Is the Democratic Party's "Working Families" Line Mostly Just a Platitude Now?

[Free Bird]

The Democrats used to be commonly known as the party of the working guy, evidenced by their previous dominance in the working-class South. The image of Democrats in the minds of many, at that time, was one of blue-collar workers walking in and out of their factory jobs, and other such imagery. This type of mentality still occasionally shines through, evidenced by victories in places like North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina, states with moderate State Democratic Parties that all, to some extent, at least, have populist streaks to them.

Recently though, many think that the Dems, by and large, have become too strung up in neoliberalism and identity politics. Still, they continue to trot out talking points about the middle class and working families. So, are the Democrats still the party of "the working man and woman" and the middle class as they like to say? Or, is it just an empty platitude now to keep organized labor in line (while throwing them itty bitty crumbs, to steal a phrase, here and there) while most of the bigwigs (Cuomo, Booker, Obama, the Clintons etc.) focus more and more on identity politics, corporatism, neoliberalism, and generally pandering to the far-left? I'm leaning towards it just being an empty buzzword at this point. If it weren't, then more Democrats, I feel, would be more vocal against trade agreements like NAFTA and the TPP, rather than just a few like Marcy Kaptur and Sherrod Brown, just to name one issue, and wouldn't be so ready and willing to bend on one knee to appease out there folks like Antifa and the Abolish ICE movement, likely making Middle America and the Average Joe feel alienated in the process.

Note that my opinion does NOT suggest the Republican Party is now the party of "the working guy," either. Neoliberalism is a bipartisan ideology, one that is still embraced by most Republicans, especially in Congress and the Senate. So now that I've said that, I would appreciate if this discussion focused on the Democratic Party, both as a collective and as a series of factions, rather than devolving into a game of Whataboutism used as another excuse to attack Republicans.

[Beet]

It's hard to know what the Democrats stand for these days, as most of their energy seems to be put into the Mueller investigation, the Russia scandal, and opposing anything Trump does. The scattered assortment of other issues that seems to get their goat, like taking down Confederate statues, dismantling ICE, kneeling before the flag, controlling guns, advocating for transgender bathrooms -- all seems calculated to insult most working class voters, for whom such concerns are far from their daily bread. There are only a few Democrats who still rally around the class message -- ironically, some of the most far left among them; Sanders, Ocasio-Cortez, Warren -- but even they no longer represent the mainstream of the party.

[HagridOfTheDeep]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to people who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

Clearly some former Walmart board member who gave a lot of secret speeches to Wall Street for lots of money was in their self interest.

[IceSpear]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

[IceSpear]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

Clearly some former Walmart board member who gave a lot of secret speeches to Wall Street for lots of money was in their self interest.

Clearly she was. Unironically. And certainly moreso than the guy they voted for.

[Free Bird]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

When did I ever imply this was a race thing? There's certainly injustices against minorities, such as the Drug War, private prisons (and the cycle that mass incarceration creates), and the ripple effects of redlining that can be addressed as part of a platform for "the little guy" or "the voiceless," and that would be great, but that was not my main point here. The point is my question as to whether or not they are still truly the party of workers in the image of Harry Truman, JFK, or even FDR, or if they have strayed off that path and have become mostly a bunch of corporate sellouts with no real regard for working-class jobs like Joe Crowley and Andrew Cuomo, and who, every election, resort to a cynical divide and conquer method of politics to win, rather than genuinely egalitarian messaging.

[Calthrina950]

The Democrats used to be commonly known as the party of the working guy, evidenced by their previous dominance in the working-class South. The image of Democrats in the minds of many, at that time, was one of blue-collar workers walking in and out of their factory jobs, and other such imagery. This type of mentality still occasionally shines through, evidenced by victories in places like North Carolina, Louisiana, Kentucky, and North Carolina, states with moderate State Democratic Parties that all, to some extent, at least, have populist streaks to them.

