Salt-of-the-Earth Democrats
- 05.07.2008 - 5:17 PMAmong the most peculiar aspects of the very peculiar Democratic nomination contest now drawing to a close has been Hillary Clinton’s transformation into a beer-drinking, blue-collar everyman. It has been thoroughly and transparently dishonest, of course. But it worked reasonably well, and over the last few weeks in particular she ably played the cultural conservative in that race. It somehow seemed perfectly reasonable for a union organizer introducing Clinton at a rally last week to say that she was all that stood between the American people and “the Gucci-wearing, latte-drinking, self-centered, egotistical people that have damaged our lifestyle.” Until a few months ago, she was one of the icons of that very crowd. But thanks to Obama’s elitism, Hillary saw the “salt-of-the-earth Democrat” niche was open, and she went for it.
Clinton’s transformation into a teamster almost saved her–but not quite. In the end, the Democrats look to be nominating another elitist liberal who looks down on most of his voters, and so setting in motion a campaign certain to be shaped, once again, by clashing cultural self-images: the straight-talking patriot and the champagne-sipping intellectual; the worldly young progressive and the simple-minded Neanderthal.
This dynamic doesn’t pre-determine the winner, to be sure, and (as John Podhoretz persuasively argues below) Republicans should not lull themselves into imagining otherwise. But it is a pattern that has done grave damage to the Democrats for decades.
If they’re paying attention, the smart strategists among the Democrats will have learned something crucial in these past few months. A real (as opposed to a patently fake) blue-collar, everyman, salt of the earth Democrat–one who takes the rebukes of the MoveOn Left as a compliment and is even a tiny bit culturally conservative–could have a very real chance of winning the party’s nomination, would do especially well in states that are most crucial in the general election, and, most importantly, could be a knock-out winner in the fall. Is there any doubt that a genuinely anti-elitist, culturally moderate Democrat would crush every Republican candidate we can conceive of today?
Of course, such salt-of-the-earth Democratic politicians are increasingly hard to come by, as cultural liberalism is the core of the party’s self-identity today. But maybe Clinton’s failed effort will get some conservative Democrats thinking. It would be good for the Democrats, and good for the country, if their leaders came to see that their cultural elitism, bordering on cultural separatism, is not only obnoxious but counterproductive. Maybe next time.
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May 7th, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Are there any conservatives at Commentary who can bowl straight, shoot a hoop, stay on top of a jackhammer, or come up with a program that truly benefits real Americans?
May 7th, 2008 at 5:37 PM
The Republican Party better learn something as well, though, from the failures of George Bush. Patricians who got into Ivy League schools, not by intelligence and merit (like most Democrats who do) but by blue blood, and then make their way in life largely through family connections and subsidies from overpaid corporate executives, are not much of a reservoir for future leadership either.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:45 PM
Most of the downscale Democrats in which you repose such faith want their children to attend elite colleges (and what college does not fancy itself or at least dream of being elite) — which turn most of the latter into Obama voters. And the more vital a college degree becomes, the more things will tilt in that direction. In fact, most young people would probably rather spend a hundred grand or more on a socially respectable academic credential than stay solvent and take up plumbing or auto mechanics if they had the chance. If you want to restore some balance to our culture , find a way to desacralize the meritocracy.
May 7th, 2008 at 6:08 PM
Are most young whites Obama supporters because they believe they will be upper-middle class elites when they’re 40? Elite whites only enjoy looking down on other whites — somebody has to be the downscale loser in the status game.
May 7th, 2008 at 7:39 PM
Clarion, I don’t know if I count being just a responder, but here’s one Commentary person who has dug trenches for catch-basins, installed stockade fences which gave me blisters that have become visible callouses, associated with workers who didn’t even graduate from high school, dealt with all types of minorities from poor and desperate backgrounds, some of whom are now in jail for murder. Good enough?
May 7th, 2008 at 7:45 PM
At this stage, why would a conservative consider being a Democrat, much less a Democratic candidate, except out of habit?
Seth is right about colleges, but many jobs do require the type of preparation that should be leading to a degree. The real conservative agenda has to include reconnecting with youth by creating an alternative educational system (academic & vocational) from the ground up.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:09 PM
Clarion,
all those red states are figments of your imagination. There are no farmers or blue collar workers who vote Republican.
May 7th, 2008 at 8:38 PM
Steve Rogers
What are you talking about? Clarion knows those people exist - they’re the “bitter ones” remember?
May 7th, 2008 at 9:46 PM
Their bitterness, if real, could be because their own values and their party’s differ so much.
May 7th, 2008 at 11:08 PM
When the Democrats invite Zell Miller back into the party you’ll know sanity has been restored..