Why Elites Hate

[Dashinka 25,856]

By

William McGurn

William McGurn

The Wall Street Journal

•  
• BiographyWilliam McGurn
• @wjmcgurn
•  

June 5, 2017 6:33 p.m. ET

941 COMMENTS

Nine years after Barack Obama accused small-towners of clinging to guns or religion, nearly three years after Jonathan Gruber was shown to have attributed ObamaCare’s passage to the stupidity of the American voter, and eight months after Hillary Clinton pronounced half of Donald Trump’s voters “irredeemable,” Democrats are now getting some sophisticated advice: You don’t win votes by showing contempt for voters.

 

In the last week or so a flurry of articles have appeared arguing for toning down the looking-down. In the New Republic Michael Tomasky writes under the heading “Elitism Is Liberalism’s Biggest Problem.” Over at the New York Times , Joan C. Williams weighs in with “The Dumb Politics of Elite Condescension.” Slate goes with a Q&A on “advice on how to talk to the white working class without insulting them.” Stanley Greenberg at the American Prospect writes on “The Democrats’ ‘Working-Class Problem,’ ” and Kevin Drum at Mother Jones asks for “Less Liberal Contempt, Please.”

 

None of these pieces are directed at Trump Nation. To the contrary, they are pitched to progressives still having a hard time coming to grips with The Donald’s victory last November. Much of what these authors write is sensible. But it can also be hilarious, particularly when the effort to explain ordinary Americans to progressive elites reads like a Margaret Mead entry on the exotic habits of the Samoans.

 

Mr. Tomasky, for example, informs progressives that middle Americans—wait for it—“go to church.” They have friends (“and sometimes even spouses”) “who are Republicans.” “They don’t feel self-conscious saluting the flag.” Who knew?

Most of these writers allow that there is at least some fraction of Trump voters who are not deplorable. What they do not appreciate is how condescending they can be while advising their fellow Democrats to be less condescending. Exhibit A: Mr. Drum’s recommendation that Democrats can “broaden [their] appeal” because these are “persuadable, low information folks.”

 

Most of these writers allow that there is at least some fraction of Trump voters who are not deplorable. What they do not appreciate is how condescending they can be while advising their fellow Democrats to be less condescending. Exhibit A: Mr. Drum’s recommendation that Democrats can “broaden [their] appeal” because these are “persuadable, low information folks.”

Still, Mr. Drum comes across as Gandhi when set against the writer at Slate who interviews Ms. Williams. The following question conveys the tone: “What attitude should we be taking toward people who voted for a racist buffoon who is scamming them?”

 

Ms. Williams, a University of California law professor who has written a new book on the white working class, generously avoids telling her interviewer he is a perfect instance of the problem. But the larger progressive dilemma here is that contempt is baked into the identity politics that defines today’s Democratic Party.

 

When Mrs. Clinton labeled Trump voters deplorable (“racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic, you name it”) she was simply following identity politics to its logical conclusion. Because identity politics transforms those on the other side of the argument—i.e., Americans who are pro-life, who respect the military, who may work in the coal industry—from political opponents into oppressors.

 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-elites-hate-1496702030

[Jacque67 7,328]

Great job, Vlad 

[Dashinka 25,856]

3 minutes ago, Jacque67 said:

Great job, Vlad 

Too much crack in your coffee?

[Jacque67 7,328]

7 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Too much crack in your coffee?

Stop quoting me... Not my type. It's DDay...have some respect and desist...not into hammers. Have a great one.

[IAMX 3,055]

It's pretty funny how Dems lose..

 

- Obama and Hillary insult people in PA/MI/WI/OH who tend to work careers in unskilled labor, threaten their jobs

- Obama manages to win, but more than sufficient Obama voters switch to Trump in key counties in 2016 when they've had enough

- Hillary doesn't give a toss about these states post-primary

- Trump constantly holds rallies, and campaigns, in these states

- Hillary logically loses

- "Russia!"

 

Edited June 6, 2017 by IAMX

[Dashinka 25,856]

4 hours ago, Jacque67 said:

Stop quoting me... Not my type. It's DDay...have some respect and desist...not into hammers. Have a great one.

Yes, and tommorw will be the anniversary of the Battle of Midway.

[jg121783 3,921]

44 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Yes, and tommorw will be the anniversary of the Battle of Midway.

She likes to call everyone a Russian agent but how dare you call her out on her nonsense.

[IAMX 3,055]

29 minutes ago, jg121783 said:

She likes to call everyone a Russian agent but how dare you call her out on her nonsense.

USA and Philippines are on the same planet as Russia, prove you're not a Russian agent.

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

3 hours ago, IAMX said:

It's pretty funny how Dems lose..

 

- Obama and Hillary insult people in PA/MI/WI/OH who tend to work careers in unskilled labor, threaten their jobs

- Obama manages to win, but more than sufficient Obama voters switch to Trump in key counties in 2016 when they've had enough

- Hillary doesn't give a toss about these states post-primary

- Trump constantly holds rallies, and campaigns, in these states

- Hillary logically loses

- "Russia!"

 

How soon the pendulum swings back

[Dashinka 25,856]

7 minutes ago, ccneat said:

How soon the pendulum swings back

Don't disagree there.  All the talk about the GOP being dead a few years ago were obviously not true, and I am sure the tide will change back to the dark side at some point.

 

[Amica Nostra 4,803]

11 minutes ago, Bill & Katya said:

Don't disagree there.  All the talk about the GOP being dead a few years ago were obviously not true, and I am sure the tide will change back to the dark side at some point.

 

I subscribe to this concept, authored by lewis black about the major parties

 

 

[IAMX 3,055]

14 hours ago, Bill & Katya said:

Don't disagree there.  All the talk about the GOP being dead a few years ago were obviously not true, and I am sure the tide will change back to the dark side at some point.

 

I remember all those years of liberals saying Republicans will never win. Many even opined that Hillary's election will put all those racist bigot Republicans to shame for not targeting Hispanics for victim status like the left do.