http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/03/if-democrats-want-appeal-working-class-they-really-need-some-policies-benefit-wor
Sean McElwee urges Democrats to find a new way to appeal to the working class:
For decades, thinkers on the left have wondered why the working class regularly votes against its own interests....
Thomas Frank argued that social issues obscure economic motives, and indeed the most salient non-economic one has always been race, at least in this country....Nixon’s “law and order campaign” played on racial fears, as did Reagan’s denunciation of “welfare queens.”
Republicans played at race to win solid majorities for decades while actively working against the interests of the majority of Americans. The left has much to learn about this strategy. It needs to fundamentally re-align Americans around an issue with a deep and latent importance: the environment.
I don't really want to pick on McElwee here, but I guess I'm feeling a little peevish this morning. Why is it that the working class often votes against its own economic interests? Well, let's compare the sales pitches of the Republican and Democratic parties when it comes to pocketbook issues:
- Republicans: We will lower your taxes.
- Democrats: We, um, support policies that encourage a fairer distribution of growth and....and....working man....party of FDR....um....
i agree to a degree, we are terrible at messaging and more detrimental counter messaging that is why the republican propaganda machine seems to always get the first and last word i have complained about this failing of ours many times it leads to indifference and hopelessness.
it's almost like our Progressive leaders are afraid of something it can't be right wing rhetoric that's a given and has been for last 5 years especially, why we are afraid i don't know it's like screaming at the quarterback to pass before that linebacker cleans his clock from behind.
There are two problems with the Democratic approach. First, it's too abstract to appeal to anyone. Second, it's not true anyway. Democrats simply don't consistently support concrete policies that help the broad working and middle classes. Half of them voted for the bankruptcy bill of 2005.They've done virtually nothing to stem the growth of monopolies and next to nothing to improve consumer protection in visible ways. They don't do anything for labor. They're soft on protecting Social Security.They bailed out the banks but refused to bail out underwater homeowners. Hell, they can't even agree to kill the carried interest loophole, a populist favorite if ever there was one.Sure, Democrats do plenty for the poor. They support increases in the EITC and the minimum wage. They support Medicaid expansion. They passed Obamacare. They support pre-K for vulnerable populations. They expanded CHIP. But virtually none of this really benefits the working or middle classes except at the margins.
i disagree mostly because we are not the only say so we are not the purse string holders and we have a congress that pledged to do nothing and has stuck to their word.
now that said there was a time we controlled it all and did not do the things we are trying to now, we have these guys the call blue dogs that vote contrary to party lines and politicians in red states that have to listen to those people rant against Progressive bills and laws or not get re-elected i think it's worst to stay and get re-elected to do the same contrary things that prevent the party agenda from ever manifesting.
we also had Progressive leaders who did not have Pres. back first term he was not advised or had his coat pulled when he was about to do something that only reasonable people would agree to or even listen to that IMO was the beginning of our downward spiral can't have a team with one player playing.
as for 30 years of nothing i think he got that from the Bachmann, Palin school yard banter, no one has done more with what we had than Progressives and we don't lie about wanting to do it.
