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Showing Original Post only (View all)Democrats' hunt for the white working-class male voter [View all]
Democrats were once the party of the white working man but that was a long time ago.
In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama won only one-third of the votes of white working-class men, a modern-day low. Mitt Romney, who didn't seem much like a blue-collar guy, swept the votes of those working stiffs by a huge margin.
In the 2014 congressional election, Democratic candidates did even worse, one of the main reasons they lost nine Senate seats and their Senate majority.
That imbalance has tormented Democratic activists, who still see themselves as champions of the working class, the party's core identity for most of the last century.
In the 2012 presidential election, Barack Obama won only one-third of the votes of white working-class men, a modern-day low. Mitt Romney, who didn't seem much like a blue-collar guy, swept the votes of those working stiffs by a huge margin.
In the 2014 congressional election, Democratic candidates did even worse, one of the main reasons they lost nine Senate seats and their Senate majority.
That imbalance has tormented Democratic activists, who still see themselves as champions of the working class, the party's core identity for most of the last century.
snip:
The groups that are growing women, minorities, young people tend to vote Democratic. The party's next nominee could still win the White House based mostly on their turnout; that's how Obama won his second term.
But abandoning the hunt for white working-class men would make Democratic candidates vulnerable to any Republican candidate who could win a healthy share of minority voters, as George W. Bush did in 2000 and 2004. Equally important, because of the concentration of minority voters in urban districts, it would doom the Democrats to second place in congressional elections.
But abandoning the hunt for white working-class men would make Democratic candidates vulnerable to any Republican candidate who could win a healthy share of minority voters, as George W. Bush did in 2000 and 2004. Equally important, because of the concentration of minority voters in urban districts, it would doom the Democrats to second place in congressional elections.
Almost by definition, identity politics is one source of the problem; some white noncollege voters have come to view Democrats as a party that cares about women and minorities more than it cares about them.
The biggest driver of white working-class disaffection, however, is clearly economic insecurity, combined with a sense that big government hasn't done much to stand up for the little guy.
Poll after poll has shown that workers without college educations are more pessimistic than anyone else about the economic future. That's only logical, since their job prospects have been worsening for decades.
But there's a striking racial disconnect: White people are more pessimistic than minorities. When the Pew Research Center asked in 2012 whether they expected their children to enjoy a better standard of living, 56% of black and Latino respondents said yes, but only 41% of whites were optimistic.
Poll after poll has shown that workers without college educations are more pessimistic than anyone else about the economic future. That's only logical, since their job prospects have been worsening for decades.
But there's a striking racial disconnect: White people are more pessimistic than minorities. When the Pew Research Center asked in 2012 whether they expected their children to enjoy a better standard of living, 56% of black and Latino respondents said yes, but only 41% of whites were optimistic.
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0419-mcmanus-whites-20150419-column.html
Personally, I have a major problem with the connotation of "working-class" as being "white men without college degrees." That may be a traditional connotation of the working-class, but are not minorities, immigrants, and women a huge part of the American working class today?
Additionally, there are still plenty of more affluent or higher-income white men who do not have college degrees. Somehow, I doubt that they're a liberal crowd.
I reject this framing of the Democratic Party as having "abandoned" the "working-class." I think it's more that a particular segment of the American working class (traditionally, but much less so today, the dominant one - in social, economic, cultural, and political terms) has largely abandoned the Democratic Party. Draw your own conclusions.
That's just my view, though. I'm sure others will disagree.
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as long as whit emen continue to define their masculinity thru their vote, there will be an issue
seabeyond
Apr 2015
#1
But white males do NOT see a vote for the GOP as against their self-interest.
guillaumeb
Apr 2015
#5
The GOP knew they had to break the unions and they did it with a lot of racism and
CTyankee
Apr 2015
#138
So many don't think of themselves as ever having been privileged by their gender or race
YoungDemCA
Apr 2015
#6
while I'm generally not much of a believer in gender politics, this is most of the problem
whatthehey
Apr 2015
#78
" There are no reasons to believe that white men were always knuckle dragging morons."
DonCoquixote
Apr 2015
#107
Guys don't advocate for themselves, they suffer individually, and project that hurt in other ways.
