No Sympathy For The Hillbilly

[RedSpartan]

Last edited Wed Mar 22, 2017, 10:30 AM - Edit history (1)

Frank Rich of New York Magazine nails it, as he always does:

So hold the empathy and hold on to the anger. If Trump delivers on his promises to the “poorly educated” despite all indications to the contrary, then good for them. Once again, all the Trump naysayers will be proved wrong. But if his administration crashes into an iceberg, leaving his base trapped in America’s steerage with no lifeboats, those who survive may at last be ready to burst out of their own bubble and listen to an alternative. Or not: Maybe, like Hochschild’s new friends in Louisiana’s oil country, they’ll keep voting against their own interests until the industrial poisons left unregulated by their favored politicians finish them off altogether. Either way, the best course for Democrats may be to respect their right to choose.

Basically, the Democrats need to stop wasting their time trying to “reach,” “speak to,” or even understand redneck idiots who for generations have voted against their own interests and continue to do so, no matter what. (See, for example, "What’s The Matter With Kansas?&quot They sit around being brainwashed by Fox News and right-wing hate radio, bitching about how all their problems are the fault of someone else – – usually some “liberals” or “elites” and almost always someone with darker skin – – despite claiming to be from the Party of Personal Responsibility. And, in mind-blowingly hypocritical fashion, they want the government to bail them out by “bringing their jobs back.” (Check our prior post “[link:http://thisamericancarnageblog.com/bootstraps-and-bullshit|]Bootstraps and Bullshit.”)

In sum, they made their bed. Let them sleep in it. We, on the other hand, need to stay woke.

[link:http://thisamericancarnageblog.com|

[Squinch]

1. Just looked in at Freeperville out of curiosity. No mention of Russian theft of

our Democracy, no mention of healthcare. Lots of talk about how the increase on opiate addiction is Obama's fault.

They aren't learning anything. I suspect the only way they will learn is for their fondest wishes to come true.

[Loki Liesmith]

2. Is there a win strategy for the Democratic party

Without blue collar whites? Not in the distant future, but now?

Don't know the answer. It may that to win becoming a party for minorities and the *upper* middle class (and both to the extant they overlap) will work. But it changes what we are about a bit.

[Coventina]

3. The overall majority of working poor voted for Hillary. There's no reason why we can't win

without changing who we are.

But if you want to try winning over those brutes, go right ahead.

[PDittie]

5. I'd like to see that statistic

if you have it handy.

[Coventina]

9. Here's an article with a graph

http://jezebel.com/please-stop-saying-poor-people-did-this-1788813761

[PDittie]

13. That's a good link and thanks for it

But it uses median household income, which is not the best measurement IMO in defining "working poor". Doesn't mean it's wrong or even off; even "average household income" would be similarly skewed. Separating presidential preference by specific income bracket, and those by percentage of state electorate (not national: we all know Hillary won the popular vote, which is not how we elect presidents, unfortunately) might give me a better grasp on agreement with your original premise.

But for all I know this is the best way this can be measured.

The link is most interesting -- relative to me, anyway -- in its blaming Bernie Sanders for "the most dishonest liberal saying". I would have expected nothing less from a writer from Jezebel.

[Loki Liesmith]

7. The words you typed have exactly zero relationship...

to the question I asked.

[PDittie]

8. Agreed.

"working poor" does not = "poorly educated" most certainly does not = "hillbilly"

"Blue collar whites" may correlate to "working poor" depending on how the terms are are defined and then how they are polled/surveyed, and there may some overlap of the demographic circles. But I am dubious there is enough to stretch to the assertion made (of which I will patiently wait for some verification nevertheless).

[Orrex]

10. We should redouble our efforts to reach out to women and minorities

Many of whom make up the working class.

Every campaign of outreach to those working class white males who rallied behind the racist rapist is a deliberate slap in the face to a woman or a minority voter.

Why should we prize the votes of the working class white male in preference to others?

[Loki Liesmith]

11. Don't necessarily think we should

But I want to find a strategy with a better than even win probability. I don't know what that is at the moment.

[Orrex]

12. On the plus side...

If we work hard (and visibly) to help the working class, then all will reap the rewards, so the white male might benefit even if we don't target him specifically.

Disclaimer: demographically, I'm the white working class male about whom I'm complaining, so I'm not simply throwing stones!

[kentuck]

4. Sympathy For The Devil

[LaydeeBug]

6. Yep. You must *TELL* them...they don't want to be asked...

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/3/21/1645715/-Think-respectful-dialogue-works-with-conservatives-and-will-bring-Trump-voters-around-Think-again