Apologies about the tone. I'll do better on it and appreciate the back and forth.
2. On deplorables, I do understand the apology, and agree with your take on what she was apologizing for. I think she did intend to imply "no apology owed" to the racist, sexist, Islamaphobic block. She knows it's it's not half, but was liking to concern that crowd.
As for the wall, no, I wouldn't characterise that specifically as racist. What I would characterize as racist and xenophobic is the language trump has used to drum up fear in support of his wall. I would say anybody who listens to and is excited by a presidential nominee launching his campaign for president with the racist comments he began with last year, yes, racist. I think racism is deplorable. Was it smart for her to be loose with her terms, and unclear that she was calling out racism and the like as deplorable? No way.
3) Training coal miners specifically in a dying profession with the skills to apply towards growing professions is a change in policy based on a mix of understanding their needs (jobs), and the reality of the situation. Based on #4, you may disagree with me on that reality, and I know that many miners likely disagree on that reality.
4) Coal miners certainly don't want to believe that their profession is dying, and trump is a master of playing of those feelings by claiming he alone will reopen closed coal mines. I guess never say never, but at this point, barring a complete collapse in natural gas, oil, and renewables, coal miner as a profession is a dying breed. Heres why:
That article you linked is from two and a half years ago at the start of 2014. 2013 was the height of coal demand. Since this article was written, saying there's "still a chance", natural gas has boomed, and coal demand has dropped significantly. It's simply the most expensive form of energy, and with all the other options available, this isn't going to turn around.
On top of that, and this is perhaps the bigger point (even if you disagree with all the above): coal miners have been losing their jobs for decades, even when there was a booming market for this. Automation is the reason for this. I know you've spent a lot of time in the businessworld, doc. Tell me if you think those coal mine owners are going to go back on hundreds of years of efficiency and automation so coal miners can have their jobs back? It's not going to happen.
So, I'd say that trumps claim that he'll reopen the coal mines, and that they'll get their jobs back is so far short of a real policy proposal it'd be laughable if it wasn't terrible. He's playing on their base needs, knowing that he won't employ West Virginians in coal mines. I'd say Hillary and Donald both understand these folks, and are listening to their needs. The problem for Hillary there is that she's telling them what they need to hear with real policy to back it, and Donald is telling them what they want to hear, with no policy to back it (unless you want to point me towards his real plan for opening coal mines, chasing the larger market forces, and re-employing unneeded labor in this already too expensive form of energy production).
Hope the tone is improved.