DonCoquixote
Apr 2015
#133
I spend approx 15 hrs a week in bars, w/ a 158 IQ, multiple degrees and a few academic publications
whatthehey
Apr 2015
#137
... and this provides you insight into the attitudes of working class white men?
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2015
#146
Ah yes, the ole' "I will make all of our lives miserable, if it means making your life miserable"
YoungDemCA
Apr 2015
#10
Yep, they don't know they hate Warren yet- only because she hasn't been targeted by Rush and company
bettyellen
Apr 2015
#87
They sure don't want Hillary Clinton, who has no intention of making their lives better.
NYC_SKP
Apr 2015
#84
The values that Warren holds resonate strongly with working class men.
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2015
#128
You do know that probably tens of millions of white guys voted for Obama?
Comrade Grumpy
Apr 2015
#121
Anyone who votes Republican, watches fox news, and listens to Rush Limbaugh...
Cali_Democrat
Apr 2015
#120
Straight white males are voting repulican? Yes, and so are their wives.
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2015
#122
The white electorate is shrinking as a percentage of the vote...and it's shrinking fast.
Cali_Democrat
Apr 2015
#125
When that happens, then who will you kick out of our club in the name of purity? n/t
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2015
#147
"The biggest driver of white working-class disaffection, however, is clearly economic insecurity"
HereSince1628
Apr 2015
#16
"They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or
pampango
Apr 2015
#72
Of course they are. The majority of the republican base opposes TPP. And it's not just the TPP
pampango
Apr 2015
#75
we aren't talking about the republican base we are talking about working class whites.
betterdemsonly
Apr 2015
#83
So "while a slight majority of the democratic base do indicate support" for the TPP,
pampango
Apr 2015
#90
Except when they oppose the TPP which is supported by the "economic reactionary" Obama (and Hillary)
pampango
Apr 2015
#97
Since Obama is winning with most of GOP backing him and the Democrats opposed
betterdemsonly
Apr 2015
#98
The first poll was taken along time ago before most would have heard of TPP
betterdemsonly
Apr 2015
#101
No. The first was done 5 months ago. Your knowledge of who had heard of TPP and
pampango
Apr 2015
#103
I cited the union hard hat violence against anti-war protesters the other day
Fumesucker
Apr 2015
#44
Oh shit, you're right. Will delete there and re-post in response to the other poster.
Ken Burch
Apr 2015
#52
And HRC used a very Nixon-like strategy to win white working-class voters in the late '08 primaries.
Ken Burch
Apr 2015
#53
Her appeal wasn't to the working class though it was to mild racists. n/t
betterdemsonly
Apr 2015
#74
You get white working class voters by talking about class and to fight corporate power.
Ken Burch
Apr 2015
#45
Well said, sadoldgirl. Their motivation is fear: fear of change, fear of the "other"
pampango
Apr 2015
#77
The republicans are motivated by that. Working class white is not the same thing n/t
betterdemsonly
Apr 2015
#85
Agreed. Although republicans use fear of 'others' to attract the votes of working class whites.
pampango
Apr 2015
#91
You push radical, rightwing "free trade" here day and night. To you, the "others" are American workers
Romulox
Apr 2015
#113
Nice to see you around, Romulox. I see your preference for discussing policies not posters
pampango
Apr 2015
#116
How about just concentrating on the working class period? Democrats have abandoned all
liberal_at_heart
Apr 2015
#89
The party of NAFTA, TPP, Bank bailouts wonders WHYOWHY won't the poor vote for us???
Romulox
Apr 2015
#112
Opposing free trade agreement would bring some white working class males back in.
hollowdweller
Apr 2015
#114
Is your entire political world view predicated on a sexual/racial stereotype?
lumberjack_jeff
Apr 2015
#154
Sounds to me like the white working class abandoned the Democratic Party, not the other way around
philosslayer
Apr 2015
#124
The "white working class" knows it is hated by many in the Party. It acts accordingly. nt
Eleanors38
Apr 2015
#129
That is evolving rapidly, thanks to Occupy Wall St. that got the ball rolling on
CTyankee
Apr 2015
#135
I hope you're right. The "old" labor movement grew out of dissatisfaction with what passed
Eleanors38
Apr 2015
#145
Remember that this demographic was hit the hardest in the recent economic recession
davidn3600
Apr 2015
#139