All voters are values voters. Elections are shaped on these competing values. This was clearly evident in the presidential election.
Nostalgia and change drove voters to Donald Trump. His slogans “Make America Great Again” and “drain the swamp” made his case plainly. Nostalgia voters perceived the country to be getting worse for varying reasons, like international trade and immigration. Change voters believed our political system is broken and blamed everyone in Washington, including Secretary Hillary Clinton.
Clinton voters valued stability and equality. She argued America is “Stronger Together” and equality voters believed in promoting the rights of women, the LGBTQ community, racial and religious minorities, and immigrants regardless of legal status. Stability voters saw her as a welcomed third term for President Obama and feared a reckless Trump.
We should be careful not to assume change voters were nostalgic because they ended up voting Trump. Likewise, equality voters who sided with Clinton don’t all support the status quo. The Bernie Sanders supporters who cast their votes for Clinton did not value her ties to the political establishment. They voted for her despite her infamous Wall Street speeches. Rust Belt working class folks who have been left behind by globalization did not switch from voting for Obama to Trump because of prejudice.
Remember, voters disliked both candidates at record levels. They each fought more against their opponent than for themselves. Voters did not endorse all the values of their chosen candidate. Few marked their choice with a clean conscience and half just stayed home. Clinton earned seven million fewer votes than President Obama did in 2008. Trump earned no mandate for the bigotry and hate they fueled his base of alt-right support.
To those whose candidate won a narrow victory, I hope you will stand up to the President-elect when his decisions violate your values. You have a chance right now, given his appointment of a white nationalist to be the chief White House strategist.
To those in despair about Trump, be assured: America is only getting more diverse and by 2020, Trump will represent the establishment.
And to everyone listening, when you gather with friends and family around Thanksgiving tables or talk about politics with work colleagues, let’s ask each other why we voted, what we value, and then listen intently to the answers.
Guthrie Graves-Fitzsimmons is a columnist for Religion News Service and lives in Louisville.
