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Dillon, Texas, the setting for “Friday Night Lights” was inhabited by some very interesting characters. As I watched the show I thought about how most of them would have been Trump voters in 2016.
After I finished the series, I thought about it some more and realized that the characters were more complicated than that. So, I thought it would be interesting to compare how I think some of the citizens of Dillon voted in 2016 verses how they would vote in 2020.
2016 – Donald Trump. Although Coach Taylor didn’t like Trump’s personality, he’s conservative and thought Trump’s business acumen would be good for the economy, so he held his nose and voted for him.
2020 – Joe Biden. After four years of being embarrassed by his Trump vote, Coach Taylor is voting for Biden. Now living in Philadelphia, he’s watched as the Coronavirus devastated the families of some of his players. Trump lied about the seriousness about the virus and Eric cannot support Trump this time around. Coach Taylor believes Joe Biden will get a handle on the pandemic.
2016 – Tammy Taylor and Eric argued a lot in 2016 over his support of Trump and her support of Hillary. She actually read Hillary’s platform and liked her policy proposals. Tammy experienced misogyny when they lived in Dillon, Texas and she felt Hillary’s pain.
2020 – Joe Biden. Tammy was devastated by Hillary’s loss and went to the women’s march but refused to wear a pink pussy hat. She supported Kamala Harris in the primary and when Biden chose Harris as his running mate, Tammy’s vote was locked in.
2016 – Jill Stein. Julie was all about Bernie Sanders’ pledge to wipe out college debt. She thought there should be a woman president, just not that woman. So, when it came time to vote, with Sanders not on the ballot, Julie voted for Jill Stein.
2020 – Joe Biden. Julie hated Donald Trump. She went to the women’s march and unlike her mother, she proudly wore her pink pussy hat. This time around, Julie knows her body autonomy is on the line and although she doesn’t think she’d ever have an abortion, she doesn’t want anyone making that decision for her.
2016 – Didn’t Vote. Matt doesn’t follow politics much but he couldn’t help but pay attention to all the coverage because of Julie. Matt didn’t like Trump or Clinton so while he told Julie he voted for Hillary, he hung out with some friends, drank beer and threw the football around instead.
2020 – Joe Biden. Matt is a freelance graphic designer while still working on his art. He depends on Obamacare for insurance coverage so he’s voting for Biden. And, he let it slip to Julie that he didn’t actually vote in 2016 so she’s watching as he fills out his absentee ballot. Plus, Matt appreciates Biden’s respect for the military and sees a vote for Biden as a way to honor his father who was killed while in service.
2016 – Donald Trump. Tim LOVES Trump. He believed Trump would bring prosperity to the forgotten man so he proudly donned his red MAGA hat and voted for him. Tim doesn’t consider himself racist.
2020 – Donald Trump. Tim lost his job during the pandemic but he’s a true Trump believer and there’s nothing Trump can say or do to deter Tim from voting for him again.
2016 – Donald Trump. Billy lost his job as an assistant coach when funding was cut by the school board. Naturally, he blamed the Democrats and believed Trump would bring jobs back to Dillon, Texas.
2020 – Donald Trump. Like his brother Tim, Billy also lost his job during the pandemic. He went to a Trump rally and blames China too. His unemployment has run out and he could really use that extra $600 a week that was part of the original stimulus package. He blames Nancy Pelosi.
2016 – Hillary Clinton. Tara worked on Bernie Sanders campaign in Texas but when Hillary won the nomination, she went to a local Hillary Clinton campaign office and started volunteering.
2020 – Joe Biden. Tara now a paid staffer for Biden in Texas. She’s working hard to turn Texas blue. She and Tim became distant over his adoration of Trump.
2016 – Hillary Clinton. Landry planned on voting for Gary Johnson but one night he met Tara for drinks and when he learned she was volunteering for the Clinton campaign, he decided he would vote for Hillary in support of Tara.
2020 – Joe Biden. This time Landry’s vote is of his own mind. He likes Biden’s plan to create 10 million renewable energy jobs.
2016 – Gary Johnson. Jason doesn’t like politics. He thinks it dirty and since he’s a sports agent, that’s saying a lot! Working in New York, he’s heard all about how Trump is corrupt and a fraud. Hillary’s emails were all over the news so he didn’t want to vote for either of them.
2020 – Joe Biden. Jason is happy with the stock market but still loathes Trump. Jason wants to leave a healthy planet for his kid and likes Joe’s commitment to battle climate change.
2016 – Didn’t Vote. Smash didn’t think either candidate spoke to him and he read a lot of the Russian misinformation about Hillary Clinton that made him sit out of the election.
2020 – Joe Biden. Sadly, Smash’s mother, a healthcare worker, died from Covid-19. He couldn’t see her in the hospital and had to say goodbye to her over FaceTime.
2016 – Donald Trump. Luke was still enlisted in the military and being a Republican, he voted for Trump.
2020 – Luke was killed by the Taliban when they were incentivized by Russian bounties.
2016 – Hillary Clinton. Vince did the work to research each candidate carefully and he liked Hillary’s social justice platform. When she was endorsed by Mother’s of the Movement, his vote was solidified.
2020 – Joe Biden. Vince knows Trump is a racist and would never support him. He likes that Joe will say “Black Lives Matter” and has a Black agenda.
2016 – Hillary Clinton. Jess knew Hillary was the most qualified candidate in 2016, there was never another option.
2020 – Joe Biden. Jess again knows that preparedness matters for the office of the presidency and Joe is prepared. She supported Kamala in the primary and when she was named as the VP nominee, volunteered to get out the vote.
2016 – Donald Trump. 53%
2020 – Donald Trump. Lyla wants Roe v. Wade overturned.
2016 – Jill Stein. Becky didn’t like Trump’s history of sexual assault but because she supported Bernie during the primaries also thought Hillary was a corporate stooge.
2020 – Joe Biden. Becky had an abortion when she was a teenager and knows that had she not been able to make that choice for herself, her life would be a lot different. She knows Biden and Harris are committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose.
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