2016 Postmortem
In reply to the discussion: Please STOP TELLING ME I'll Vote for Hillary Clinton Because I'M A CHICK. [View all]cascadiance
(19,537 posts)Which is what the CORPORATE leadership of this party was putting in as candidates for election in these states. Many of these voters hate being pushed down the ladder with low minimum wages whether they are Democratic voters or Republican voters. But both party candidates that they get put in front of them are pro corporate that want to screw them for their corporate buddies. So many of them would rather vote for a party which is a bit more honest that they are corporation's buddies, and might vote on other social issues for what they want than a Democrat who will screw them on economic policies and not be a fan of theirs on social issues either.
The minimum wage vote is a proxy vote for them wanting a candidate that supports populist issues that corporate elements of both parties don't consistently support. They don't have to worry about "trust" with an issue they are voting on rather than a person.
Someone like Bernie, who will take on voting for those populist stances on issues like the minimum wage more to what they want and does so in a way where they feel he's more honest on this and so many other issues is more apt to get their vote, even if they feel he might be a bit different in their views on some social issues. And even on some of these issues, like gun control, they see someone like Sanders taking a more nuanced stance when he was a senator for Vermont to work for his constituents wishes.
i would argue that the minimum wage is a proxy not on a "left/wing" scale the way corporate Democrats try to have all candidates analyzed, but is a proxy measure for the level of populism a state wants on the scale of whether a candidate is pro 1% or pro 99%. So many so-called "moderates" are anything but "moderate" when measured on the populist scale. They are very much pro wealth minority and therefore are far more EXTREME in their viewpoints for that wealthy segment of the populace.