
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
May 9, 2008
/ 4 Iyar 5768
Obama and blue-collar Whites
By
Robert Robb
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Hillary Clinton trudges on. But the Democratic primary is over: Barack
Obama will be the nominee.
Clinton's hope was to convince super delegates that Obama had too large of
a problem with blue-collar White Democrats to win in November. And to get
past Obama in at least the aggregate popular vote to provide an excuse for
super delegates to overlook Obama's inevitable lead in pledged delegates.
This was always going to be a tough sell. Democratic fortunes depend
heavily on Black turnout, which is volatile. Even if it meant risking the
presidency, Democratic officialdom couldn't be perceived as, in essence,
stealing the nomination from Obama.
Any hope of a pretext for the super delegates to swing to Clinton died last
Tuesday. To keep it alive, Clinton needed to win big in Indiana and run
Obama close in North Carolina. Instead, the obverse happened.
According to the tally of RealClearPolitics.com, Obama has a lead in votes
cast in all primaries and caucuses of 821,000, excluding Florida and
Michigan. Including Florida, which had the names of all the candidates on
the ballot even if none of them campaigned there, Obama has a 416,000 vote
lead. Including Michigan, where Clinton's name was on the ballot but not
Obama's, the lead shrinks to 197,000.
If Clinton runs very strong in the remaining primaries, she might catch
Obama in the popular vote, if Michigan results are included. But no one is
going to buy that as a fair measurement.
So, however the end plays out, Obama will be the nominee. And both
Democrats and Republicans now regard him as damaged goods, due primarily to
his continuing problems attracting blue-collar White votes, which was
manifest in North Carolina and Indiana despite the generally favorable
outcome for him in those contests.
Obama's problem has been crystallized, and perhaps catalyzed, by two
developments. Blue-collar Whites have trouble understanding and accepting
his long association with Jeremiah Wright of troubling rant fame. And
Obama's statement that blue-collar Whites “cling” to guns and G-d, and
manifest prejudice, because of economic insecurity struck them as
condescending and offensive.
The conventional wisdom is that this gives John McCain, the
straight-talking former fighter-jet pilot, a chance to make inroads.
I'm skeptical. Here's why.
McCain undoubtedly would be a more comfortable cultural fit for many
blue-collar White Democrats. However, this is an election in which economic
issues will loom large. And, while it is not the reason that they embrace
guns and God, blue-collar Whites are feeling a great degree of economic
insecurity these days.
The economy, along with the Iraq war, will be the major backdrops of this
election. And there will be three major economic issues on which Obama and
McCain will fight: taxes, health care and trade. On all three, blue-collar
Whites are much more likely to side with Obama than McCain.
On taxes, McCain proposes extending the Bush tax cuts and reducing the
corporate tax rate to be more internationally competitive.
Obama proposes making the tax code even more redistributionist, eliminating
the Bush tax cuts for those making over $200,000 while adopting additional
tax credits for middle-class and lower-income families.
Obama's tax policies would dramatically reduce investment capital at a time
when it is particularly economic important. And, ordinarily, the politics
of envy haven't fared very well.
However, in the midst of heightened economic insecurity, blue-collar voters
are likely to go to whoever promises them the most. And right now, that's
Obama.
Health care has become a component of economic insecurity, since most
people get it from their employer. McCain has some good proposals to
liberate people from dependence on employers for health insurance. But he
doesn't provide a governmental guarantee of access and affordability, as
Obama does.
On trade, it's straightforward: McCain is an ardent free-trader; Obama is
running as a protectionist. And blue-collar workers believe, mistakenly,
that free trade is the primary source of their economic insecurity.
In an election in which the sense of economic insecurity wasn't so inflamed
and extensive, blue-collar White Democrats might very well vote their
greater cultural affinity with McCain. But Obama speaks more directly to
their economic concerns, if not to their true longer-term economic
interests.
Elections get down to: Compared to whom? Just because Obama couldn't win
blue-collar Whites against Clinton doesn't mean he won't win them against
McCain.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Robert Robb is a columnist for The Arizona Republic. Comment by clicking here.
Robert Robb Archives
© 2008, The Arizona Republic
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|