If the claim is that this attempt at equal-opportunity pandering will attract white working class voters - I don't think it will. I don't think comparative victimization plays well with the white working class.
Gillibrand hasn't been my favorite Democratic candidate. But I thought she did as well as she could have with her answer to the question she was asked. I especially thought this was good: "A white woman like me who is a senator and running for president of the United States. Has to lift up their voice just as much as I would lift up yours. That’s all it means. It doesn’t take away from you at all. It just means we have to recognize suffering in all its forms and solve it in each place intentionally and with knowledge about what we are up against." It shouldn't be necessary to point out that "...it doesn't take away from you at all." But it also doesn't do any good to assume bad faith on the part of the person you are talking to. Also it points up the disadvantages of jargon and buzzwords; they aren't necessarily good shortcuts to communication.
Making the issue one of race feeds into Trump's narrative. There is no way out of it. You are not going to convince working class Whites that they are privileged. Especially when you are part of the elite Democratic establishment which they do see as privileged.
Gillibrand hasn't a chance of being the Democrat's candidate, but her campaigning, her language, her buzzwords as Katherine points out, will color voters attitudes toward whoever is the candidate.
Gillibrand's answer isn't bad -- for a Democrat. But she is a good example of a party that talks about race because it doesn't have the guts to talk about class. You get a little class-talk from Bernie Sanders, who doesn't call himself a Democrat. Some of the others may hope they'll get credit from being near Bernie. But Democrats, being Democrats, can only talk about identity. Identities have different manifestations, but all of them have the same problem. Which is, the rich get rich and the poor get screwed. The N-word was invented decades ago to prevent poor whites from noticing. John Quincy Adams said precisely that on the floor of the House in the 1830s, and 180 years later -- partly in fear of the S-word (which is just a modern N-word) -- Democrats remain afraid to repeat it.
That's why we got through the college entrance scandals without getting beyond a couple of second rate actors and unidentified "others."
Disadvantaged people often cannibalize each other as they compete for limited opportunities and low levels of wealth.
The white working class that's unemployed wants to know exactly how it is "privileged," the black working class wants to know why they get hired last and go to jail first, and the immigrant working class wants to know why everyone thinks they are taking jobs and sucking up tax money while dodging ICE.
These grievances all work to the good of our capitalist masters. Resentments make it impossible to effectively organize labor unions, and they distract workers from laws that advantage the rich and fail to regulate businesses.
Democrats need to learn how to deflect questions like the one Gillibrand was asked by by asking why they are worrying about abstractions when they should be joining forces with all other workers.
Bernie does, but he's not getting nearly the reaction he got last time around.
Last time around was an election year. This year is an election year only for people who have nothing else to do but follow elections. This year should be for policy -- like why Turkey is going to get F-35s they can use to fine tune Russian missiles (sharing info with Russia) so the missiles can shoot them down. That means we'll need another $billion+ airpane from Lockheed. And when will the great deal maker stop having photo ops and complete a deal? And, obtw, the president has gone completely bonkers, but Republicans haven't noticed. But...
What do the polls show will happen in November, 2020 if November, 2020 were today?
Agree this year should be about policy, which I have heard precious little discussion of. Instead everything is about the president's latest unhinged twitter rant. And he just decided that as of tomorrow asylum seekers can't seek asylum if they came through another country to get here. It's likely illegal and unenforceable, but will he be held accountable? We already know the answer to that. Wonder if his rabies shots are current, he's frothing at the mouth.
If the claim is that this attempt at equal-opportunity pandering will attract white working class voters - I don't think it will. I don't think comparative victimization plays well with the white working class.
ReplyDeleteGillibrand hasn't been my favorite Democratic candidate. But I thought she did as well as she could have with her answer to the question she was asked. I especially thought this was good:
ReplyDelete"A white woman like me who is a senator and running for president of the United States. Has to lift up their voice just as much as I would lift up yours. That’s all it means. It doesn’t take away from you at all. It just means we have to recognize suffering in all its forms and solve it in each place intentionally and with knowledge about what we are up against."
It shouldn't be necessary to point out that "...it doesn't take away from you at all." But it also doesn't do any good to assume bad faith on the part of the person you are talking to.
Also it points up the disadvantages of jargon and buzzwords; they aren't necessarily good shortcuts to communication.
Making the issue one of race feeds into Trump's narrative. There is no way out of it. You are not going to convince working class Whites that they are privileged. Especially when you are part of the elite Democratic establishment which they do see as privileged.
ReplyDeleteSee also: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/opinion/sunday/scaling-wokeback-mountain.html
DeleteGillibrand hasn't a chance of being the Democrat's candidate, but her campaigning, her language, her buzzwords as Katherine points out, will color voters attitudes toward whoever is the candidate.
ReplyDeleteGillibrand's answer isn't bad -- for a Democrat. But she is a good example of a party that talks about race because it doesn't have the guts to talk about class. You get a little class-talk from Bernie Sanders, who doesn't call himself a Democrat. Some of the others may hope they'll get credit from being near Bernie. But Democrats, being Democrats, can only talk about identity. Identities have different manifestations, but all of them have the same problem. Which is, the rich get rich and the poor get screwed. The N-word was invented decades ago to prevent poor whites from noticing. John Quincy Adams said precisely that on the floor of the House in the 1830s, and 180 years later -- partly in fear of the S-word (which is just a modern N-word) -- Democrats remain afraid to repeat it.
ReplyDeleteThat's why we got through the college entrance scandals without getting beyond a couple of second rate actors and unidentified "others."
Disadvantaged people often cannibalize each other as they compete for limited opportunities and low levels of wealth.
ReplyDeleteThe white working class that's unemployed wants to know exactly how it is "privileged," the black working class wants to know why they get hired last and go to jail first, and the immigrant working class wants to know why everyone thinks they are taking jobs and sucking up tax money while dodging ICE.
These grievances all work to the good of our capitalist masters. Resentments make it impossible to effectively organize labor unions, and they distract workers from laws that advantage the rich and fail to regulate businesses.
Democrats need to learn how to deflect questions like the one Gillibrand was asked by by asking why they are worrying about abstractions when they should be joining forces with all other workers.
Bernie does, but he's not getting nearly the reaction he got last time around.
Last time around was an election year. This year is an election year only for people who have nothing else to do but follow elections. This year should be for policy -- like why Turkey is going to get F-35s they can use to fine tune Russian missiles (sharing info with Russia) so the missiles can shoot them down. That means we'll need another $billion+ airpane from Lockheed. And when will the great deal maker stop having photo ops and complete a deal? And, obtw, the president has gone completely bonkers, but Republicans haven't noticed. But...
DeleteWhat do the polls show will happen in November, 2020 if November, 2020 were today?
Agree this year should be about policy, which I have heard precious little discussion of. Instead everything is about the president's latest unhinged twitter rant. And he just decided that as of tomorrow asylum seekers can't seek asylum if they came through another country to get here. It's likely illegal and unenforceable, but will he be held accountable? We already know the answer to that. Wonder if his rabies shots are current, he's frothing at the mouth.
Delete