NP - Reductio ad absurdum on FB

[David Morris]

A FB sage (& P-lister) recently reasoned that Hillary's loss proved that
she was the "wrong candidate" for this election, presumably as a lesson to
be learned for the future.  I challenged that we had the "wrong
electorate," willing to vote for a clearly visible moral monster over a
qualified and rational human being.  His counter was that her loss was
proof of his thesis: She lost, therefore she was the wrong candidate.

Beneath his logic was a belief that Trump voters first need to be
understood, and not destained.  Understanding is always useful, but it
doesn't follow that such understanding will become mutual. Nor should it
imply that opposition to those assholes should become less vehement.
Understanding a rapist doesn't make him sympathetic.

Hillary's loss doesn't make her the wrong candidate. It only means she
lost.  By absurd logic she only became the wrong candidate at the moment of
her loss.  Before that we all knew she was winning.  And this absurd logic
is accepted as the premise for too much post-loss analysis.  Trumps voters
are a mix of deplorables, nihilists, racists, opportunists, religionists,
and a list of other "wrong" electorate qualities.  Our country is less
noble than many of us thought.

Lesson learned?
David Morris
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