After last night, I just want to share two pieces from the media outlet I most admire – the New York Times. Both of them show, in their very own way, what happened and more so, why it could happen. The first one is a screenshot I took from NYT’s election forecast page at about 5:50am (CET) showing the respective chances for Trump and Clinton to be elected POTUS starting at about 12:00am (CET):

clinton-trump-election

Over the course of about 4 hours [sic], the chances of Clinton being elected president fell from well over 80% down to below 5%, while the odds on Trump increased from below 20% to well over 95%. This is not the famous “margin of error”. This is just bad polling. Well, in fact, very bad polling. Unworthy of the Times but symptomatic for the course of this election. Can you name a major news outlet or polling station that was right on this one? I can’t! It seems like they are detached from the average American citizen. From the ones not living in the vibrant cities of the East Coast or the Valley. This is exactly where Trump won the race: in the forgotten parts of Wisconsin and Michigan, Iowa and Ohio.

The second piece I want to share is the first commentary by Paul Krugman for the NYT. Though short, the piece still reveals a lot about last night’s results. (The original article can be found here: http://nyti.ms/2eC6vUQ). Krugman writes about Trump voters not accepting “our” values. The values of people living in areas already mentioned above. His favored candidate just got miserably defeated, the rust belt turned red and Krugman talks about someone (or 50% of Americans!) not accepting “our” values. Seriously? Even in the hour of defeat, Krugman dares to blame the others. The stupid rednecks, who shouldn’t be allowed to vote. The uneducated workers in Detroit or Green Bay. Well, maybe you should start your analysis with your very own contribution and responsibility before turning your head on others.

It is still too early for a comprehensive analysis of the election. However, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that it is exactly this hubris of the DNC and the liberal elite that helped Trump sweep the northern industrial states. We as Europeans must not make the mistake to judge others by higher moral standards. We will have our very own “Trump moment” in France or Germany next year, if we do not bust our own bubble of ignorance. Just imagine what a French President Le Pen would mean for this side of the Atlantic. But let’s not forget what November 9 stands for in Germany: A wall teared down, bringing together a country to live in freedom and unity. There is always hope or quoting President Obama: No matter what, the sun will rise again in the morning!

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