The working class

This article over at City Pages is pretty good in explaining what his happening with the white working class, and why they are voting Republican. I don't have a whole lot to add, other than that I largely agree. This didn't happen overnight; Republicans in the wake of Goldwater spent a lot of time and money creating a mechanism for shifting the debate to their side, and they are now reaping the benefits. Democrats are going to have to do the same thing, and that will take time.

Suffice to say, however, that the Democrats are natural allies of the working class. When it comes to economic issues, there is no question. Democrats are for raising wages, extending health care, and doing things that help people who are in the middle. Republicans talk about families, but in the end, their tax cuts are tilted severely towards the wealthy, and the little that the middle class gets is quickly spent on credit card interest, rising tuitions, and health care premiums.

Democrats are also allies of the working class on social issues too, no question about it. Again, Republicans talk tough, but abortion is legal and will remain so, homosexuals aren't going to be massacred, and TV and the media won't be put in the hands of Puritans anytime soon. Crime, abortions, teen pregnancy, they are all lower with Democratic policies. It's going to take some time and work to show people that this is the case, and that Republicans only invoke socially conservative rhetoric to win votes. At the end of the day, it is Democrats who are more concerned about giving families the ability to succeed.

Democrats are finally starting to realize that being right on the issues isn't enough, that they need to fight fire with fire and not back down from Republicans bent on abusing discourse. This bodes well for the future of this country.