This analysis fails on a couple of different levels. First off it engages in the historical revisionism of the Clinton presidency that’s become so prevalent. Bill Clinton was the most talented politician of the last generation. A once in a lifetime talent who really did surpass Obama in skill. Most of the liberal critiques of his presidency fail to account for the fact that Clinton had a functioning congress, as opposed to the demolished and dysfunctional congress we have now. Therefore everything Clinton did involved compromise (something congress now is incapable of). All of his domestic agenda is relatively half his and half the Republicans. History has born out that the good stuff came from him and the bad stuff from the Republicans. The Violence Against Women Act was only passed as part of his Crime Bill.
Bill Clinton also had the ability to sell liberal ideas to the downscale white voters who turned out in droves to vote for Trump. Which is a skill that liberals have given up on, to the point where this entire post is a polemic against it.
Obama succeeded because an entire generation was raised under Bush and so knew just how bad it could get (or, rather how bad it could get until Trump showed us a new low). Hillary Clinton’s strongest support came from people in their late 20s and early 30s, people who were there to be a part of the Obama coalition. The people in their early 20s and late teens were the weak link, the people who weren’t old enough to have lived under the Bush administration and known exactly how awful it could get.
But most importantly, white liberalism can’t be trusted. Black people in general do all the heavy lifting for liberals, black women even more so. Hispanic, Arab, and Asian Americans also do more than their fair share. It’s white liberals who screw over people of color. White liberals are the ones who vote third party, who are happy when Republicans win just so they can dance on the ashes. White liberals are the ones who failed to get behind Hillary Clinton and allowed Trump to win. White liberals are the ones demanding we coddle them, demanding that we acquiesce to their whims. White liberals are perfectly happy to let people of color suffer so they can feel self-righteous.
Many black writers noted (and complained about) the endless think pieces and analysis about Trump voters. About how liberals were living in big city bubbles and needed to understand rural whites. Which isn’t actually true, but has been a near constant story for a year and a half now. However there’s a flip side to that. And those are the stories about how liberals need to understand white liberals better. How we oh so desperately need to understand and reach out to the Sanders voters, which also isn’t actually true.
Liberals should reach out to like minded people, but the ones who should be reached out to are the people who are the front lines, carry the most weight, and have the most to lose. Not the ones who get upset and take their ball and go home.
