Gilford resident and grandmother Mary Keohan made her decision to vote for Donald Trump last week. And she doesn’t think of herself as a “deplorable,” thank you very much.
In fact, she wore a hat with a taped-on note card reading “Adorable deplorable.”
Keohan’s hat was just one response to a statement made by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last week.
Speaking at a Manhattan campaign fundraiser, Clinton told her audience, “To just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the ‘basket of deplorables.’ ”
As attendees laughed, Clinton added, “The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamaphobic – you name it.”
One pilot survey appears to support at least some of Clinton’s claim. The National Science Foundation “American National Election Studies 2016” survey conducted in January measured various voters’ “feeling temperature” toward certain groups, with 0 being “very cold” or “unfavorable” and 100 being “very warm” or “favorable.”
A Western Political Science Association analysis of the data shows Trump supporters felt coldest toward Muslims, transgender people and feminists, ranging from the mid-20s to high 30s. On the contrary, Trump supporters’ temperature was close to 75 for both whites and police.
But Keohan, like numerous other Donald Trump supporters attending the Republican presidential candidate’s rally at Laconia Middle school Thursday, didn’t agree with Clinton’s sentiment. They challenged it – verbally, with note cards on hats or in T-shirt form.
“She doesn’t know me,” said Jake Fallas, a 29-year-old Hampton resident who, along with his 23-year-old wife, Kati, wore shirts reading “Deplorable 1” and “Deplorable 2.”
Keohan, who is a registered independent, said, “I don’t like to be put into any basket.” She wondered aloud how Clinton could “hole” so many American citizens into a category – Thursday’s Real Clear Politics averages show 40.9 percent of likely voters support Trump, and 42 percent support Clinton.
Keohan added of the presidential candidates, “If they don’t respect the marginalized, they’re not going to be a good leader. You have to treat each person with dignity.”
Any claimed prejudice referenced by Clinton, Keohan said, is always inappropriate. She didn’t believe Trump supporters expressed those sentiments, and if anyone at a rally did within her vicinity, Keohan said, “I would get security.”
Security wasn’t visibly needed at Thursday’s rally. While officers at past events have removed multiple protesters, those in the Laconia Middle School gymnasium were enthusiastic but relatively calm during Trump’s focused policy speech.
None of the racial and ethnic slurs recorded at various Trump rallies and compiled in an August New York Times video were audible Thursday night.
The crowd did voice where its priorities are. A few scattered supporters cheered when Trump promised to support and work with Hispanic and African-American communities.
At the next phrase – “and we should take care of our veterans” – the room erupted.
Last month, the Pew Research Center conducted a survey of voter views. When respondents were asked to comment on increased racial and ethnic diversity in America, 16 percent of Trump voters said it made the country a worse place to live. Only 2 percent of Clinton voters agreed.
By contrast, 72 percent of Clinton voters said more diversity makes the U.S. a better place to live, and 40 percent of Trump supporters agreed.
Retired Candia couple and new Trump supporters Carol and Tony Gagnon acknowledged the existence of prejudice in some of their candidate’s backers. But not in “half” of them – which would amount to tens of millions of Americans.
“I think there’s a very small percentage,” Tony said. “You’re going to get that in any group. To deny that isn’t honest.”
A Reuters survey would suggest that percentage is larger at least where religion is concerned. Conducted in June and July, the survey shows 58 percent of Trump supporters – versus 24 percent of Clinton supporters – have a “somewhat unfavorable” or “very unfavorable” opinion of Islam.
Trump has suggested many times during his campaign a ban of all foreign-born Muslims entering the United States as a national security measure, though he did not mention this plan Thursday.
In North Conway nurse Joanne Darrah’s eyes, Trump supporters aren’t hateful towards Muslims, but real about the state of the world today.
Decked out in red, white, and blue as she waited outside Thursday, Darrah said, “The vast majority of Trump supporters . . . are hard-working decent Americans. To say a ‘secure border’ doesn’t mean a Trump supporter is anti-Islam.”
She continued that she’s never seen hateful rhetoric at New Hampshire Trump rallies. “On TV, I’ve seen so-called plants,” Darrah said.
She added, “I have relatives from Syria. My family is the United Nations.”
Couple Ernie and Shelley Coates and their 13-year-old son Gage of Belmont said they were tired of being labeled for whom they chose as their candidate.
“We’re not racist and we’re not going to label anybody that way,” Shelley said. “It’s not all white rednecks that like (Trump). I think a lot of people are tired of the same old thing and are looking for something new.”