Opinion | Kamala Harris’ campaign didn’t ignore working class voters
Opinion | Kamala Harris’ campaign didn’t ignore working class voters
The Biden administration was staunchly pro-labor, subsidized Obamacare and managed to avoid a recession. But Trump and Republicans sold resentment, and it worked.
Summary
Following the Democrats’ recent election losses, some, including Senator Bernie Sanders, argue that the party failed by “abandoning” the working class.
However, critics counter that Democrats under Biden implemented one of the most pro-working class agendas in decades, passing union-supportive policies, job-creating infrastructure bills, and increasing wages.
Despite these efforts, Democrats saw little electoral benefit, especially among nonwhite working-class voters, as cultural grievances took precedence for many working-class voters.
Analysts suggest that the party’s best path forward may be to focus on college-educated suburban voters rather than attempting to win back working-class Republicans.
They had been telling us nonstop from day one that we are not struggling, that everything's okay, that the economy is strong and And unemployment is low, which means nothing if people are not getting paid a livable wage. They Ignored our cries for help that we are struggling. We cannot afford food, we cannot afford rent, our wages are stagnant. Time and again they kept repeating the same lie, everything is okay, you are not struggling.
That is blatantly ignoring the working class.
I watched these too. But I didn't walk away with the same conclusion. I walked away with the economy is headed in the right direction. And they know people are struggling. Which is arguably true. Inflation was reducing and wages were going up. That's been happening for the last two years.
Analysts suggest that the party’s best path forward may be to focus on college-educated suburban voters rather than attempting to win back working-class Republicans.
fuck no
i'm already done with this. we are in for the final fucking mile.
There are plenty of working class democrats they abandoned.
yes! but we're still here. i am bad at this. I encourage concepts like mutual aid.
I respectfully disagree. there was no real, tangible results for most working class adults. Inflation was still terrible and there seemed to be no relief from it. not many real progressive measures were enacted that people actually wanted or noticed. industries all around were still slowly shutting down and quite a few factory towns suffered badly during their term. they could have done something about it proactively, but chose to brush it under the rug. it's awful, and I didn't want this outcome but you gotta understand that most people want cheaper stuff and not be jobless.
it really goes to show how far people will go if they think their livelihood is at risk. they'd go as far as electing a Nazi. crazy isn't it?
Democrats under Biden implemented one of the most pro-working class agendas in decades,
there was no real, tangible results for most working class adults.
Both things can be true.
When the bar is just that low literally anything can be the most in decades.
Biden/Harris: [Works to help working class]
Working Class: [Doesn't listen / pay attention]
Working Class: WhY ArE yoU igNOrinG us??
Biden/Harris: [drops the bare minimum of crumbs from the table without pursuing any enduring change]
Harris campaign: [runs as far and as fast as possible to the right, abandoning policies to help the working class Harris campaigned on in 2020]
people that have no clue what they're talking about: tHe wORkiNg cLasS wAs DOiNG gREat aCTuaLlY
Or Biden/Harris didn't works to help working class, or at least not hard enough.
They failed to predict voter sentiment so obviously they're right about the voters being at fault.
Reminds me of Clinton’s vaunted “Blue Wall” that totally collapsed. Harris expected Democrats to show up without campaigning to them and were shocked when they didn’t.
A red flag for me, from an outside perspective, was how the #MastodonforHarris campaign was dealt with.
A completely grassroots organization led by ordinary Americans who care about democracy get together and collect hundreds of thousands for the campaign. Some are relatively well-connected and attempt to reach out. And, as far as I could see, the campaign couldn't even be arsed to issue an official "thank you".
If this is how far removed the campaign was from ordinary Americans, who in the world had any access? Who would feel like their voice is being heard, if fundraising half a million is not even enough to be recognized with a thank you from some low-ranking representative?
I'm not American, and I have no idea what the situation is like on the ground over there. I kind of hoped/assumed they put in their effort being available to steel workers in Pennsylvania rather than nerds on Mastodon. But seeing how it all went down I guess they were equally far removed from everyone.
If this is how far removed the campaign was from ordinary Americans, who in the world had any access?
The Cheneys.
I'll never get over that
You can't say she had no desire to court working class voters, and be upset that she was campaigning in Texas and with Liz Cheney.
Why not? What the fuck did Liz Cheney ever do for the working class?
Progressives need to start their own party. This coalition with the DNC is ridiculous and just keeps getting worse all the time.