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Recursion

(56,582 posts)
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 04:51 PM Jan 2019

Fifty years ago, the Time Magazine person of the year was

"The Middle Americans". Those stout, forgotten yoemen who live in small towns and have been left behind by the economic boom. While sneered at by coastal elitists, they simply want to live in economic security, and they express that by perfectly understandably voting Republican. If only liberal eggheads would offer them an economic platform they want, they would turn away from the right-wing rhetoric.

50 years ago. 1969. At the literal peak of the postwar economic high.

I'm reminding you all of this because it was BS half a century ago and it's BS now. Then, as now, the electoral division was about white resentment and whether it should be appeased or contained. The politicians have changed, some of the regions have changed, but the post-Nixon partisan map is exactly where it was when Time printed that supremely unhelpful cover. It has nothing to do with economics (if anything, it shows itself most fiercely when the economy is good).

Clinton won voters that listed "jobs" or "the economy" as their primary concern by 8 points. She lost voters listing "immigration" as their primary concern by 30 points. (That the Democratic Party's response on this was to double down on our immigration position and change our economic position is sadly also par for the course.)

Two-thirds of Republicans agree with AOC's tax bracket policy but will never vote for her because they aren't voting to set tax brackets. We need to stop falling for the populist lie about this.

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Fifty years ago, the Time Magazine person of the year was (Original Post) Recursion Jan 2019 OP
Time Magazine was always a right-wing rag Stargleamer Jan 2019 #1
... shanny Jan 2019 #2
I was overly pessimistic about that, fortunately Recursion Jan 2019 #3
 

shanny

(6,709 posts)
2. ...
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 04:58 PM
Jan 2019
"That the Democratic Party's response on this was to double down on our immigration position and change our economic position is sadly also par for the course"

yep that certainly backfired in the last election

Recursion

(56,582 posts)
3. I was overly pessimistic about that, fortunately
Sun Jan 20, 2019, 05:01 PM
Jan 2019

I'm heartened to see there are numbers and energy behind doing the right thing towards immigrants. It sure was a counterintuitive move, though.

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