By Robert Presser on November 12, 2016
I write this barely 17 hours after Donald Trump’s acceptance speech at the New York Hilton, so emotions are still raw all around. Protesters are in the streets in seven American cities, urban voters expressing their frustration at his unexpected victory. America’s progressives should not be so surprised – the African American and Latino vote participated less than in 2008 and 2012, and working-class white men and women voted more for Trump than they did in those previous elections. Trump won the White House with fewer votes than John McCain and Mitt Romney received, but the overall participation rate was down, which favours Republicans. Therein lies the first lesson of national campaigns – energize your base and make sure they turn out.