Comment by toomuchtodo | Hacker News Reader

Comment by toomuchtodo | Hacker News Reader

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~75-80% of farmers voted for this administration. It's unfortunate. Better luck next election cycle.

“Too strong a belief in the rationality of people in general, or of the world, will lead us to seek purposive explanations where none exists.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/09/15/farm-labor-shortage...

https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/11/13/trump-election-far... (includes a map)

https://investigatemidwest.org/2024/10/15/midwest-farmers-ta...

> America’s most farming-dependent counties overwhelmingly backed President-elect Donald Trump in this year’s election by an average of 77.7%.

> Some political observers questioned whether Trump’s support would wane among farmers after his first-term trade war, which led to increased prices and a drop in agricultural exports. During the campaign, Trump promised a return to high tariffs if given a second term.

> “His policies didn’t do us any good; his tariffs didn’t do us any good,” Lance Lillibridge, an Iowa farmer, told Investigate Midwest.

> Not only did Trump increase his support among farming-dependent counties, but more than 100 of those counties supported him with at least 80% of their vote.

> ~75-80% of farmers voted for this administration.

It’s a curious study in the psychology of cognitive blind spots I suppose. Surely farmers in the course of their work understand the phenomenon of cause and effect. Why is it so difficult then to port that to the political sphere? This is a man, who regardless of one’s own position on the political spectrum, seems so grossly under-equipped - both in terms of education and disposition -to steer a large complex economy, that it beggars comprehension as to how these farmers could have made the decisions that most did.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-social-emotional...

I'm perplexed by this as well. It's not like the farmers didn't understand the impact of China on their business -- they've been their largest customer for years. So why vote for someone who says upfront that they're going into a trade-war with China, pissing off your farm's biggest customer and likely leading to retaliation in the form of cutting back on purchases. Not to mention that China retaliated once before by cutting back on soybean purchases during Trump 1.0. I'd be curious to understand whether the farmers 1) were ignorant of the consequences of a trade war with China, 2) understood the ramifications of a trade war but didn't think Trump would start one, 3) knew it could happen but were lied to by Trump that he would somehow "protect them" (how?), 4) knew Trump would start a trade war and understood this would piss off their biggest customer but didn't care because "trans athletes", "immigrants" or some other culture war cry was worth risking their farm over

Baffling.

What "next election cycle"?

You still don't understand what is happening?

I'm confident in high volatility forward looking, but not confident democracy is dead (yet). Until elections have been cancelled, we proceed as if they are still on. If action is necessary to restore democracy, that is a possibility to be prepared for.

Edit: With regards to replies, I understand and appreciate the perspective, but the discussion will only lead to the subthread being detached here. It's important, it's valid, but it also is unproductive discussing it here. Discuss it elsewhere with like minded people.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Russia still bothers to hold presidential elections.

Elections happen in Turkey, Russia and even North Korea.

Elections will happen in the USA, but only if they give the right answer. Didn't you get the memo that there is massive fraud, that voter rolls have to be purged (and are already purged in some states), that gerrymandering is normal, and that this is war?

Do you think Kash Patel, Pam Bondi and Tulsi Gabbard are just there to do their job honestly and independently? That they are just firing people left and right (mostly left, and not enough right) just because of incompetence? Do you think the Jan 6th coupists were pardoned only by magnanimity, and the military honours ordered for Ashli Babbitt are just there because Trump has a bleeding heart?

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