But narrative can overwhelm that. And the firmly established narrative of Clinton and Trump is that she couldn't connect to rural voters, whereas he was a “blue-collar billionaire” who made surprising emotional connections. Trump may be the first president whose plunge to 40 percent approval was marked by stories about the voters who still loved him. And Clinton may be the only politician who can talk about the need for rural broadband — at this point, an almost banal priority of rural politicians — and be accused of snobbery.
Dave Weigel is the only "journalist who talks to voters" I am aware of who actually "talks to voters" instead of quote-grabbing for a pre-written narrative. Since I often shit talk journalists on this website, let me compliment Dave. He actually does do the work that many journalists pretend to do.