Democrats are trying to figure out what to do next
But while some Democrats read up on struggling white working-class voters and consider a strategy that prioritizes pocketbook issues over identity politics, others point to data suggesting a more complicated understanding of why Clinton failed to win in the former Rust Belt states.
An examination of the exit polls in three key states that helped swing the election Trump's way revealed that the economy was by far the most important issue to votes. But among those who reported the economy as their top issue — at least in the abstract — believed that Clinton had a stronger message.
In Michigan, 52% of voters said economy was "most important issue facing the country," compared to 60% of voters who said thing about the economy in 2012. This year, Clinton won by 6 points among people who reported that the economy was the most important issue, while Obama only won the issue by 3 points.
In Pennsylvania, Clinton won by 4 points among the 56% of voters who reported that the economy was most important issue facing the country. In 2012, Romney won by 5 points among the 61% of voters concerned most about the economy.
The results were even more stark in Wisconsin. While about the same percentage of voters said the economy was the "most important issue facing the country" in 2016 and 2012 — 55% and 56% respectively — Clinton won those voters by 11 points, while Romney won the issue by a single point in 2012.
Matt McDermott, a senior analyst at Whitman Insight Strategies, acknowledged that while Democrats "need to do a better job" of connecting with workers concerned about economic and personal finance issues, "it's not the reason Hillary Clinton lost this election."
http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-trump-econmic-issues-polls-2016-12
Possibly it is not about economics at all and the voters rejected Democratic core values and who we are as a party.
That is a harder problem to solve.
= new reply since forum marked as read
