General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: You guys can't keep doing this. Working class white man here. [View all]BainsBane
(53,032 posts)The working class is not predominantly white and male as some politicians imply.
A majority of whites have not voted Democrat in a presidential election since 1964 . https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029819191
That is a fact. I'm white and a woman. White women also favor Republicans, and they did last night (51% for Guillespie). I don't vote with the majority of my demographic, and I'm okay with that. When voting data based on demographic factors is published, I don't consider it stereotyping. Those are demographic averages. That doesn't mean all people vote in keeping with those averages. I certainly don't.
That meme about the white working class suddenly moving from Dems to Trump is invoked to justify forcing the party to be recentered around the interests of white men. We have heard little since the election about how white men are forgotten and oppressed, despite the fact their average incomes are well above every other group except Asian men. I've raised the same point you have about Trump voters being more affluent than the Democratic voters, but it's been dismissed because it doesn't fit the convenient narrative advanced by some people's favorite politician. We've been told we have to stop prioritizing civil rights and reproductive rights because it makes the more important white male voters feel uncomfortable. Winning, we are told, requires abandoning the majority to promote the interests of white men. Toward that end, we see women of color targeted for removal from the GOP and elected office. The false narrative about white men voting for Dems until recently is invoked to justify those actions.
You don't have to be from a Democratic voting demographic to have your vote be important. You are just as important as any other voter. What you aren't is more important.
I get that you work hard, and the income you make, based on your post, is just below the national median. I have no doubt it's tough to make ends meet on that income if you have dependents. It is, however, significantly above that of people of color, who are the most reliable Democratic voters. My own income is just above the national median, and I have no dependents. I consider myself privileged in comparison to most Americans because I am.
Data isn't stereotyping. I agree with you about the white working class not being responsible for Trump's victory. As the figures in my linked post show, whites have voted for Republicans in every election since 1968. The percentages vary, but the majority always vote Republican. That isn't just working class either. It's all whites, including women.