In the next few days, you’re going to read lots of columnists and hear lots of podcasters opining about how the Democratic party needs to stop, reassess, and listen to the Trump demographic so they can understand them.

There'll be lots of hand-wringing from self-doubting liberals who are nervous that Trump voters, in their red baseball caps, are somehow more authentically American than the elites. (By the way, Clinton is currently winning the popular vote. Yes, that again.)

But let’s be honest: The uneducated white working class males that Trump added to the traditional Republican rolls had the microphone all year. And they’re not that hard to understand.

What we heard ad nauseam from Trump fans were calls to kick out “illegals” and build a wall, endorsements from David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan who want to protect the white race, bloodlust calls to “lock her up,” chants of “Jew-S-A,” complaints that America is too “politically correct” (which—as shorthand for “Shut up and don’t make me defend my racism/sexism!”—is the true war on free speech, not vice versa), and an incorrigible commitment to inaccuracy and conspiracy; Obama never considered an executive order “to take your guns away,” for example.

Meanwhile, actions speak louder than words. And here is what we saw: a 78 percent increase in hate crimes against Muslims since 2015 , a 40 percent increase in hate crimes against transgender people, shoving and sucker punching African Americans at gnarly Trump rallies, an arson  attack at a black church in the name of Trump, the beating death of a homeless Latino man in Boston in the name of Trump, students in the bleachers and at pep rallies  heckling Latino teams from across town with chants to build the wall and in fact, building a mock wall.  And there was also the following donor divide between Trump and Hillary Clinton: 71.4 percent of Trump's contributors were men and just 28.6 percent were women while Clinton’s gender split was basically balanced at 52 to 48.

And there’s no mystery about why these supporters were drawn to a loud mouth like Trump, whose only previous political experience was leading the racist birther movement. He pledged to ban Muslims. He pledged to build a wall. He warned about Mexican "rapists." He repeated the lie that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey celebrated 9/11. Oh, and how “politically incorrect,” he boasted about sexually assaulting women and then wrote it off as "locker room talk." 

Democrats don’t need to spend any time deciphering Trump's appeal. He ran a campaign on race baiting, hate speech, dog whistle sexism, antisemitism, and lies.

Democrats need to do exactly what they did last night at the Westin hotel in downtown Seattle where winning candidates such as newly re-elected Democratic Governor Jay Inslee (56.3 to 43.7), newly re-elected U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) (60.8 to 39.2), newly re-elected Democratic Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson (69.2 to 30.8), new super environmentalist Commissioner of Public Lands elect Hilary Franz (55 to 45), and new Democratic lieutenant governor Cyrus Habib (55.8 to 45.2) were all on hand to cheer a minimum wage increase and paid sick leave measure that passed 59.5 to 40.5 and a gun control measure that passed 71.2 to 28.8.

At the local level, voters were also passing a $54 billion light rail expansion 54.8 to 45.2 and a sexual assault and labor protections measure for Seattle hotel workers 77.3 to 22.7. Seattle also elected a woman of color, civil and immigrants rights leader state senator Pramila Jayapal (D-37, Southeast Seattle) to U.S. congress with 57 percent of the vote; Jayapal will be the first Indian-American woman elected to the U.S. house.

Condemning the "darkness of racism and bigotry" and extolling Washington as a place "where immigrants can feel safe," U.S. Senator Patty Murray struck the correct tone of defiance against the meaning of Trumpism. Inslee sounded the same note, calling Washington state "a beacon for progressive values." And Habib was particularly voluble, hyping his own ascension as an Iranian American and also championing female leadership. (He was one of the few speakers to name check Clinton and pay homage to her legacy.)

Republicans have spent eight years blocking Obama, culminating with a defiant stand against even considering his Supreme Court nominee. The reward? They now control the White House, the House, and the Senate. That's the lesson of last night.

Understanding bigotry and resentment isn't the answer. Leading on policy is. And liberals at the state, regional, and local level here in Washington set an example on that score last night. At the national level, that's what Democrats should be listening to.