The room, along with the rest of the building, is paneled with wood and seems blurred from the smoke. There’s an ashtray that individuals frequently get up from their stools to ash their cigarettes in and then return to their seats to resume their thoughts out loud. They each have a beer in their hands that they sporadically sip, waiting for their turn to speak on what aggravated them during this election.

“I am tired of Hillary’s little b-tch as-. She should have been indicted. If we did half the crap she did, we would be in prison,” said Michael Jacobs, 63. “She has enough to bury her.”

 Jacobs, a Donald Trump voter enthusiastic to express his opinions, didn’t take a seat all afternoon at Bob’s Bar, located in the historic downtown of Prairie du Chien, WI. It lies snuggled between the Mississippi River and the Rolling Bluffs. The town’s population is about 5,600 with almost 600 of them being veterans. It is a dominantly white community with about 93% white residents. Historically, Prairie du Chien is said to be Wisconsin’s second oldest town and was known for being the center of French fur trading. It’s also located in a county, Crawford, that dramatically flipped from President Obama in 2012 to Donald Trump in 2016, helping flip the state and country.

It’s halftime during the Wisconsin v. Purdue game, bringing a variety of sports fans to Bob’s Bar. It is a bar home of the latest jukebox and plenty of slot machines. There’s a pool table in the back of the bar alongside a foosball table. Six televisions circulate Bob’s along with a beer garden in the back. Though it was a sunny day, the bar was dark inside due to limited windows.

However, the bar held an array of characters with a diversity of attitudes toward the elections.

“The reason she (Hillary) lost is because she tried to buy the election,” said Jacobs. “Trump was correct when he said the system is rigged. It is rigged!”

Jacobs is an employee of a nearby prison where most of the inmates are from Milwaukee, WI. He was previously a logger and has always lived in Wisconsin. He plans to retire soon and go golfing in Arizona. Jacobs is in an oversized tan Carhartt jacket and a blue Brewers hat, his grey hair shined through the sides of his hat. He has rosy cheeks, glossy eyes, and a clean white beard. Although he voted for Trump, his favorite presidents were Roosevelt and Kennedy. He changed his opinion because he is upset and tired of the country’s political establishments.

“Trump won because of Sanders. Voters fell to Trump’s side,” said Jacobs. “The younger voters did because they are tired of the bullshit their parents are telling them. College kids are more liberal, but Hillary is a crook. Kids are smarter, they saw through it.”

A petite older woman with short hair and glasses piped in, “Well, young Republicans don’t cry.”

Her name is Judy Rousselow, she is friends with Jacob and seemed intrigued to express her frustrations.

“Journalists should be reporting, not taking sides,” said Rousselow. “NBC should’ve been excited and reporting, not looking sullen. Journalists should be journalists. TV and newspapers should not be biased and state their opinions.”

Suddenly a blonde in a jersey, Jenny Donlon, sat forward in her stool, “Let’s take care of our vets! How much money was spent on this election?”

“Money spent on the election plays a part in who wins,” said Rousselow from the other side of the smoke room.

Donlon is a middle-aged woman with a degree in dairy from Iowa State University. She was raised in a barn and grew up with cows, a passion that continues to be the biggest factor in her life and career.

“Have they even seen cows? Do they have any idea what is going on here in the Heartland?” said Donlon. “Corn and milk and beef prices are too low. It is horrible. Farmers are not making ends meet.”

“People are tired,” Jacobs chimed in. “Milk farmers are not making any money.”

“Nobody gives a sh-t about this place,” said Donlon out of irritation.

Donlon wrote in Betty White for president because she thinks White has more knowledge than

both Hillary and Trump. Donlon even unplugged her television so she didn’t have to hear the media talk about either candidate. As a 24/7, 365-day worker, it is evident Donlon is also drained by the country’s political establishment.

“Hey, hey,” said Jacobs requesting the attention be brought to him. “Make sure you write this down. The CIA killed JFK!”

With that, Jacobs left the conversation. With his absence, a new elderly man walked into the room. After listening in for a few minutes, the anonymous man decided to join in the booming conversation.

“We need to get rid of parties,” he said. “Whoever is our president should represent the United States. You’re not a Republican, you’re not a Democrat. You just represent the United States.” Donlon, like-minded, said, “This country is a little messed and they don’t even get it.”