Recently though, many think that the Dems, by and large, have become too strung up in neoliberalism and identity politics. Still, they continue to trot out talking points about the middle class and working families. So, are the Democrats still the party of "the working man and woman" and the middle class as they like to say? Or, is it just an empty platitude now to keep organized labor in line (while throwing them itty bitty crumbs, to steal a phrase, here and there) while most of the bigwigs (Cuomo, Booker, Obama, the Clintons etc.) focus more and more on identity politics, corporatism, neoliberalism, and generally pandering to the far-left? I'm leaning towards it just being an empty buzzword at this point. If it weren't, then more Democrats, I feel, would be more vocal against trade agreements like NAFTA and the TPP, rather than just a few like Marcy Kaptur and Sherrod Brown, just to name one issue, and wouldn't be so ready and willing to bend on one knee to appease out there folks like Antifa and the Abolish ICE movement, likely making Middle America and the Average Joe feel alienated in the process.

Note that my opinion does NOT suggest the Republican Party is now the party of "the working guy," either. Neoliberalism is a bipartisan ideology, one that is still embraced by most Republicans, especially in Congress and the Senate. So now that I've said that, I would appreciate if this discussion focused on the Democratic Party, both as a collective and as a series of factions, rather than devolving into a game of Whataboutism used as another excuse to attack Republicans.

I largely agree with the points that you have presented in your post. In many ways (as has been pointed out by users such as Fuzzy Bear), the Democrats seem to have moved away from much of the economic populism which defined the party in earlier decades. Now, I'm not saying that they have completely abandoned their prior ideals. That is certainly not true, given that we have the likes of Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren who seem to focus primarily on the economic issues, particularly income inequality, education, banks, wages, and healthcare. However, much of what we have seen in the past few years (i.e. the fights over gun rights, over criminal justice issues, over Antifa, over "free speech" and affirmative action, over immigration policy, over the Trump Administration, over gay and transgender rights, over Islam, etc.) has sent out the wrong signal to voters who should, looking at their economic situation, be voting Democratic.

My hope is that the Cordray timeline written by TheDoctor will come to fruition soon, and the Democrats will return to the working-class roots that were at the heart of the party in the days of FDR, Truman, JFK, and LBJ. Yes, the Party must continue to have an appropriate focus on issues of pressing social concern. But at the same time, "identity politics" and "culture wars" shouldn't be allowed to get in the way of passing substantive economic and foreign policy programs that will, in the long run, address some of the most glaring issues in our country today.

[The Mikado]

This is only true if you don't consider black and Hispanic voters part of "working families," which they obviously are (and those voters are overwhelmingly Democratic!). This idea that "worker" = Republican, or "worker" = white person, is seriously messed up.

[IceSpear]

This is only true if you don't consider black and Hispanic voters part of "working families," which they obviously are (and those voters are overwhelmingly Democratic!). This idea that "worker" = Republican, or "worker" = white person, is seriously messed up.

Also the fact that we keep pretending it is Democrats that bring up "identity politics" when really it is the Republicans. They were the ones who started the transgender bathroom craze, the black people kneeling "controversy", etc.

[Beet]

This is only true if you don't consider black and Hispanic voters part of "working families," which they obviously are (and those voters are overwhelmingly Democratic!). This idea that "worker" = Republican, or "worker" = white person, is seriously messed up.

Also the fact that we keep pretending it is Democrats that bring up "identity politics" when really it is the Republicans. They were the ones who started the transgender bathroom craze, the black people kneeling "controversy", etc.

There are plenty of working class black and Hispanic people (and working class Asians, too) who care more about jobs, health care, education costs, and housing costs than transgender bathrooms and black people kneeling, though. And no, Republicans didn't start those controversies.

[JA]

No, it is not.

By the 2020 Census, if it's recorded and reported accurately, the results will show an American demographic landscape wherein Non-Hispanic Whites will constitute 60% of the population (give or take). That share is declining every year and will continue to do so. That also does not take into consideration the percentage of Americans who are North African, Middle Eastern, or Central Asian who're compelled to identify as White for the Census. 40% of Americans will be of some identity other than Non-Hispanic White. Yet, over 70% of the vote is still cast by Non-Hispanic White Americans, well over 60% of Senators and Congresspersons are Non-Hispanic Whites, and the rest of America's elected officials are overwhelmingly Non-Hispanic White (and we cannot forget to mention that they're disproportionately male as well).

Because of America's complex history, particularly regarding racial issues, the issue of race will be unavoidable. There are numerous socioeconomic problems facing American minority groups - primarily due to structural problems in American society that have been constructed over time to deliberately establish White dominance and minority subordination. Although we have made tremendous strides, there are still countless problems that need to be addressed in order to help raise minorities to similar living standards of Whites (and, ideally, raise the living standards of all races). The narrow focus of this OP, which downplays the "working class" identity of African Americans, Hispanic/Latinos, Asian Americans, and others, in favor of the image of working class Whites, is not applicable in a fair, just, and equitable society. The focus of the Democratic Party, despite its flaws, is on ensuring as many Americans as possible, from all backgrounds, can enjoy a middle class life.

