Following modern politics is always an interesting occupation. Take the latest article I read explaining how to effect a shift in power in Washington.
The question presented was, what would it take for the Democratic Party to win again? “And again, it comes back to class,” was the answer.
Now, I don’t doubt the truth of the statement necessarily. But the argument to get there was concerning! At one point, the idea was that they should learn from the success of Trump. Trump “won whites of all genders, all ages, all incomes and all levels of educational attainment.” He did it by appealing to the anti-establishment, anti-elitist feelings of the people.
For a Democrat, obviously that won’t work. But a review of history gave the author the answer. As the title proclaimed, “Democrats used to campaign on class — and win. It’s time to do it again.”
Of course, the Democrats have complained for months now that Trump is tearing the country apart by sowing disunity. But nothing tears a country apart faster and more deeply than class warfare, as it uses both economic and cultural forces to pit one group against another. And unfortunately, the author is correct: the Democrats have used class warfare to win since at least 1932. Since FDR, the Democrats have based their campaigns on economic (i.e. Marxian style) class warfare, not caring a wit for its destructive results.
Whether self-consciously or not, Trump’s rhetoric has been based, not on economic class warfare, but on political class struggle. It’s a case of everyone – rich, poor, black, white, male, female – against the “in” crowd, against the politically connected elite. For those who have no political pull, who are net payers of tribute (to use the old word for taxes) to the denizens of Washington, Trump was the voice they hadn’t had in many decades.
That most political pundits haven’t figured this difference out yet does not bode well for the country. The Democrats will most likely become even more divisive in upcoming elections. The Republicans, from all I can see, either don’t really understand this, or are clearly aligned with the political elite.
Both types of class conflict destroy a nation/people. But ending the political class would allow the common interests (both economic and cultural) of the people to start a healing process, to forge a common unity again. Continuing the economic class warfare will lead to a torn, “Balkanized” society, like France after 1789. At this point, it’s hard to tell which direction we are going.
(reference was to https://frontier.yahoo.com/news/democrats-used-campaign-class-win-time-090031609.html. Accessed 10/27/17)
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