by The Center for Working-Class Politics published in Jacobin
Read original on Jacobin's website
This article compiles and displays data from the 2...Show description
Posted 1385 days ago
There is something very satisfying about reading an article backed up by hard data, displayed right in front of me. Maybe it's the years of school and university burning this into my brain, but I love looking at graphs. In each Jacobin issue, these articles are usually my favorite pieces. The way it's printed is masterfully done as well.
As for the content, there is really not much to argue. It's clear, and has been for some time, that the Democratic Party is a bizarre coalition of the wealthy who have most of the power and the diverse workers who tend to vote for them because it's the worst of all evils.
I know this is anectodal, which seems weird while thinking about a piece looking at hard-data, but I would be considered a "affluent" white, metro voter. But, I also come from a working-class family in a very, very red county. I think this is the case of a lot of young Americans: they come from working-class, or lower middle-class backgrounds and then "escape" to the city to pursue some career.
On one hand, I want to shout "count me as working class!" I grew up like that and it's what I know. But on the other, I realize that I am working in a capitalist business and my interests are becoming more and more part of the capitalist class (I want to get paid more, own a business, etc). And this data does clearly indicate there is a drop in support from working-class people across the board.
I love reading Jacobin, and its sister publication, Catalyst, and democratic socialist theory more broadly. But in a sense, I'm also slightly American capitalist. My family did work very hard and put me and my brothers through school to become part of a "higher" class. In some sense, the system does work for a select few (we were very lucky, and being white and American helps this significantly). I didn't vote for Clinton in 2016 (I just didn't vote because I didn't want another oligarchy, ruling-class family being in office again just like the Bush family), but did for Biden in 2020. I imagine many other Americans were similar to me on this.
This data is very interesting and it's a very well written article. Thought-provoking.