Retired steel workers union boss Lou Mavrakis is the Democratic Mayor of Monessen, Pennsylvania. In 2008 he campaigned for Barack Obama. This year he’s supporting Donald Trump.
“You’re in the heart of where steel and coal was born,” Mavrakis told Martha Raddatz of ABC News. But most of the good jobs have gone and this faded town’s population collapsed from 25,000 at its peak to 7,000 now. Monessen and countless other communities in “rust belt” America are places of pain – plunged into crisis by decades of decline. Globalization, foreign competition and technology had a devastating impact on working-class Americans.
Asked if Trump could bring back lost jobs, Mayor Mavrakis replied: “I don’t think any one of them could do anything for us, but he’s saying what I want to hear and what everyone else around here wants to hear.”
“I haven’t heard Hillary Clinton say we’re going to bring back steel.”
Mavrakis believes Trump will win more votes in Monessen than any previous Republican Presidential candidate, – telling the Financial Times voters are rebelling against the establishment just as Brits did during Brexit.
But far too many Democrats – my friends included – shake their heads in amazement about how anyone could be lunatic enough to support him.
“In the land of NeverTrump, it turns out one American is more reviled than Donald Trump. This would be the Donald Trump voter,” writes MainStreet columnist William McGurn in The Wall Street Journal.
The same thing happened during Brexit. Voters who bucked the metropolitan establishment and decided to opt out of the European Union are sneered at for being anti-immigrant, jingoistic racists. No doubt, some are. But people who’ve seen their living standards decline, their dreams fade to gray and their communities fall apart in the past few decades are understandably frustrated by the failure of politicians to address their concerns.
Even if you are disgusted by Trump and believe he’s an unprincipled opportunist, it’s time to look beyond the messenger.
Instead of “contempt for the great Republican unwashed” – as McGurn puts it – a conversation is needed about what many American people are trying to tell us.
Here Hear! 
I’m as willing to find a rational Trump voter to debate as Diogenes was to find an honest man. I just haven’t found any who are willing to respect facts. I don’t sneer though. I roll my eyes. I’ll stop on November 9th.
Best ever!
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