The Working Class Vote (Part 2)

In a previous post I presented a debate between the ideas of author Thomas Frank and the New York Times columnist Paul Krugman who cites economic data based on the work of economist Frank Bartels on the voting behavior of white, working class registered voters.

Basically, Thomas Frank paints a very different picture than what Krugman and Bartels present: whereas Frank sees the white working class voting behavior as largely leaning Republican and primarily driven by “values issues” such as gun ownership, abortion, and gay marriage, Bartels and Krugman argue that the white working class vote—except for the South—has largely remained Democratic in the past few election cycles. They argue that the narrative Thomas Frank presents in his book What’s the Matter with Kansas is largely a myth and not based on empirical data. Thomas Frank issues a rebuttal of Bartels paper here.

Liberal Arts Dude sez:

Although I have tremendous respect for Paul Krugman, I think his analysis completely ignores a larger point that Thomas Frank made in his book which I think is an important one and deserves to be debated and widely discussed. More than an observation of voting behavior of the working class, WMK is also a potent critique of the ideological and policy thrust of the Democratic Party in the 1990s under Bill Clinton. According to Frank, what made the Republican strategy of focusing on “values issues” possible and so successful is that the Democratic leadership has swung rightward in matters of economic policy to the point that they are virtually indistinguishable from the Republicans.

If the Republicans are for free trade, so are the Democrats. If the Republicans are for tax cuts, so are the Democrats. If the Republicans are for raising money from corporate sponsors and representing their interests primarily, so are the Democrats. If Republicans are for ending welfare for poor people, so are the Democrats.

According to Frank, what distinguished Democrats from Republicans—after economic and trade policy has been taken off the table—are social values issues such as gay marriage, abortion and gun ownership. And in these matters, the socially conservative American working class will always vote on the side of the Republicans. Without a countervailing dynamic where working class people recognize the Democrats as representing their economic interests, working class people have no real options in the voting booth that reflects their concerns and interests—except the Republicans and the focus on traditional social values issues.

I think in this election cycle of 2008, some Democratic candidates have recognized this dynamic and have adjusted their strategy of appealing to voters to be more Populist-sounding. The one that has really done this with the most commitment is John Edwards. Barack Obama is also widely recognized and bases his appeal to the voter through a reputation as an anti-establishment maverick. Even frontrunner Hillary Clinton is making a big deal about promoting some sort of universal healthcare plan.

But I think that more than just having an image problem, the Democratic Party has an actual problem of whether or not it truly does represent the interests of ordinary, working people. Frank’s argument—which I agree with—is that the types of economic policies Democrats have followed when they are in power are virtually indistinguishable from the types of economic policies Republicans follow. Where they differ is probably a matter of degree.

Where does that leave ordinary, working class folks? Do either of the mainstream political parties truly represent their economic interests? If not, on what basis should ordinary, working class folk make their vote when presented with a choice between the two major parties? What other options do ordinary, working class people have in making their voices heard in the political arena?

I ask these questions because the working class vote is potentially huge. If all working class people voted their economic interests either for or against either of the major parties, the consequences are potentially great. I argue in this post that the best advocates working class people are going to have are themselves exercising their political rights and empowering themselves by advocating for their own interests.

---

Posted in class, commentary, conservative, culture, economics, political parties