Arlene Stein, Rutgers University The white working class surprised many pundits and social scientists by supporting Donald Trump, leading some to describe the election results as a “whitelash.” The fact that the president-elect successfully mobilized this population was far from inevitable. After all, a fair number of Trump supporters once […] Read more »
A pollster on the racial panic Obama’s presidency triggered — and what Democrats must do now
A CNN special that aired December 8 included rare, candid moments in which Barack Obama and his former adviser David Axelrod each acknowledged that racism contributed to negative attitudes toward the first black president. “I think there’s a reason why attitudes about my presidency among whites in Northern states are […] Read more »
Surprised by Trump win? Stop ignoring the white working class.
THE HAND-WRINGING has been going on for weeks: How did the media miss the biggest political story of our lifetimes, the revolt of the white working class that ushered in the Age of Trump? Here’s why: We just don’t care about the working class. We in the national news media, […] Read more »
Democrats search for a path back into rural America’s good graces
… As much as anything, the 2016 election highlighted the degree to which Democrats have lost favor among voters in rural and small-town America. Heading toward Election Day, Democrats dismissed the possibility that there were enough white, working-class voters in these nonurban areas to overcome their advantages with African Americans, […] Read more »
Trump Voters Are Feeling It
Donald Trump’s supporters from the white working and middle class are, for the moment, elated. In a survey conducted by Pew after the election, 96 percent of those who cast votes for Trump said they were hopeful; 74 percent said they were “proud.” They were almost unanimous in their expectation […] Read more »
Americans Expect Economic Improvement in a Deeply Divided Country
After the bruising 2016 campaign, Americans are broadly optimistic that Donald Trump’s election will invigorate the economy but fearful that it will further divide the nation along lines of class, race and party. While a solid three-fifths of American adults indicated that as a result of the election they expect […] Read more »