I think you may find David Brooks’s most recent New York Times column interesting as I did. I don’t agree with all of his assessments but IMO they’re worth considering. He’s trying to contrast what has happened to the Republican Party over the last several years with what is going on in the Democratic Party now:
The Republican Party has been disrupted from the bottom. In 2016, the educated Republican elites were happy to embrace conventional Republican themes. It was the Republican base that was fed up and wanted Trump — something completely different.
The Democratic Party is facing disruption from the top. In the early stages of the current political season, Democratic rank and file seem to be embracing Biden and his traditional Democratic themes. It’s the coastal, highly educated elites who are fed up and want something transformative.
In other words, the Republican story is a story of populist radicalization; the Democratic story so far is a story of elite radicalization.
I’m not sure that’s actually what has been going on. Yes, yes, that’s the media narrative—the Trump phenomenon is the result of unwashed, uneducated bumpkins from the hinterlands refusing to accept what their betters know is good for them. I think what’s closer to the truth is more like what John Kass calls “the Combine”, i.e. that the Congressional leadership, Republican and Democratic, agreed more with each other than they did with the party rank and file.
But on this I think that Mr. Brooks and I agree:
The crucial voters in this primary election could turn out to be African-Americans. Right now, Biden is dominant among these voters. In a field of more than 20 candidates, 50 percent of nonwhite voters support Biden. Some of these voters like Biden’s longstanding loyalty to the party and its causes; some like his partnership with Obama; some are members of what you might call the Disillusion Caucus. They believe that given the racism and sexism endemic in American society you’ve got to nominate a white man if you want your party to win.
If these voters stay where they are, it will be hard for a disrupter to win. So far white progressives have done a poor job of wooing minority support or even marching in step with minority voters. They talk a lot about social justice but don’t support the candidates that minority voters actually support. Highly educated coastal progressives live privileged, affluent lives but define their identity as allies of the oppressed. This privileged pose involves all sorts of psychological contortions that don’t resonate with a lot of rank-and-file voters.
It will be interesting to see if any other candidates — Kamala Harris? Cory Booker? — can manage to span these two camps. Pete Buttigieg would seem to be an option, but his support so far is massively from the college-educated. Right now, Biden is in a strong position — offering progressive policies to a party that is exhausted and doesn’t want permanent revolution.
Consider the recent mayoral election in Chicago. Black voters voted overwhelmingly for a black candidate in the primaries. That itself marked something of a change from past elections. But the candidate that most black voters supported wasn’t either of the black candidates that eventually faced off in the general election. Their support came primarily from the white Northwest Side or the white Lake Shore.
You may be right about Biden and his election advantages. However, when one investigates all the skeletons dangling in his past – China and Ukraine shenanigans – I wonder how such a man could be elected.
However, maybe my own political view shed lacks objectivity, as I become more discouraged watching the abysmal behavior of the democrats in how they implement their recaptured power in the House. I keep asking myself who the democrats are working for (themselves or us), and what are they trying to achieve (a better, less controlled life for all, or simply more government control over a more depended people)?
Someone who voted for Trump is worried about another candidate having skeletons in their closet? I hope you were at least laughing while you typed that.
Abysmal behavior? Are you referring to the investigations? Let’s remember that the GOP had non stop investigations, 8 alone on Benghazi. If not investigations then what? Must be something awful if it is worse than what we had with recent Congressional behaviors.
Steve
“In 2016, the educated Republican elites were happy to embrace conventional Republican themes. It was the Republican base that was fed up and wanted Trump — something completely different.â€
Shorter, Republicans became Democrats, with free beer for everyone, who including corporate interests.
“Let’s remember that the GOP had non stop investigations, 8 alone on Benghazi.â€
Tell us, steve, how do you feel about the Mesozoic era?
The Benghazi hearings were met with foot dragging, uncooperative Obama/Clinton administration behavior, NDAs coerced from those on the ground in Benghazi, lots of lies and distractions from Obama & Clinton, and a weak challenge by the R’s in seeking the truth surrounding the Benghazi tragedy. The dem explanations and hearings that followed were a bipartisan joke.
On the other hand, the Mueller investigation was given every document asked for, met with anyone it wanted to without executive privilege or time limits being exerted, had the MSM fully behind it, headed by a man (Mueller) who has a history of being a government fixer with a lead atty who is known for unorthodox tactics and having his decisions overturned in higher courts. Also, Dowd, Trump’s atty, was told a year earlier by Mueller they could find no collusion. But that was withheld until after the midterms. Basically the whole investigation was a deceptive farce that was ultimately damaging to the country. But the dems obviously just don’t care……
“Coastal, highly educated elites”
Gotta find my Metoprolol. Look, people like Biden because they don’t know him yet. But they will.
Hunter Biden and John Kerry’s son and Rosemont Seneca partners and a billion dollar investment from the Chinese Communist party will be too much red meat to let lie in the dark for long.
Please don’t get me wrong, I wish to God he was the man he pretends to be, I wish someone in this field was, but Biden’s just another Pol with his hand in the cookie jar.
https://nypost.com/2018/03/15/inside-the-shady-private-equity-firm-run-by-kerry-and-bidens-kids/
Those were mostly lies perpetuated by the Alex Jones of the world. There was no conspiracy to keep people from talking. Besides which, at least two of the investigations were done by Republicans, a Senate group and a House group. Of course all of the investigations found the same things, there was no conspiracy to cover up anything. You just had to have 8 investigations over 4 years to use it to generate donations and anger.
As far as Mueller goes you are so far into the bubble not sure it is worth talking about. I will simply point out that you guys love him and he is awesome when he supports you and he is awful when he doesn’t. I dont think guys really have an honest opinion about the guy, you just want what you want. Also, please note that they never really looked at collusion, just looked for conspiracy. There was clearly an effort to collude, they just couldn’t quite do it right. Never did get to interview Trump. Why is that? You guys got to interview Clinton?
Steve
“Please don’t get me wrong, I wish to God he was the man he pretends to be, I wish someone in this field was, but Biden’s just another Pol with his hand in the cookie jar”
All of this is the same kind of stuff Trump has done. Why would it be disqualifying for Biden but not for Trump?
Steve