That moment I realized I was voting for the wrong candidate in 2016

I was at a diner in Scranton with my uncle back in October 2016. He's a lifelong Democrat. He started talking about how Trump was the only one who actually listened to the factory workers and miners. That hit me hard because I'd been buying into all the media noise. After that conversation I went home and watched a full rally on YouTube instead of just clips. It changed everything for me. Anyone else have a random conversation that flipped your view?

2 comments

2 Comments

allen.cole1mo ago

Man that story hit close to home... My buddy from the union hall told me pretty much the same thing back then. Said everyone he knew who actually worked with their hands was ditching the party for Trump because nobody in Washington had talked to them in decades. It's wild how one conversation with someone you trust can cut through all the noise from TV and social media... I ended up doing the same thing you did, watching the full rallies instead of the 30 second clips they show on the news and it was a totally different picture. People calling us stupid for changing our minds don't get that sometimes you just need to hear it straight from someone who lives in your world.

wesley831mo ago

You're right about that, but I gotta push back a little on the idea that nobody in Washington talked to them. I know guys who met with their local reps and got nothing but form letters and canned speeches. It wasn't just being ignored, it was being lied to. Like promises made on the campaign trail that disappeared once they got inside the beltway. That's what really flipped people I know. They didn't just want a conversation, they wanted someone to actually follow through. The rallies helped show a different side but I think the frustration was building long before that.