Lecture Six has been delivered, recorded, edited, converted, and stored, ready to be uploaded on Friday, so now perhaps I can return to the primary campaign. There is growing in me the wisp of a dream of a Sanders presidency. Bernie is doing very well indeed with white voters whose household income is $50,000 or under [essentially half of all households, more or less], as well as with the young [the figures there defy belief.] If he can crack the minority vote, which I believe he can, then we may actually see a Trump/Sanders race, in which case Bloomberg will probably run on a third party ticket. All the commentators think that would hurt the Democrats more than the Republicans, but I think that is wrong. Bernie would do well with white working class men, the so-called Reagan Democrats to whom Trump is appealing. Just imagine: Bernie against two billionaires! What more could he ask?
Seriously, this is a moment like none other in my lifetime. Class interests seem to be taking precedence over cultural, religious, or racial and ethnic concerns. We may have to trot out all the old union songs and update the lyrics. Where are Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger when we need them?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Given that you've spent so much of your life studying race and class, where do you side on the whole race-class debate? Race is reducible to class? Race is separate but interconnected to class. Race is seperate. Etc.
On Sanders getting some of the minority vote, this has to be a happy bit of news: http://www.democracynow.org/2016/2/10/ta_nehisi_coates_is_voting_for
Yes, I saw that. This is getting very interesting.
I worry about the impending jew-baiting. The Clinton camp will be subtle about it ("let's hear for Hillary's christian faith") and, in an "only in America" gambit combine it with soft-on-Israel mud.
I am trying to remember why the Clintons and their minions have a reputation as good campaigners. It couldn't be because Bill defeated Bob "Mr. Charisma" Dole?
Here's one problem with the Bloomberg scenario that's getting some liberal media attention here in the northeast. Bloomberg carries a state or two or more, no one gets a majority of the electoral college, election is decided by the Republican House of Representatives. Oy. Tom the Unknown
I guess the question I would ask is which white voters with incomes under 50 thousand dollars is Bernie doing well with. Are they young educated voters who can't get a good job and pay their university debt in spite of their university education, etc., or are they the Reagan Democrats whom you refer to in the original post, that is, the white working class? If the former, then, as many have pointed out, Bernie has a great appeal to the young. If the latter, then he will take votes away from Trump. I have no idea myself.
Good question. The reports I heard did not say anything about the class identity of those under 50,000 in annual income.
Post a Comment