… There is, of course, tremendous resistance among social scientists and historians to the idea that American white workers can be said to have anything like a “class consciousness” at all. While it is considered acceptable to use the term to describe, for example, the attitudes of British working class […] Read more »
GOP primaries gauge the anti-establishment fervor Trump helped unleash
Republican primary voters in West Virginia and Indiana are set to shape the future of Donald Trump’s anti-establishment political revolt on Tuesday, while testing the president’s own ability to steer the passions he helped unleash. … “That dynamic that elected Donald Trump that I thought was going to dissipate after […] Read more »
Donald Trump’s presidency has a disturbing parallel in the political career of Huey Long
Ninety years ago, a southern politician with a populist agenda was beginning to dominate American national politics: his bombastic rhetoric and narcissistic personality, cynical use of patronage, selfless addiction to power, and calculating manipulation of the media all foreshadowed the central characteristics of today’s Trump presidency. His name was Huey […] Read more »
Meet the New Boss. Actually Quite Different From the Old Boss.
… For four decades, from 1968 to 2008, what was loosely described as the Republican establishment — the party’s congressional leaders, campaign operatives, donors, lobbyists and special interests — reigned supreme. Every four years, the party’s presidential nominee secured the establishment’s stamp of approval. Endorsements from governors and senators — […] Read more »
Research Finds That Racism, Sexism, and Status Fears Drove Trump Voters
America is the world’s dominant superpower, and white Christian males sit at the top of our nation’s food chain. That’s the right and proper hierarchy, and it’s under serious threat. When blue-collar whites heard that implied message from Donald Trump, many realized it aligned with their own beliefs. As a […] Read more »
‘I Was Trump Before Trump Was Trump’
Don Blankenship likes to believe he knows something about rough justice and who deserves it. “We don’t need to investigate our president. We need to arrest Hillary,” one of his campaign ads proclaims, mimicking President Trump’s crude 2016 rallying cry, “Lock her up!” … In Republican races across the country, […] Read more »