Trump's Populist Appeal - He Expands Racial/Gender Based Exclusivity to the Working Class
President Lyndon B. Johnson once said, "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." You could also extend this quote to convincing the lowest man that he is better than the best, most qualified woman.
Some folks, like Bill Mahrer, have argued that liberals should drop efforts to protect women, minorities, and religious minorities because this is "identity politics" and liberals should instead focus on economic issues like Trump did during the campaign.
Of course, this ignores that Trump never did offer a cogent economic plan that would members of the working class. Instead, his campaign was built on scapegoating and xenophobia. As President, Trump has double down on such hate based attacks, yet his support among his core, white working class male base remains strong even though his actual proposals are deeply harmful to such folks.
The issue is not that Trump is focused on the economy and the well-being of workers while Democrats are only focused on "identity based" politics. To the contrary, the opposite is true. Trump's continue attacks on immigrants, Muslims, minorities, etc., appeal to the desire among his base for exclusivity based on race and gender. Trump has democratized exclusivity by selling white male privilege. And, this membership comes at the low price of your healthcare, job protections and environmental protections.
Rather than ignore such issues, liberals need to highlight how Republicans are using racism and sexism to not only oppress women and minorities, but to oppress white working class males by selling them a membership in an exclusive club that comes at a very high cost.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/16/nyregion/a-peek-inside-the-country-club.html
People join clubs for many reasons, but some join precisely because they are exclusive.
'Your Own Kind' ''What gives a club its cachet is that it is restricted,'' said Suzanne Keller, a professor of sociology at Princeton. ''In a mobile social system, nobody is very secure. There is always either the threat from below or from above; somebody is always wealthier or brighter, or has the newest or the latest. The country club allows you to display your status and to confine that status to your own kind.''
Of course, people also join for more pedestrian reasons. ''You have to be careful not to jump to conclusions and say 'they're all bigots,' or 'they want to separate themselves from the masses,''' said David Wilder, a professor of psychology at Rutgers. ''For one person, it may be status to join a certain club; for another, it may be that that's where he can get a tennis court on a Saturday morning.''
Then there is the deeper sense of belonging a person is likely to find at a club than at the local mall. ''One of the common criticisms of our suburban culture, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, is that there's no there there,'' said Professor Wilder. ''Geographically, as we spread ourselves out, the club serves some of the functions of the old New England town hall. It's a place to gather, to socialize and to the extent that clubs make their own policies, to perform a civic function.''
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Wish we didn't have to live through it
White male equality. Everyone should have access to capital to fund their slave labor camps, not just the elite people in with all eastern bankers.
