Thursday, November 10, 2016

More thoughts on Tuesday.

Before 1968, the political party of white working class men was the Democratic party.

Richard Nixon--an evil man but an adroit political animal--noticed something the democrats didn't.

White working class men were hurting. They were feeling that government was beginning to take more away from them than it was giving them.

The democrats missed this. 

And rather than addressing in a positive way the woes of working class America, rather than fighting to strengthen unions, rather than putting a renewed emphasis on job training and social security, the democrats abandoned their traditional constituency and found new ones.

Mostly, they fell into a cozy relationship with African-American voters (who as a bloc support democratic candidates to the tune of 90%) and Wall Street and Hollywood elites.

White working class men have seen their wages go backwards since 1970.

That's almost half a century without a raise. With unions eviscerated. With jobs going elsewhere.

Who was fighting for them?

The Republicans--divisive always--saw this discontent. And said--it's black people who are doing this to you. Black people and elites and the democratic party.

Tuesday this came home to roost.

Again.

Remember, we've been down this road before. With the retrograde and dictatorial Nixon. With the "ketchup is a vegetable," "you can win a nuclear war" Reagan, and the younger Bush who gave away whatever was left of the country to the military-industrial-petroleum establishment.

I'm pasting once again this old Ed McCabe, Carl Ally Volvo ad here.

Look at it and consider.

We have forgotten in our work too, the pain of our constituents. Rather than discuss real emotions and real feelings, in our work we tell dopey jokes and depict plasticine people whose biggest problems are where to park when they're out for their $250 dinner.

In short, I believe the democrats--and yes, us--have lost our empathy for people who aren't like us.

We have chosen instead to Glibberize problems.

We are out of touch.

Tone deaf.

That led to anger.

That led to this.

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