Today' NYT features several opinion page columnists explaining why they were wrong about something on which they pontificated. Paul Krugman explained why he was wrong to discount inflation, Michelle Goldberg on why she should have advocated for due process instead of demanding Al Franken's resignation from the Senate at the height of the #Me Too movement and Bret Stephens in perhaps the most stupid of the mea culpas explained why (in his own mind) he should not have criticized those who supported tRump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections.
Stephens would have us believe economic and political considerations were uppermost in his supporters minds. This would fly in the face of statistics showing the median tRump voter's income put them firmly in the middle class with few of the economic worries which plagued Clinton and Biden voters. tRump's odious personal traits should supposedly have turned off these voters who in previous elections have insisted their votes are heavily influenced by the candidates' character.
He also makes a reference to how these voters were failed by the political elite's mismanagement of the Afghanistan War and how tRump voters families bore the brunt of the mistakes. Again, Stephens is straining at gnats. A tiny percentage of America's families supplied the troops used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
What Stephens fails again at explaining is why so many people supported the failed former president's hateful rhetoric and social policies while ignoring his support of legislation which shoveled immense amounts of wealth to the 1%. It's really simple. Many of our fellow countrymen are ignorant racist supporters of the patriarchy. They are a small minority of approximately 30% of the population. tRump gave them permission to let their intolerant, hateful freak flag fly. Sorry, Mr. Stephens, your original column got it right. No need to apologize.
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