Robert Reich: Three Biggest Democratic Takeaways from Election 2012

[eridani]

http://robertreich.org/

Lesson Three: Democrats Need the White Male Working Class, and the White Male Working Class Should Need the Democrats

To create an enduring coalition, Democrats also need the white working class. They used to have it. In 1960, 57 percent of blue-collar whites identified themselves as Democrats, and only 26 percent as Republicans.

But that support began to erode dramatically. By 1980, 57 percent of the white working class voted for Reagan over Carter; in 1984, 65 percent backed Reagan over Mondale; in 1988 60 percent voted for Bush over Dukakis. And even though Bill Clinton managed to win back white working-class women, the shift of white men to the GOP continued.

It’s tempting to point to race as the major contributor. To be sure, southern whites began deserting the Democratic Party after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. And the GOP has lost no opportunity to play the race card – whether in the “Willie Horton” ads of 1988, or the more subtle racial message of “state’s rights” in 2012.

But that explanation leaves out the bigger story.

[AmandaInAustin]

1. Ways for Obama Volunteers to Sway Swing States at home, by phone or volunteering!

Obama Volunteers: Please Act NOW, from Home, In These Last Critical Days of the Election To Call Democrats in Swing States to Get Our Voters to the Polls--* Make a difference in these 1-Point Races! *Please Take a Moment to Answer This Viral Volunteer Call Below & Forwarding it to Others

*Why is Phone Banking So Critically Important? Because every phone call we make helps us clarify our voters’ data, encourages early voting, recruits volunteers etc. (11/1/12 Update from the Battle-ground State of Florida where I am campaigning) Obama Phone Bankers will only be making (pleasant) phone calls to Democrats to urge our voters to get to the Polls and Join This Critical Campaign’s End Effort.....How-To Directions: Go to www.barackobama.com under the ‘Get Involved” Tab and Hit ‘Make Calls’ button OR for additional detals, go to https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CapZ7atsZHbYvCwfAyMHCKc8rHM7vWbELWFs3dy9O8w/edit (This page also includes more detailed instructions & info on volunteer/staying for free as a Swing State Volunteer)

** Make calls Today, From Home, Using this link: https://login.barackobama.com/login or Go towww.barackobama.com,
Once There, Hit the 'Get involved' Tab Then hit 'Make Calls'

*A quote from MSNBC analysts this morning: If Democratic Voters turn out in mass at the polls, Romney has no chance of winning” (paraphrase mine from the statements of many commentators --Help us Turn out the vote today! )

*****************

*Ways to Forward the Viral Volunteer Call paragraph above NOW to friends
You can Cut and Paste the Paragraph above via email, social networks, phone calls. ****For Facebook Users: You can Put the paragraph at the end of all your facebook posts, Post it directly to your Facebook wall, send it out as a Facebook invite and/or post it onto the Walls of other Democratic/like-minded Facebook organizations. **Studies show: Facebook swings elections!
*You can also use www.tumblr.com to make instant, taggable blogposts with this volunteer article and the articles below. Also www.digg.com is a great way to share news stories.
*Sending the paragraph above to others only takes a moment &
can make a HUGE DIFFERENCE IN CRUCIAL SWING STATES!!

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How to Sway Swing States by Calling Voters, Data Inputting, Canvassing etc:

*Imp. First Step: Vote Early By Doing So, You are increasing your availability to Volunteer in the Critical last few days of the Campaign! Go to www.gottavote.com for voting details.

1) To Volunteer to Data Input, Make Calls, Help Out, etc,
Go to your Local Obama Campaign’s Main Headquarters OR
A Neighborhood Volunteer Center, nearest you:

a) To Find your Obama headquarters and their hours of operation, see: https://my.barackobama.com/page/content/wioffices
*The Office is open well beyond posted hours at this point in the campaign,
usually, fyi. If you can’t get them to answer their phones, don’t be surprised, as they are swamped. Just go by, Fired Up & Ready to Go and Help!
*If you plan to make calls, cell phones are provided. If you are open to using your own cellphone, consider bringing your charger, an extension cord or a powerstrip in your car, in case all available cellphones are being used by others.

b) Find a Neighborhood Volunteer Center near you by hitting this link:
https://my.barackobama.com/page/event/search_simple?source=events-redirect
*There, you will find Volunteer Centers nearest you.
**Extra, optional and pro-active steps For Volunteer Phone Bankers from Amanda: ---- I recommend taking the of taking the following items with you to a Volunteer Center: your own headset/headphones, your own cell phone and charger (although a cell phone is provided for you to use--I bring mine in case there is a shortage), & some food to share. Also, I like to bring an an extension cord could be useful, if your cell phone charger cord is short.

2) Make calls to swing states can be made from home
To make calls to swing states from home: ** Go to this link: https://login.barackobama.com/login

or

-Go to www.barackobama.com
-Go to the ‘Get Involved’ Tab
-Hit the ‘Make Calls’ Button
*Or Find another Volunteering option under the ‘Get Involved’ Section
that best serves you!

*An advantage to making calls using Option 1 and 2 below, is that the Headquarters and Centers often have cell phones you can use yourself.

[Kolesar]

2. I thought Obamacare would push "working class white people" into the Democratic caucus

These ideas are too simplistic and won't push them in, either:

Democrats could have enacted labor law reforms that made it easier to form and preserve labor unions – which in the 1950s and 1960s gave the working class bargaining power to get a fair share of the profits. Democrats could have pushed for a nationwide system of productivity bargains, as in Germany, through which employees get a share of the gains from productivity growth.

They could have insisted all trade-opening treaties require that America’s trading partners have a minimum wage equal to half their median wage — and have set America’s own minimum wage to this standard. And Democrats could have reduced taxes on the middle and working class, and raised them on the rich.

[Iggy]

3. Lesson Three: Nope

Unfortunately the democratic party threw Labor under the bus-- back in the mid 1990's when
Clinton moved the party wayyyy to the right. part of that of course includes attacking
unions and union members-- they're "greedy" and are impeding business growth (read: profit).

the most recent examples of this being the Chicago teachers strike, where in Bloggo world, plenty
of "progressives" totally aped conservative talking points-- Chicago teachers are "greedy", they don't
need a union, and get this-- I saw one post stating teachers "don't deserve to be paid as
much as an electrician".

the other prime example is at the height of the Walker recall vote, when there were large dump
Walker rallies in Madison, Obama flew over WI not once, but twice-- on the way too and from
campaign rallies in MN. I think that's a good indicator of where the President stands concerning
Labor.

EFCA? remember that? what happened?

the notion white working males are going to strongly support the democratic party moving forward
is astonishing. it's not going to happen.

[PoliticAverse]

4. Apparently Mr Reich is unaware the election isn't for another 3 days. n/t