| CHAPTER | 14 |
Why Are Democrats Worse at Connecting with the White Working Class than Republicans?
“ANYBODY GONE INTO Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” Barack Obama asked a baffled Iowa audience during the 2008 presidential campaign. “I don’t know what it is,” a hospital clinic assistant confided to a reporter, “Maybe it’s a Hawaiian thing.”272
It’s not a Hawaiian thing; it’s an elite thing. The class culture gap is a huge driver in American politics today. Consider: Michael Dukakis had lettuce problems, too, when he discussed endive on the campaign trail. John Kerry meant to convey youthful fitness when he released a photo of himself wind-surfing; instead he communicated class privilege. Obama was derided for his ...
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