

And my neighbors are rural Trumpers. I still don’t grasp what the hell it is they’re after.
Big data, plot points from individuals, statistical regressions. That’s what you need to make those claims. If not, it’s personal anecdotes, personal anecdotes from someone who lived in the geographical region, yes, but just anecdotes.
I think you could get more creative with your language, with that knowledge. If nothing else, reading the Bible (or catching the cliffs notes) and getting a firm understanding of ‘The Classics’ gives you an immense wealth of phrases and references to help illustrate your point that are so ingrained in Western culture and media that you’re likely to strike more points with it than without.
I’m still making my way through that herculean effort, that sisyphusian task. I struggled like Odysseus returning home to get through the Bible the first time, but once you get through all the parables and their Lot, there are some really interesting stories that make for easy metaphors and similes.