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Why Democrats Can’t Win Over White Working-Class Voters
Slate ^ | November 14, 2014 | Jamelle Bouie

Posted on 11/15/2014 8:28:54 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet

The party’s economic populism doesn’t reach that far.

The Democratic Party styles itself a fighter for the working class. But a substantial part of that class—the white part—wants nothing to do with it. If we count the white working class as whites without college degrees, then congressional Democrats lost them by 30 points in last week’s elections, contributing to losses in states as diverse as Iowa, Maine, Colorado, North Carolina, and Florida.

But then none of this is new. Democrats lost working class whites by a similar margin in 2010, with almost identical results: A wipeout of Senate seats, House districts, and governorships across the country, in states as liberal as Michigan and Wisconsin. They recovered somewhat in the presidential election—losing working-class whites by just 20 points—and winning the race (and a stronger Senate majority) as a result.

Which gets to an important point: The white working class is a huge subset of Americans. “Close to half of white men and 35–40 percent of white women in the labor force are still essentially ‘working class,’ ” finds liberal commentator Andrew Levison in his book The White Working Class Today. “Their occupations are basically blue collar rather than white collar and their earnings fall far below their white collar counterparts.” And in that category are groups of reachable voters: Union members and low-skilled young workers in particular. Democrats don’t have to win this group as much as they have to avoid a rout. If they can do that—and hold Republicans to a majority rather than a supermajority—then they can avoid the Republican waves of the recent midterm elections, and strengthen their presidential majority.

Hence the recurring debate of how to win these voters, or at least a portion of them....

(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...


TOPICS: Issues; Parties; U.S. Congress; U.S. Senate
KEYWORDS: blacks; democrats; welfare; whites
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1 posted on 11/15/2014 8:28:54 AM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The bottom line is,most people won't vote for politicians who constantly try to pick the public’s pockets.
To add insult to injury,they then give the money to people we despise.
2 posted on 11/15/2014 8:31:44 AM PST by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
SUBSET!??? "the white working class is a huge subset of Americans."

Little Mister Bouies been drinking Mrs Biden's lil boy Joey's favorite Beverage...apparently


3 posted on 11/15/2014 8:34:12 AM PST by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill)
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To: Farmer Dean

There’s also the issue of the riots. No sane person likes the idea of being a potential riot target. Some people don’t see the full picture of Ferguson, but I think the fact that people reversed bigotry, isn’t a pretty picture.


4 posted on 11/15/2014 8:35:52 AM PST by Morpheus2009
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Jamelle is a smooth, literate writer pimping for the “D” party. The thrust is how to trick white working class voters into voting for his cause, and how it’s strategically important.

This isn’t about right and wrong, or what’s good for the country. It’s about what’s good for the Dems and for blacks.


5 posted on 11/15/2014 8:39:13 AM PST by Pearls Before Swine
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Democrats need more bottom feeders.


6 posted on 11/15/2014 8:39:54 AM PST by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Because Democrats are the champions of every two-bit loser, pervert, fringe group. But they couldn’t care less about the white, Anglo, working middle class. That’s become patently obvious in the last few decades.


7 posted on 11/15/2014 8:41:12 AM PST by IronJack
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To: Farmer Dean

well he says that. its a good article.


8 posted on 11/15/2014 8:42:08 AM PST by wiggen (The teacher card. When the racism card just won't work.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
Its funny the way these analysts talk about "todays young people being more liberal" as if thats some kind of harbinger for the future.

They never stop to consider that yesterday's young people were also more liberal than their elders, and - guess what - they are the more conservative voters of today Mr Bouie is complaining about.

9 posted on 11/15/2014 8:43:28 AM PST by skeeter
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To: 2ndDivisionVet
The white working class is a ...

What is this "class" of which this author speaks?

Is it tenth grade? fourth grade?

Is it something fashionable and classy?

Maybe, kinda chic or something?

Oh, wait... must be just plain language used in Marxism.

10 posted on 11/15/2014 8:43:54 AM PST by C210N (When people fear government there is tyranny; when government fears people there is liberty)
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To: Pearls Before Swine

maybe in other articles. In this one he states the truth. He makes no bones about and in fact says if he were a blue collar white laborer he wouldn’t vote dem either.


11 posted on 11/15/2014 8:43:54 AM PST by wiggen (The teacher card. When the racism card just won't work.)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Democrats need the votes of White men more than Republicans need minorities. That will only increase in the coming generation which has been treated shamefully by the government as they legislate against White men.


12 posted on 11/15/2014 8:44:00 AM PST by txrefugee
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Democrats represent the NON-WORKING class. The “white working class” doesn’t aspire to that condition, and therefore see the Democrats policies are threatening.

Even much of the vast white non-working class would prefer to be free. Democrat voters basically fear self-responsibility.


13 posted on 11/15/2014 8:44:58 AM PST by Chewbarkah
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

Stupid black racist writes stupid column, liberal media swoon.

Race has nothing to do with anything discussed here, it is all about TRYING To inject race into it.


14 posted on 11/15/2014 8:47:36 AM PST by Mr. K (Palin/Cruz 2016)
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To: Farmer Dean

The members of the Democratic Party and the Party itself has never been for the working man or the working class. Don’t believe me, look at the history of the Democratic Party and Democrats. They are a collection of scoundrels, liars, crooks and treasonous pukes.


15 posted on 11/15/2014 8:48:06 AM PST by Parmy
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This is exactly what Sarah Palin was alluding to and has been for a few years now. The working class voter, who was once a solid core of the Democrat base is either abandoning Dems or not voting at all. All the dems seem to want to talk about is minorities and women issues and tend to be forsaking everyone else. How do you think that the average working class person who’s struggling for jobs, feels about amnesty coming down to pipeline where they have to now compete with illegals for what’s left out there on the job market. They may not be Reagan Democrats but they probably are solid dems that feel frustrated and COULD vote in the next Presidential election for a Republican if these Republican leaders would stop trying to emulate Democrats with this “me too attitude”. No more liberal republican nominees! We need a conservative populist and populist isn’t a dirty word if its done right because looking back at history, Reagan was a conservative with populist themes spread throughout his campaigns, he was the one that said you can’t be for big government, big taxes, big bureaucracy and be for the little guy!


16 posted on 11/15/2014 8:49:45 AM PST by Bigtigermike
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The comments at the site are most amusing. Sort by oldest first.


17 posted on 11/15/2014 8:50:02 AM PST by proxy_user
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To: Parmy

I wonder if the Dems who voted for RICO got a chill down their spines later?


18 posted on 11/15/2014 8:50:55 AM PST by Farmer Dean (stop worrying about what they want to do to you,start thinking about what you want to do to them)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

The GOP won 60% of the white vote in 2014 and won heavily.

If the GOP can ever find a way to get 70% of the white vote, they will win it going away for the next 20-30 years.


19 posted on 11/15/2014 9:03:29 AM PST by Yashcheritsiy (GOP wins - now hold their feet to the fire!)
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To: 2ndDivisionVet

This article just points out how clueless the Left is. Occam’s Razor is never a concept they can accept. The white working class, you know, the plumbers, electricians, roofers, etc have figured out something. They have figured out that when the economy grows, they do well. When business, the white middle classes’ employer, and for the tradesmen, their customers, do well, they do well. Under Democrats, the rich trust funders do well on Wall Street, but the rest of us do not, except for those employed by government. Under Reaganomics, actual business’ that makes things do well, thus everybody who works does well.


20 posted on 11/15/2014 9:04:17 AM PST by gusty
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