To attain that, America must wrestle with its demons. That means confronting structural racism, the lingering effects of slavery, the consequences of imperialistic ambitions, and the bigotry and racism that permeates much of White American culture (it's important to note that bigotry, stereotypes, and discrimination are also prevalent in minority communities as well, aimed at both other minorities and at Whites). Most White Americans simply are not ready or not willing to recognize or confront these issues; mentions of it often provoke negative reactions, hostility, tribalism, xenophobia, and racism. Rarely has any privileged group ever willingly relinquished or sought to share its power (wealth, influence, status) with other groups - and most White Americans are no different. However, that is a cornerstone of the Democratic Party's project: to deconstruct America's system of White privilege, transfer power and wealth more equitably and, as a consequence, help to build a multicultural American middle class.

There is simply no way to confront economic matters in America without taking into consideration the historical and racial components. African American families do not have far lower wealth than White families due to coincidence or their willingness to work; it is due to a multitude of factors, such as slavery, segregation, mass incarceration due to the "War on Drugs," underfunded public schools, bias in hiring, being denied access to benefits from WWII and the Korean War (which helped launch White relocation to the suburbs, acquire home ownership, and access to colleges/universities), and countless other systemic and structural injustices. In order to help African Americans rise from their disproportionate rates of poverty, those issues must be resolved - and those are inherently racial issues. Hispanic/Latinos face numerous similar challenges, but other unique ones as well, such as living in an English language dominant society, negative interactions with immigration agencies, xenophobia, and so on. Again, those are inherently racial issues that must be confronted in order for Hispanic/Latinos to achieve similar wealth and status in American society.

Try as you will, but you cannot separate class from race or race from class. Economics and racial identity are intertwined; they must be confronted simultaneously to help all Americans achieve a respectable standard of living. And, the amazing thing about it is that, this does not have to come at the expense of White Americans achieving or retaining a middle class life either. White Americans who want to wage a war against other struggling Americans over the crumbs thrown to us by those living off our backs (pillaging our pockets with high rents, shorting our paychecks so they can retain their astronomical profits, placing our financial security in jeopardy to ensure they can have 7 yachts) are doing nothing but playing themselves. Everyone wins when everyone wins. The Mexican immigrant isn't your enemy, he isn't taking anything from you, he didn't force your boss to hire him at a lower wage; if wages drop because of immigration, it's simply because employers chose to terminate, demote, or underpay Americans (and the immigrant) so that they can maximize their profits at your expense. That is one thing that all Americans, regardless of race, need to realize and focus on: the enemies aren't your neighbors, they're your landlord, your CEO, and your corrupt politicians.

[OSR stands with Israel]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

What if they actually like Republican Economic Policies better.


Just because you believe Republican Economic Policies dont benefit the middle class doenst believe everyone has to

[Intell]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

What if they actually like Republican Economic Policies better.


Just because you believe Republican Economic Policies dont benefit the middle class doenst believe everyone has to

Yes People in Floyd County, KY or Lurenze County, PA vote Republican for that reason.

[OSR stands with Israel]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

What if they actually like Republican Economic Policies better.


Just because you believe Republican Economic Policies dont benefit the middle class doenst believe everyone has to

Yes People in Floyd County, KY or Lurenze County, PA vote Republican for that reason.

What about people in Collin County, TX or Denton County, TX

[Intell]

It only seems like a platitude because such a large number of working-class people have decided to piss away the meaningful assistance they would have gotten from Democrats in favour of the bigotry, bluster, and ignorance that seem to more immediately dance in their hearts.

That sounds harsh, but IDGAF. They vote against their own interests because something about having the hardships of racialized people get attention irks them. Seeing the successes of racialized people irks them even more. Having to check themselves or make an effort to show empathy to who are different? How dare we ask they do that! Too much economic angst, I suppose...

