Democratic operative: "we need to learn how to talk to White voters"

Politics & Elections
1

‪Some Democratic operative is on Fox News saying “Democrats have to learn how to talk to White voters.”

I’ll tell you how. Understand that White voters, by and large, are now a tribe. That tribe calls itself America, and America consists only of the members of that tribe.

Don’t ask them to think of anybody but themselves, their families, and people just like them. Anybody outside the tribe.

Don’t try to pass of your values as America’s values. America’s values are those of the tribe. Anything else is not America and not American.

Don’t try to appeal to their generosity, their helpfulness, or their decency. Especially not their “Christian” decency, which just shows that your understanding of Christianity is woefully out of date.

Understand. Such decency and generosity are real things - good things - but they are meant only for the tribe. They are not for the Other. And right now, whether you like it or not, you are the party of the Other.

You are not the party of America, because America is the tribe, and only the tribe.

2

So to put it straightforwardly, you’re advising the Democrats to insult white people.

I’m sure that will work well.

3

Insulting their intelligence worked remarkably well for Republicans.

4

Rascist

5

I have long suspected that Beware of Doug has irrational prejudice toward The Little Rascals.

6

These are the threads I love. Liberals lash out in baffled, pointless fury.

Republicans did not, of course, insult the intelligence of the voters. Beware of Doug does just that with his OP.

7

I’m white, and I think that would work remarkable well for me. Good job!

But Bill Maher beat you to it a few weeks ago.

8

Time is on our side, at any rate.

9

This probably isn’t the best thread for it, but I’m curious about the first line of that article:

This graph popped up on reddit this week, showing how younger people don’t seem to vote in midterm elections. Adaher’s thread on exit polling seems to confirm this pattern for 2014 – young people just didn’t get out to vote. The basic demographics that support each party didn’t change dramatically, but a lot of young people who voted in 2012 stayed home in 2014, just like they did in 2010 and 2006 and 2002.

So why do people keep insisting that this election says something about support for Obama or Democrats losing white voters, when as far as I can tell the results were pretty much what was expected based on past voting patterns? Isn’t it safe to assume that this was just a typical midterm election and Democrats will do much better in 2 years?

Or do pundits and journalists just need to cynically produce content even though they know it’s all bullshit?

10

Excellent point.

When have we ever seen any substantial number of white voters spread their votes across political parties? Or support candidates outside their own race? Or tolerate any meaningful diversity of opinion within their tribe?

Clearly this is a case where we must not let quaint reservations about racism inhibit important criticism of a sinister racial group.
Thanks for a truly valuable piece of insight and analysis.

11

It’s not stopping conservatives from overreaching and thinking they have some kind of mandate or that the majority of Americans agree with them. I’m not sure why it would stop the pundits.

12

Is there any confirmation for the first line of the OP? My first inclination on seeing “some Democratic operative on Fox News” would be that the “Democratic operative” in question has voted straight-ticket Republican for the past ten elections and is currently on Fox’s payroll.

13

Nah, I think the Democrats should continue to insist that women need special help because they are too stupid and too incompetent to see to their own needs. Women, especially independent ones, love to be patronized and insulted. All that’s missing is the pat on the head.

Then they should tell all of those out-of-work skilled or semi-skilled unemployed that their salvation lies in — infrastructure! Why be a software engineer or a mechanic or even a mid-level manager at some business when your career can consist of standing in a road in all sorts of weather, holding an orange flag, and telling people to slow down, stop, go this way. It’s a dream come true for the middle class and very intellectually stimulating.

And, since very little of that type of middle to bottom-rung work results in an explosion of exportable technology, it’s guaranteed to be a governmental grunt job for a long time. Truly the way forward.

I know - you can engage in another middle class money grab and call it “The ACA”. First, cancel some of their plans, then force them into plans with narrow networks and likely much higher costs.

Unlike their poorer brethren, they will have the fun of paying the full premium rate and higher out-of-pockets because there are no (or very low) subsidies for them. Tell them if they don’t buy it they will pay a penalty. You’ll get 'em one way or the other. Tell them it’s for their own good. That’s always a favorite. Put on your best smug superiority when you do it.

Then you can watch your neighbor, a perfectly healthy, middle aged, educated, grownup(?) guy, turn down interview after interview because it’s “not a position that suits me”. He gets expanded Medicaid, thank you, because he’s not working and living off of his savings, so there’s no urgency on that front. No premiums for this self-pampered idiot, only low or no copays.

You? You get to spend thousands on your new, improved health care plan, both on premiums and out-of-pocket costs. Of course, you can’t use your sparkly new health insurance because the deductibles are so high, unless it’s one of those “free” services that has been blessed by the Administration.

Who can afford high premiums AND high deductibles? What a deal this turned out to be for the middle class!

It’s hard to believe that the white middle class isn’t swooning over all of this good fortune!

I can’t help but think that, if I had a friend or spouse that “helped” me this much, I’d get a restraining order against them.

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It’s been done. It takes effect Jan 3rd, 2015. :slight_smile:

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I don’t blame them either. Why would you expect Obama voters to show up and vote for cowardly democrats that are running against Obama? Anyone who wanted to stop Obama’s agenda or wasn’t happy with the current administration was going to vote R regardless of how anti Obama the D pretended to be, why vote Republican lite when you can just go with the real thing? all they did was turn off their own voters.

16

Good point. :slight_smile:

We’ll see how it plays out, I reckon.

17

The Democratic party leadership should just update their address with the tribal offices. Since they are predominantly white themselves they can start getting the tribal newsletters to get better insight to pull white votes. I’d forward them but I self identify in surveys as Celt instead of white so I’ve been ostracized. Apparently a little over a third of white voters who voted for Democratic candidates have also let their tribal newsletter privileges lapse. Surely some nice pasty skinned Democrat could help by going undercover.

tongue back out of cheek
Either that or the image of monolithic white voting bloc you painted is actually neither monolithic nor a bloc with the traits you want to paint them all with. My positions tend to be labeled as socially liberal and strongly secular and I am a Republican. Give me good candidates with priorities and positions similar to my own and my vote can and does swing across party lines (although it’s rare at the Federal level). Or you can resort to calling me stupid, lazy, and racist unless I vote for the Democrat. That’s a technique… probably not a good one.

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Roughly 90% of the black vote goes to the Democrat, ANY Democrat, in any election.

NO candidate EVER gets anywhere close to 90% of the “white” vote.

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(post shortened)

Gosh, I wonder what skin color the Democratic operative (and Beware of Doug) believe Pelosi, Biden, Reid, Durbin, Cuomo, Leahy, Schumer, Beebe, Brown, Malloy, Dayton, Nixon, Bullock, Kitzhaber, McAuliffe, Pryor, Udall, Blumenthal, Coons, Nelson, etc., etc., etc. have and how many white people, as well as many other races, voted for them? Are you suggesting that white Democrat voters do not exist? :smack:

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90% of the black vote? Really?

Are you suggesting that white people split their vote among black, yellow, brown, and red female and male candidates? You must find that very irritating? :smack: