2016 Postmortem

Purveyor

(29,876 posts) Wed Jun 17, 2015, 01:02 PM Jun 2015

The Governing Elite: Millionaire 2016 Candidates Insist They Are Middle Class, Just Like You

Don’t call Chris Christie rich. The Clintons say they still have bills to pay. And Mike Huckabee? Despite his wealth, he was born “blue collar, not blue blood.”

Touting one’s humble beginnings has been part of U.S. presidential contenders’ playbook going back to Abraham Lincoln’s talk of his log cabin youth. But the 2016 hopefuls are working harder than ever to convince voters they are just like them.

In burnishing their working- and middle-class credentials the hopefuls are following a shift in the political debate from jobs and a fragile economic recovery during the 2012 campaign to one now centered on income inequality.

That reflects a deepening sense that seven years after the Great Recession any gains have gone to the wealthy, while millions of Americans continue to struggle.

“The divide between the governing elite and the voters has never been so big,” said David Carney, a New Hampshire-based Republican strategist.

more...

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/06/the-governing-elite-millionaire-2016-candidates-insist-they-are-middle-class-just-like-you/

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The Governing Elite: Millionaire 2016 Candidates Insist They Are Middle Class, Just Like You (Original Post) Purveyor Jun 2015 OP

Why do people always want the candidates to "identify" with them? CheshireDog Jun 2015 #1

Probably to give the impression that... cyberswede Jun 2015 #2

CheshireDog

(63 posts)

1. Why do people always want the candidates to "identify" with them?

Reply to Purveyor (Original post)

Wed Jun 17, 2015, 02:58 PM

Jun 2015

I've always found this whole song and dance quite odd. These candidates fall all over themselves to appear to be just like the common man or woman, despite their immense power and wealth. Why do voters require it? I understand the storyline of the middle class underdog rising to power makes for better viewing, but this isn't Hollywood. Sometimes the wealthiest candidate, even one born with a silver spoon in his or her mouth, happens to also be the best person for the job.

I'm really sick of voters voting for bizarre personal qualities over abilities/experience/viewpoints on the issues.

cyberswede

(26,117 posts)

2. Probably to give the impression that...

Reply to CheshireDog (Reply #1)

Wed Jun 17, 2015, 03:18 PM

Jun 2015

they understand the challenges faced by average Americans.

And also the notion of coming from humble beginnings and working their way up, which has been a thing since the beginning.

See "The Log Cabin Myth" -
http://www.nytimes.com/1985/02/03/books/in-short-nonfiction-014458.html

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