Noah Berlatsky notes how the media keep using a stick they especially like to beat Democrats with, claiming that Democrats are disdainful of "real" American voters, rural heartland voters. But as he notes,
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
"It assumes that Trump channels the Volk, and therefore is to be given wide latitude; as he supposedly embodies and gives voice to a populist uprising of 'regular folks,' his message is to be amplified; the will of the true people must not be impeded. Who wants to bring the hammer down on the tribune of 'real America'?"
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Dom Arbuthnottreplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy is it fair to say that the #us practices a form of #neoapartheid "democracy"?
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Dom Arbuthnott last edited by
@dominic I think it's fair to say that a sizable swathe of Americans would prefer that kind of "democracy" or to dispense with the notion of democracy altogether. Another large swathe who appear to be the majority want democracy to be extended, to be realized more fully — and want us to realize that it has never been practiced except in imperfect and patchy ways in our nation.
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Christine Johnsonreplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy The essay makes explicit something I wish was said more often: that rural voters being predominantly white is the result of our racist past: government policies gave white people land (Indian Removal/Homestead Act) and protected their rights to it (post-Civil-War South).
As he notes: "the disproportionate whiteness of rural areas is treated as an imprimatur of purity, rather than as the result of a deliberately executed policy of racism."
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Christine Johnson last edited by
@christinkallama That's a very good point. You're right: this is a central theme in Heather Cox Richardson's book on how the South won the Civil War, especially as she talks about the American West.
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Dan Neumanreplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy If a politician isn't connecting with racists, that's a feature, not a bug.
It seems the only remaining strategy is make it clear that the Republicans are racist and their voters are ok with that. The Dems were never going to get the outright racists, but maybe some of the casual racists might think twice.
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Dan Neuman last edited by
@dan613 It's clear to me that some politicians thrive on connecting with racists. It's not clear to me that all politicians do so.
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Dan Neumanreplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy Oh I wasn't trying to imply all politicians could connect to racists, or would even want to. But Trump definitely is connecting and definitely wants to. There's no point for a non-racist politician to debase themselves in trying to appeal to those voters via other policies. No rational policy beats racism.
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Darwin Woodkareplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy they're racists duh
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Dan Neuman last edited by
@dan613 Yes, that definitely makes sense to me.
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Darwin Woodka last edited by
@darwinwoodka Race determines far, far more than the mainstream media want to admit, when it comes to the voting patterns of rural white voters.
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Snigdhareplied to William Lindsey :toad: last edited by
@wdlindsy An illuminating read - thank you for sharing.
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William Lindsey :toad:replied to Snigdha last edited by
@snigdha You're welcome. I agree, illuminating.