However, it is worth pointing out that you are operating as if "working families" includes only white families. You lament identity politics while playing that exact same game yourself. So don't tell me identity politics is bullsh-t when Republicans have warped it even moreso to their advantage (take Trump's silly politicization of the young lady who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, for example). By and large, working people do vote for Democrats. They're just working people who happen to be people of colour. But for some reason they don't count.

What if they actually like Republican Economic Policies better.


Just because you believe Republican Economic Policies dont benefit the middle class doenst believe everyone has to

Yes People in Floyd County, KY or Lurenze County, PA vote Republican for that reason.

What about people in Collin County, TX or Denton County, TX

Those places are the exception rather than the rule.

[Beet]

No, it is not.

By the 2020 Census, if it's recorded and reported accurately, the results will show an American demographic landscape wherein Non-Hispanic Whites will constitute 60% of the population (give or take). That share is declining every year and will continue to do so. That also does not take into consideration the percentage of Americans who are North African, Middle Eastern, or Central Asian who're compelled to identify as White for the Census. 40% of Americans will be of some identity other than Non-Hispanic White. Yet, over 70% of the vote is still cast by Non-Hispanic White Americans, well over 60% of Senators and Congresspersons are Non-Hispanic Whites, and the rest of America's elected officials are overwhelmingly Non-Hispanic White (and we cannot forget to mention that they're disproportionately male as well).

And what is the significance of this? There is none.

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This is simply not true. The average income of Asian-Americans is the same as whites, so their living standards are not lagging behind whites. The median income of Middle Easterners also does not lag whites. The issue of living standards as filtered through the lens of race is not Whites versus non-Whites, but some groups (Whites, Asians, and Arabs) versus others (African-Americans, and Hispanics). However, as far as African-Americans, their income is already on the rise, outpacing whites. For Hispanics 39% intermarried with other races, and the vast majority of those married Whites. Eventually this group will merge into the White majority. Hence the image of a racialized underclass and White upper crust is simply inaccurate.

The OP does not "downplay" working class Blacks, Hispanics, and Asians; these working class Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and others, share the same concerns as working class Whites. They too, are hurt by trade agreements like NAFTA. They too, have no investment in abolishing ICE as most of them are legally here. They too, do not wake up cheering on Antifa, and overwhelmingly white agitation group, or endorse their violent tactics. Among Hispanics 53% either have no opinion or disapprove of NFL players' kneeling, and among Others, 57% either have no opinion or disapprove. Even among African-Americans, 26% have no opinion or disapprove. (Source) OP is completely correct that these issues do not necessarily speak to working class Blacks, Hispanics, Asians, and others.

When it comes to the "top set of issues on your mind", African-Americans were actually the most likely to say economic issues (38%), followed by Hispanics (32%), followed by Other (30%), followed by Whites (27%). The next highest group was health care issues, which had identical support across racial groups. Show me one poll that says working class Blacks, Hispanics and Asians care more about transgender bathrooms and Confederate statues than jobs, health care, education, and housing. No such poll exists.

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Most White Americans are quite willing to confront these issues, and have confronted these issues. While people evolved to be tribal, the United States of America has gone further than almost any other country in the world in welcoming Others to our shores, and giving Others rights and privileges of equal citizenship. We elected a clearly visible minority with a foreign-sounding name to the highest office the land, something that cannot be said about any other major country save India, and even there, political pressures prevented that person (Sonia Gandhi) from stepping into her role. But not here.

In places like San Jose/San Francisco, California, there is already the multicultural middle class of which you speak, but it is not utopia. The Democratic-ruled metropolis in a long Democratic-controlled city has achieved the "project" but it is coming apart because of rising housing costs, which is exacerbating inequality to the grossest of levels. The Democratic-controlled state legislature could do something about it but doesn't. The party does not care to fulfill its so-called "project" even when it easily could. In reality it does not care about the middle class, and California is exhibit #1 to prove the case.

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Slavery, segregation, being denied access to benefits from WWII and the Korean War, and now mass incarceration due to the "War on Drugs" are rooted in history and cannot be undone. If these are the causes of lower African-American and Hispanic wealth, then African-Americans and Hispanics will never have equal wealth because these are all accomplished facts. The project is doomed. Among additional Hispanic challenges, the matter of English language ceases to become a problem as time passes and assimilation occurs. If the Hispanic immigrants are legal, then interactions with immigration agencies cease as soon as status is achieved. Xenophobia declines with intermarriage, and so on. All the issues you listed are either intractable in any case, or not really problems in the long run at all. Therefore, there is nothing the political arena can or should do about them.

