tell us how to think, speak, and live going forward.
I hear you. What was told to those voters played into their fears. Folks who are not exposed to certain ideas and, for lack of a better phrase, lifestyles don’t understand when they are told they need to accept them. We all fear what we don’t understand. Many don’t understand why someone would vote for Trump and that scares them. It’s a different side to the same coin. That’s what I hope to convey. I was afraid of the government as a kid. They took so much from my family and it was a Democratic leader who did it for reasons that were never clearly explained. This happened all over the country. Folks were pissed and afraid of the government. That was 30 years ago. 3 generations. They need to be heard and understood. His vulgar approach cut through. Why? He is different. What else did they have to lose. And he’s not a Democrat. He will turn on them. And when he does we need to be available or it will only get worse.
Also to your point, leaders have always told people how to live their lives. It’s not unique to Trump. He’s awful and he’s our leader. Anger doesn’t work. We need a different approach.
Hey there, Fellow Evanstonians,
How’s everyone holding up? Election aftermath hit hard in my house—felt like getting blindsided in a parking lot. I mean, what the hell just happened? And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: we, the Democrats, set ourselves up for this. Trade deals, policies, bureaucracy taking over private land…those chickens have come home to roost.
I’m a 50-year-old straight white guy, no college degree, and I live in southeast Evanston, close to the lake. This is a community where everyone knows each other—a kind of “family” vibe, even if at first, I didn’t exactly feel like one of the family. I’ve spent most of my life being looked down on for not having a fancy diploma or a big city job, and I know that story all too well.
I grew up in the backwoods of Oregon with a dad who went from ranching to logging and a mom who scraped by. We lived off the land, hunted our food, and didn’t give a damn if we looked “uncultured.” Yet, moving to a place like Evanston, I still feel the sting of judgment. I’m not a unicorn; I’m an American like anyone else, and I’ve seen what happens when our party makes choices that leave people like my family in the dust.
In the ‘90s, Clinton signed NAFTA, shipping jobs overseas and gutting towns like mine. Mills shut down, people lost work, families lost everything. Then, fast-forward to now—Trump gets a free pass on federal crimes while in office, thanks to policies and memos our side reinforced. Doesn’t exactly paint the party in a great light, does it?
After years on this journey, I’ve learned one thing: it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from—everyone deserves respect. Love who you want, be who you want, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. But here’s the kicker: our party can be overbearing, coming off as elitist, telling people how to think, speak, and live. And when they don’t comply, we label them ignorant or worse. Sound like a winning strategy? I didn’t think so.
This election, we got a classic, no-nonsense beatdown. No conspiracies, no voter fraud—just straight-up rejection. Why? Because the folks in charge of our party forgot about the people they’re supposed to represent. They’ve been so busy dictating everyone’s life choices, they lost sight of the real struggles of real people, like the ones I grew up with.
Want to change that? Stop the finger-pointing. No more coastal elites looking down their noses at folks who don’t have a degree or don’t share the same worldview. Go to any small town, talk to the people, and actually listen. They don’t need pity—they need respect. They need to be seen as equals, not as ignorant caricatures.
If we don’t figure this out, the Democrats are going to keep losing. So let’s stop being condescending, start embracing people with all their flaws, and actually practice the acceptance we preach. It’s time to make this party truly representative again.
Best,
The Hillbilly Democrat
Great points. One thing: telling people how to think, speak, and live clearly IS a winning strategy. And I'm terrified about how this administration is planning to tell us how to think, speak, and live going forward.
I hear you. What was told to those voters played into their fears. Folks who are not exposed to certain ideas and, for lack of a better phrase, lifestyles don’t understand when they are told they need to accept them. We all fear what we don’t understand. Many don’t understand why someone would vote for Trump and that scares them. It’s a different side to the same coin. That’s what I hope to convey. I was afraid of the government as a kid. They took so much from my family and it was a Democratic leader who did it for reasons that were never clearly explained. This happened all over the country. Folks were pissed and afraid of the government. That was 30 years ago. 3 generations. They need to be heard and understood. His vulgar approach cut through. Why? He is different. What else did they have to lose. And he’s not a Democrat. He will turn on them. And when he does we need to be available or it will only get worse.
Also to your point, leaders have always told people how to live their lives. It’s not unique to Trump. He’s awful and he’s our leader. Anger doesn’t work. We need a different approach.
I think he was replying to KO