The commentary from Richard Elfers about voters in Enumclaw and Black Diamond does many voters in those communities a disservice. He talked about Trump voters as if they are typical representatives of those cities, yet his own stats show that of 100 voters in each city about 49 voted for Trump while 44 voted for Clinton in Enumclaw and 42 in Black Diamond.
As to why there were no Clinton yard signs he indirectly answered when he indicated reluctance to talk to Trump supporters because he “did not want any arguments.” Clinton supporters probably felt the same way after watching Trump conduct a campaign of bullying, intimidation and retribution.
Elfers reports Trump voters knew that Trump says outrageous things, has questionable character and is a loose cannon, but he represents change to back before we had a black President and the first woman candidate from a major party. Trump fomented white backlash by leading the debunked “birther” movement challenging the legitimacy of the Obama presidency and he tapped misogyny by calling Clinton “a nasty woman.”
The 2010 census shows the two cities are 92 percent white, yet Trump could not get one half of their votes while Clinton got more than 40 percent. The real divide was classic Republican and Democrat, but I agree with Elfers when he says some votes for Trump were intended to signify “the continued dominance of white America.” However, I would add praise for all the white voters in the two cities who rejected such racism and bigotry.
Tom Blake, Renton
