gtyellowjacket
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I do think some of the open border stuff that Trump tapped into is xenophobia and racism but I honestly feel most of it is economic. People talk about Hispanics taking jobs that Americans don't want like picking produce or cleaning toilets but they are taking plenty of jobs in other industries that Americans do want like construction and meat packing.You’re asking for evidence, so let’s start there. When Americans are polled about what issues matter most to them, across race, class, and party lines, the answers are consistent: the economy, healthcare, housing, inflation, political corruption. Cultural issues like DEI, trans sports, or campus speech don’t rank high for most people. That’s not an opinion, it’s standard across Pew, Gallup, AP-NORC, and others.
Now, I know what you’re likely to say. Even if voters say they care about the economy, their actual votes, especially for Republicans pushing racist or regressive policies, reveal a deeper commitment to cultural identity. That’s the classic revealed preference argument.
But that interpretation assumes a kind of ideological coherence that doesn’t reflect how most people engage with politics. Voters aren’t wonks. They respond to emotion, tone, and trust. When someone says they care about wages or healthcare but votes Republican, it doesn’t mean they’re lying about their priorities. It often means they don’t believe Democrats will actually deliver. Or worse, that Democrats look down on people like them.
Republicans win not because they offer better material outcomes, but because they perform alignment with people’s anger and disillusionment. Democrats lose because they too often speak a language that feels foreign, managerial, or moralizing, especially to voters who are economically precarious and culturally defensive. That emotional mismatch is where trust breaks.
As for the Solid South, yes, race is foundational to American politics. But Alabama and Missouri don’t vote the way they do just because of race. These are regions marked by deep economic hardship, social conservatism, and distrust of elite institutions. The right exploits this through racialized grievance. But the left has failed to compete on the terrain of class and belonging. That’s the missed opportunity. And it’s a strategic failure, not just a moral one.
So no, I’m not saying voters are perfectly rational economic actors. I’m saying that ignoring economic frustration, or treating it as a mask for bigotry, is a mistake. It writes off winnable voters, inflates the liberal self-image, and guarantees political isolation.
I really think Democrats have continued to misidentify the real issue by telling everyone who will listen that the only reason someone could vote for Trump is racism when the issue is competition from immigrants for a large number of voters. Which is why you saw a lot of Hispanic men and to a lesser extent black men vote for Trump too. Those guys of all colors were citizens and had been here for a while and their wages are getting driven down on the construction site by people that showed up last month.
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