Which type of Republican are you? How to self-identify.

Here are 12 excerpts from the PRRI/Atlantic White Working Class Survey conducted between September 22 and October 9, 2016. The report also draws on a set of four focus groups conducted in Cincinnati, Ohio, in December 2016 and additional PRRI surveys that contained samples of white working-class Americans. Here’s how they describe Trump’s white working-class base.

1. Nostalgia for the 1950s. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of the white working class believe American culture and way of life has deteriorated since the 1950s, compared to a majority (56 percent) of white college-educated Americans who say American culture and way of life has improved.

2. Strangers in their own country. Nearly half (48 percent) of white working-class Americans agree, saying things have changed so much that they often feel like strangers in their own country, while 74 percent of white college-educated Americans reject this notion.

3. Protection from foreign influence. Sixty-eight percent of white working-class Americans believe the American way of life needs to be protected from foreign influence. Fewer than half (44 percent) of white college-educated Americans express this view.

4. Losing the American identity. More than two-thirds (68 percent) of white working-class Americans along with a majority (55 percent) of the public overall believe the U.S. is in danger of losing its culture and identity.

5. Attitudes on immigrants and immigration. More than six in 10 (62 percent) white working-class Americans believe the growing number of newcomers from other countries threatens American culture. However, nearly six in 10 (59 percent) white working-class Americans believe immigrants living in the country illegally should be allowed to become citizens provided they meet certain requirements, while 10 percent say they should be allowed to become permanent legal residents. More than one in four (27 percent) say we should identify and deport illegal immigrants. Support for a path to citizenship is only slightly lower than support among the general public (63 percent).

6. Perceptions of reverse discrimination. More than half (52 percent) of white working-class Americans believe discrimination against whites has now become as big a problem as discrimination against blacks and other minorities, while 70 percent of white college-educated Americans disagree.

7. Bad financial shape. Fewer than four in 10 of the white working-class report they are in excellent (5 percent) or good (33 percent) shape financially, compared to six in 10 who say they are in fair (35 percent) or poor shape (25 percent). White working-class Americans are about as likely to say their financial situation has diminished (27 percent) as to say it has improved (29 percent). White college-educated Americans, in contrast, are about three times as likely to say their financial circumstances have gotten better than gotten worse (41 percent vs. 14 percent, respectively).

8. College doesn’t pay off. A majority (54 percent) of the white working-class view getting a college education as a risky gamble, while only 44 percent say it is a smart investment.

9. Wanted: rule-breaking leader. Six in 10 (60 percent) white working-class Americans, compared to only 32 percent of white college-educated Americans, say we need a strong leader who is willing to break the rules, because things have gotten so far off track.

10. Yes to restoring felony voting rights. More than seven in 10 (71 percent) white working-class Americans and about three-quarters (74 percent) of the public overall agree a person who has been convicted of a felony should be allowed to vote after he has served his sentence.

11. Substance abusers likely. Nearly four in 10 (38 percent) white working-class Americans, compared to 26 percent of white college-educated Americans, say they or someone in their household has experienced depression in the last 12 months. Twelve percent of white working-class Americans report a family member has struggled with alcoholism, while a similar number (8 percent) say the same of drug addiction. Among white college-educated Americans, fewer say someone in their household has struggled with either alcoholism (9 percent) or drug addiction (3 percent).

12. Drug treatment over jail time. Approximately seven in 10 (71 percent) white working-class Americans and three-quarters (74 percent) of the public support a law mandating drug treatment instead of prison for those using illegal drugs on their first or second offense. More than eight in 10 (82 percent) white college-educated Americans also support a treatment option over incarceration. Drug treatment is the preferred option among an overwhelming number of black (78 percent) and Hispanic (67 percent) Americans.

http://www.salon.com/2017/05/1...


In a grand gesture of self-congratulation, I think most libs/lefties could've predicted (approximately) these general percentages.


I feel most of these beliefs/feelings genuine. What I find off-pissing is the sentiment in #9:

9. Wanted: rule-breaking leader. Six in 10 (60 percent) white working-class Americans, compared to only 32 percent of white college-educated Americans, say we need a strong leader who is willing to break the rules, because things have gotten so far off track.



GL2 said:

I feel most of these beliefs/feelings genuine. What I find off-pissing is the sentiment in #9:

9. Wanted: rule-breaking leader. Six in 10 (60 percent) white working-class Americans, compared to only 32 percent of white college-educated Americans, say we need a strong leader who is willing to break the rules, because things have gotten so far off track.

that's been part of the con.  He isn't breaking any rules.  He surrounded himself with people who are part of the GOP orthodoxy.  His cabinet appointees are in the process of doing exactly what any Republican president would have done regarding the environment, workplace rules, education, etc.


After all his populist BS, how do supporters digest an administration filled with WS folks and other assorted million/billionaires? It's a real head scratcher.


And gov't waste? Every weekend is a million dollar waste of money.



ml1 said:

the "moderate" party is today's Democratic Party.  Anyone who finds the likes of Hillary Clinton to be too far to the left can't realistically be called a moderate.
Norman_Bates said:

The voting public is not entirely polarized and dichotomous. While it is unlikely that neither entrenched conservatives nor iiberals will be swayed, there are many moderates who may be open to reconsidering their positions. Those are the ones to whom both parties may wish to appeal.

Although I used the term "moderate", I did so for expediency.  Perhaps the term independent would have been more descriptive since "moderate" does imply political ideology and "independent" may refer more to whether the  person is committed to a particular party and candidate.   The reality is that generic labels such as liberal, moderate or conservative - or independent - tend to be subjective and contextual. Someone who seems moderate to one person might be viewed as conservative by another.  Each of us has our own litmus test, largely based on the issues we find relevant and important, to classify ourselves and others. Some may view the Democratic party as moderate but no doubt there are those who may have a different perspective. What one chooses to call someone who is committed to neither party nor to HRC or DJT matters not...again, perhaps independent is the more accurate term.   When President Obama took office in 2009, 36% of voters identified themselves as Democrats, versus 30% who identified as Republicans and 33% Independents.  Today, according to  NPR, 39 percent of voters now identify themselves as independent rather than being affiliated with one of the two major political parties  because they are turned off by the parties.  Within that proclaimed independent group, there are those who lean left or right. These uncommitted or independent folks who do not have an ideological foundation which places them firmly either in the Democratic or Republican camp could swing the next election so it seems prudent to try to connect.



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