Washington Times: The futility of class warfare

Washington Times

The futility of class warfare

The “race card” was once an effective ploy in electoral politics. Southern Democrats long used it to rally white voters. In the wake of the Civil Rights movement, the Republicans took possession of the race card. Richard Nixon used it to strike fear in the minds of white voters, helping to transform a solid South into a Republican bastion. That card still gets played on occasion. But with white voters receding into the minority in so many jurisdictions, the race card is increasingly viewed as not just an unfair ploy, but an inefficient one as well.

The preferred play of Democrats these days is the “class” card. The Democrats have increasingly tried to redefine the “them vs. us” struggle in terms of class rather than color. As they tell the story, economic prosperity is a zero-sum game. Income gains attained by the “rich” come at the expense of the “poor”. Corporations bestow lavish compensation on executive insiders while cutting salaries, benefits and jobs for hard-working Americans. A massive flow of campaign contributions assures that elected officials will protect and serve the rich, while simultaneously cutting holes in the social safety net. Tax cuts for the rich not only fuel conspicuous indulgence among the elite, but diminish spending on health services, school, and the safety of the poor. Wall Street gains at the expense of Main Street. It all boils down to “them” (the rich) vs. “us” (the poor and middle class). Barack Obama has used the “class card” relentlessly to enlist and energize his supporters.

Red State: Obama: “Can You Believe that McCain Won’t Even Engage in Class Warfare?”

Red State (9/29/08)

Obama: “Can You Believe that McCain Won’t Even Engage in Class Warfare?”

The class warfare worldview of the Democrat nominee for President was on full display Saturday in North Carolina, when the freshman Senator from Illinois said:

But just as important as what we heard from John McCain was what we didn’t hear.

The truth is, through 90 minutes of debating, John McCain had a lot to say about me, but he had nothing to say about you. He didn’t even say the words ‘middle class’ — not once.” [Ed.- For the record, Obama himself said the words “middle class” three times in the debate.]

That’s right — McCain didn’t say “Middle Class” in the debate — nor did he say “Upper” or “Lower” class. He also didn’t say “blacks,” or “homosexuals,” or any of those other nicely splintered groups and classes that Democrats love to cram people into for political purposes.

That people wouldn’t be looked at solely in terms of skin color, gender, sexuality, and/or income level, but as Americans, is as foreign to Obama and his fellow Democrats as ideas like “realistic foreign policy” and “national security” — which is to say, about as foreign as can be.

Racialicious: Stereotyping the Working Class

Racialicious (9/15/08)

Stereotyping the Working Class « Working-Class Perspectives

“The second problem is that the stereotype suggests that only working-class people are racist. But racism doesn’t recognize class borders. Some middle-class and elite people won’t vote for Obama because of his race, but nearly all of the commentary focuses on working-class racism. “