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“People aren’t as dumb as they’d like us to be,” said Gerard.

Mielke, who is from Alaska and just visiting Gerard, voted for Barack Obama in the last elections and flipped to Donald Trump because he desires change. He questioned his decision on voting for Obama afterwards, but at the time he saw him as the best candidate. Mielke sees the system as corrupt, especially on the congressional level. He also is registered as undeclared.

“I won’t go to a (political) party,” said Mielke. “Parties are the worst thing to happen to this country.”

Gerard, who lives in Minnesota, voted for Trump too. He speaks on behalf of numerous individuals residing in Mabel, MN who are fuming over how the media covered the elections.

“The media is putting what they want out there,” said Mielke.

Mielke’s rich Alaskan mentality is evident through his ideologies. Mielke sits in a camouflage trucker hat and orange plaid shirt with suspenders. He’s a man who lives off the grid, avoiding technology and the internet at all costs.

Mabel is an area rich in land with a population of about 1,400 with the medium age about 47 years old and the race being 98% white. Their historical society is in a barn and they have one hotel, which is the oldest running hotel in the state where even Charles Lindbergh once stayed. They also have a liquor store, a church, two places for food, an American Legion, and they celebrate Hesper-Mabel Steam Engine Days in September to name a few. A couple miles down the road sits Harmony, MN, the largest Amish community in the state, home to the religious group known for exceedingly living off the grid. Both towns are located in Fillmore, Minnesota, which flipped from Obama to Trump by among the highest percentages in the country, although Clinton won Minnesota (a historically blue state no one expected Trump to make competitive, until he did).

Mielke, unknowingly sharing common traits with the Amish, grew up in Alaska and has worked construction and in commercial fishing. As for Gerard, a career dealing with the elements isn’t strange. Gerard’s entire family is full of farmers; he was even raised on a farm. Gerard lived on the west coast for numerous years. He was a logger for 35 years and also lived in North Dakota working on oil fields. He moved back to Mabel a year ago and is outside every day. The two men are hard workers who have used their hands in isolated places their entire lives.

“I’m not in a city,” said Gerard. “I’m not around people all the time. I’m here where I am alone. It’s slower. I can think for a little bit. We don’t have six million people like New York City. We are all rural. A lot of these people that live in cities are sheep. They don’t have a mind of their own.”

A mind of his own, steering clear of the system and mainstream culture is how Gerard lives. He doesn’t use ATM’s, does not have a credit card, has 3 checking accounts, doesn’t own a smartphone or computer, and does not use the internet.

“You kids would be lost without technology,” said Mielke backing up Gerard as he crosses his arms.

Gerard is munching on his toast while listening to Mielke voice his irritation with the media. Though they don’t follow the media, they follow the local news and CNN. Gerard’s glossy blue

eyes dart back and forth between whoever holds the conversation. He has Norwegian blonde hair, a background that is highly expressed in Mabel, and is geared up in head-to-toe orange for a day of hunting.

“The media was saying Hillary is winning but really Trump was by 50 percent,” said Gerard.

The lack of trust locals have with the media manifested cursorily this election due to the belief the media was pushing Democratic views onto viewers. Though voters can acknowledge the bad in both Hillary and Trump, the feeling that the media sugarcoated Hillary’s wronging and oversized Trump’s lingered.

“I don’t want a bunch of people looking at us like we are idiots over here,” said Mielke. “I don’t care if a person is a democrat or a republican. I vote for who is the best.”

The media isn’t the only thing locals doubt, they also heavily distrust politicians, especially Hillary Clinton.

“Politicians are in it for the money,” said Gerard. “Everybody in the country is against politicians. I just don’t care for politicians at all.”

Though the thought of having a non-politician in office sparked interest in Gerard and Mielke, the two men agree with some of his opinions.

Mielke agrees with Trump on oversea immigrants, such as the Muslim community. He believes they are raised to kill each other and are a bigger threat to the country than Mexicans. He believes immigrants from Mexico should be documented and have no criminal record. However, if they have been working in the country, he believes they can stay here. Gerard shares similar opinions on immigrants.

“Am I bothered by what Trump said? No,” said Gerard. “We don’t want people from oversea bringing their bad juju here. Why should we be paying our good tax money on them? They don’t want to be helped. I don’t give a sh-t if they kill each other.”

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