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I once knew some higher-ups in the Democratic party. If you recall when Rahm Emanuel was mayor of Chicago there was a controversy because he covered up the video of a 2014 police shooting of an African-American. I was privy to a conversation in which some high ranking party delegates agreed that Emanuel committed gross corruption in the matter, but said he still had to be supported because of how much money he raised and donated. This is the party that you ask White Americans to be loyal to in the name of racial justice. White Americans are not the ones waging war against other struggling Americans. Professional politicians in both parties are the ones waging war against struggling Americans - and it is they who benefit by racially cleavaging the electorate. Even if White Americans didn't care that much about the Mexican immigrant, they aren't being offered a genuine alternative by a Democratic party whose culture fundamentally has not changed from a model that almost everyone outside the party would agree has failed.

[mvd10]

The thing is that turnout by poor people is rather low, and combined with the post-2016 inflow of even more college-educated whites in the Democratic Party it means that in reality both parties just represent a different kind of (upper) middle-class voters.

[Blair]

Beyond his navy service, JFK was by far the President furthest removed from ‘working families’.

But quibbles aside this isn’t a new argument; it’s one that was being made in the 1960s and 1970s; the massive street fight between construction workers, and new left protestors was endlessly talked about as showing the divides.

But is an inherently false choice; it’s perfectly possible to argue that you want a $15 minimum wage, no right-to-work laws, universal healthcare and affordable college (all of which would remarkably help working families) whilst also affording basic civil rights such as same-sex marriage, the right to contraception/abortion and protections for LGBT workers.

I won’t even go into the academic argument about how the Democrats in the 1950s and 1960s (much like the U.K. Labour Party) really only saw working men as being the most important.

[Yellowhammer]

It has been nothing more than a platitude for a long time, just as “fiscal responsibility” is nothing more than a platitude amongst Republicans.

[💥💥 brandon bro (he/him/his)]

Yes, clearly the party that advocates for ending mandatory minimum sentencing, increased minimum wage, ending workplace harassment and hiring discrimination, strengthened workplace safety standards, and increased worker presence in corporate shareholder pools has forgotten about the working man.

[Gass3268]

If any party is the party of "identity politics" it's the Republicans. They have become the party of white identity and white nationalism.

[Koharu]

Who or what are you defining at "working families?" Politicians like to throw around this phrase, but a lot of times they mean the middle class and not the working class.

But let's see. Which party is trying to make sure that all people have access to healthcare, regardless of income? Which party does not vote to limit social safety net programs? Which party supports unions, which have been proven to improve the income of workers in an area even if they are not union members themselves?

Or, you know, let's take into consideration these maps and compare to recent party control:





Here's a map of the states with the most food insecurity, and surprise surprise, it's those that have less robust social safety nets.

Or even just play with this State of the States (especially the overall well-being map). It's not as directly obvious, but people in the mountain states do have a pretty awesome place to live that might make up for some other shortfallings.

Of course, there are many other measures that one can take into consideration. But in my experience and observation, social safety nets are the most important thing for protecting the actual working class, and Democrats are currently the party defending those nets, while Republicans are trying to cut holes in them, which lets more people fall through and get eaten up by addiction, debt, and hopelessness.

Also this:

Yes, clearly the party that advocates for ending mandatory minimum sentencing, increased minimum wage, ending workplace harassment and hiring discrimination, strengthened workplace safety standards, and increased worker presence in corporate shareholder pools has forgotten about the working man.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

I would mostly quibble about the word "now". Unless you think Bill Clinton particularly cared about ordinary people. Of course, just because a statement is a disingenuous platitude doesn't mean it won't work on the campaign: few claims have ever been as explicitly fictional as Trump's pledge to clear the swamp and his supposed love for coal workers, and they were successful messages on the stump.

The Democrats used to be commonly known as the party of the working guy, evidenced by their previous dominance in the working-class South.

...

How, amidst all of the mush-brained attempts at political commentary in this thread, has no one commented on the fact that it opens by attributing the Solid South to the class consciousness of American worker?

Hahahaha, didn't read thoroughly enough to see that gem.

[Badger]

Antifa HATES the Democratic Party, and are quite vocal about it. Antifa is not a constituency of the Democratic Party just because the alt-right is one for the Republicans.