Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

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
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last
To: Yashcheritsiy

A few more Ivy League rejection letters to liberal white Northeasterners and the percentage will grow.


21 posted on 11/15/2014 9:06:55 AM PST by gusty
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

The Democrat message is that they are the Party of Blacks, Communists, and Homosexuals; practice identity politics to discriminate against whites; and specialize in proving free stuff to non working voters at the expense of working voters. And they wonder why they have lost the white, working class vote?


22 posted on 11/15/2014 9:08:07 AM PST by centurion316
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why Democrats Can’t Win Over White Working-Class Voters


Well, a guy named Gruber just confirmed the suspicions of the Democrat Agenda against them demonstrating one of the reasons why of a lot of White Working-Class Voters are leaving the Democrat Party.

Now we just need another smarmy, mouthy member of Jamelle Bouie’s community to spill the beans and tell the truth about another key part of the Democrats Agenda against them - as if Ferguson was not enough to send the message.

23 posted on 11/15/2014 9:22:44 AM PST by rdcbn
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yashcheritsiy
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.

Enter 'comprehensive immigration reform'.

24 posted on 11/15/2014 9:24:56 AM PST by skeeter
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Christ, hundreds of blathering words to make the same, old tired argument: They’re racists!


25 posted on 11/15/2014 9:27:41 AM PST by NohSpinZone (First thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
Why Democrats Can’t Win Over White Working-Class Voters

Because dey be racis!

26 posted on 11/15/2014 9:38:44 AM PST by Rodamala
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

I undertand the author wanted to focus on economics and it’s a pretty good article despite his repeated insistence that white working class people are all a bunch of racists.

But there are many other issues that have chased voters away from the Dems, abortion, their boosterism of homosexuality, their seeming hatred FOR these white workers - those “bitter clingers”.

These are important issues. As I said to my kid once: no, I wouldn’t go work for Planned Parenthood, even if they offered me a million dollars a year.

It ain’t always all about money.


27 posted on 11/15/2014 9:45:33 AM PST by jocon307
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

The Dems can only win these voters by lying to them or voting for them.

Both tried and true strategies.


28 posted on 11/15/2014 9:45:50 AM PST by <1/1,000,000th%
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Rodamala

I think part of it is also, because the Democrats are the party of every left wing cause, every wacko idea, the party of political correctness, the party of public assistance...........

Working class people go to work every day. What does the Democrat party have to offer such people? The Democrat party pushes global warming, homosexual marriage, affirmative action/minorities having special rights, illegal aliens having special rights, this bizarre business about “transgendered” bathrooms and all those related issues.

It’s as if every bizarre cause in the world has found its political home in the Democrat party.

And, there is a tendency for the liberals to attack and denigrate those who disagree with them as racist,sexist, bigoted, homophobic, and all of that. There are no honest policy disagreements with Democrats, instead, you are attacked as some sort of bigoted monster.

For these and other reasons, you see many working class people who just can’t identify with the Democrat party and its causes.


29 posted on 11/15/2014 9:50:30 AM PST by Dilbert San Diego (s)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 26 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

If people pay just a little attention they see that working people of all colors are getting screwed over, especially by Rats.


30 posted on 11/15/2014 10:02:14 AM PST by vpintheak (Keep calm and Rain Steel!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Farmer Dean

1/2 of those white voters (the men) probably won’t support policies that deny them college admissions, jobs, or promotions.

Giving freebies in all three categories to minorities/women makes that a no-brainer; if the opposition to Democrats was fascists or monarchists that opposed affirmative action they’d have my vote.


31 posted on 11/15/2014 10:09:34 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Dilbert San Diego

“affirmative action/minorities having special rights”

The eliminates 1/2 the white vote right there; if college classes are currently 60% female, how many of the remaining 40% of seats are taken by white guys? Twenty years ago there was already plenty of black & Asian guys...


32 posted on 11/15/2014 10:16:51 AM PST by kearnyirish2 (Affirmative action is economic warfare against white males (and therefore white families).)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 29 | View Replies]

To: wiggen

It is a good article.

Of course, its from the other side so the point is how the Left can win them back.

Which is what people here object to.

But its at least a reasonable analysis of how the elitist and race obsessed Left walked away from their original base, who they now vilify as racist rubes clinging to their guns and bibles.

Dont worry. The Left wont get it. They are never gonna be the party of Bob and Joe ever again, no matter how much they posture.

The real question is, will the republican party take advantage of this, and make life better for the Joe’s? Or just the Reinces....


33 posted on 11/15/2014 10:42:04 AM PST by Regulator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: MeshugeMikey
Mister Bouies been drinking Mrs Biden's lil boy Joey's favorite Beverage...apparently

Don't be so quick to hang the guy over one unfortunate turn of phrase.

34 posted on 11/15/2014 10:42:06 AM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Windflier
I didnt have the time to quite the rest of his stuff.....

not to worry theres a new day dawning.....


35 posted on 11/15/2014 10:46:17 AM PST by MeshugeMikey ("Never, Never, Never, Give Up," Winston Churchill)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

How many times does Jamalle think whites should bow down, hand over their money, and let the democrats call them racist bigotted hillbillies? When Holder and Obama don’t do a thing about the Black Panthers intimidating voters and calling for the killing of cracker babies is that suppose to help. How about white USA citizens being pushed aside for millions of illegals that the white taxpayer will be expected to support?


36 posted on 11/15/2014 11:03:58 AM PST by Organic Panic
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MeshugeMikey

Whatevah...


37 posted on 11/15/2014 11:05:51 AM PST by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet
"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."

They are well aware of this. There was a time when the white working class made up their base. The problem they are having now is that they cant have their cake and eat it. Their race bating tactics have caused them to demonize white people to the extent that they are losing them. Thus the push to import millions of uneducated "Latinos" from down south to counter the effects of their own policies. They are now depending on the demographics of poverty to keep them in power. Therefor the term "Poverty Pimps".

38 posted on 11/15/2014 11:34:41 AM PST by Desron13
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Windflier

One of the comments there:

peteTheBee
23 hours ago

@nomoreno @peteTheBee wow. you really do think they’re stupid. you really think that dude. pipelines get blocked because some people march around the capital. fracking gets shut down in the third largest state because yoko ono doesn’t want it. white dudes look at this and think “doesn’t take much to throw welders out of work with the dems in charge, does it?”


39 posted on 11/15/2014 11:50:52 AM PST by combat_boots (The Lion of Judah cometh. Hallelujah. Gloria Patri, Filio et Spiritui Sancto!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 37 | View Replies]

To: 2ndDivisionVet

Besides the socialist’s/dem’s whole ideology being offensive, their constant harping on one’s skin color and insults to those who make their world work, what is there not to like? /s

Elitists, both sides, think that the food magically appears in the stores, as does all the goods they consume. They sneer at those who make their appliances work or serve their (outrageous, at times), needs. There are people out there who prefer “to make and do” than sit in some office in front of a computer.

As I said to one liberal on a list I own- If it was not for the “uneducated” blue-collar working class, there would NOT be anyone to wipe her fat, saggy liberal hinny in the care home when she reaches that age. She finally went away. She was first perturbed at me for having an IQ over 170, and refusing to go to college when younger and becoming something I am not, along with being bored out of my mind doing a white-collar thing.

Add their hatred for women who stay home to care for and raise their family to the long list of why I would never lower my ideals to theirs. I prefer a man with calluses on his hands than one with soft, wussy hands. ;)


40 posted on 11/15/2014 12:08:30 PM PST by hearthwench (Debbi - Mom, NaNa, and always ornery)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-47 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
GOP Club
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson