Barrack and Michelle Obama seemed so cultured, so well spoken, so elegant, compared to Trump.
Democrats have an elitism message problem.
A pattern has emerged that is so strong it cannot just be an accident. The Ivy League has taken over politics, and Democrats totally drank the kool aid.
Republicans. Both Bushes were Skull and Bones Yalies. George W. Bush then attended Harvard Business School. John McCain attended the Navy Academy at Annapolis. Romney attended Harvard Law School. Republicans had an elitism problem until Trump changed the GOP
Democrats, beginning in 1988, have been Harvard and Yale all the way. Dukakis went to Harvard Law. Bill Clinton went to Yale Law, Al Gore went to Harvard, John Kerry went to Harvard, Obama went to Harvard Law (as did Michelle) and Hillary Clinton to Yale Law.
It continues. Several candidates have emerged among Democratic contenders for 2020:
It continues. Several candidates have emerged among Democratic contenders for 2020:
***Cory Booker: Yale Law.
***Deval Patrick: Harvard, then Harvard Law
***Amy Klobuchar: Yale
***Sherrod Brown: Yale
***Michael Bloomberg: Harvard Business School
Such a narrow pool.
There is more: Bernie Sanders (U. of Chicago), Elizabeth Warren (Rutgers Law, then taught at Harvard Law), Kirsten Gillibrand (Dartmouth), John Delaney (Columbia), Beto O'Rourke (Columbia), Jeff Merkley (Stanford, then Princeton.)
Joe Biden is the blue collar man of the people; he attended Syracuse.
Every member of the US Supreme Court--all nine--attended either Harvard or Yale Law Schools.
Joe Biden is the blue collar man of the people; he attended Syracuse.
Every member of the US Supreme Court--all nine--attended either Harvard or Yale Law Schools.
Democrats have become the party strong in suburban white neighborhoods because their candidates reflect the values of people aspiring to succeed in a modern, educated, diverse global economy. Liberal progressive Democrats wring their hands that they have lost the support of blue collar workers. They do great in college towns but lose 3 to 1 in working class towns and areas where people work outdoors.
Trump carries the upper midwest and with that the White House.
Trump carries the upper midwest and with that the White House.
Would Democratic activists be comfortable with a candidate who graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College--as did Lyndon Johnson? Such a candidate could carry a college town message of progressive politics and racial harmony but also relate more credibly with working class people. Yet apparently one need a brand name elite education to have credibility as a progressive leader--an inference one can make based on the fact that all the leading candidates are dripping with elite credentials.
It cannot just be an accident. Democrats have given themselves tunnel vision.
Insofar as identity gives credence to policy, it would be handy if Democrats had a good progressive candidate who graduated from a state university or worked in an industry that grew something or made something or in which people got muddy doing their jobs. They could say the same things a Yalie might say, but they might have more credibility with working people if they had gone to the same schools that 99.9% of people go to.
It cannot just be an accident. Democrats have given themselves tunnel vision.
Insofar as identity gives credence to policy, it would be handy if Democrats had a good progressive candidate who graduated from a state university or worked in an industry that grew something or made something or in which people got muddy doing their jobs. They could say the same things a Yalie might say, but they might have more credibility with working people if they had gone to the same schools that 99.9% of people go to.
6 comments:
You make the assumption that education, specifically higher education, is a qualifier for public office. The inverse could be just as true; i.e., those who attend ivy league schools skew towards public service?
Regardless, the resentment you outline is a fact. Uneducated, non-degreed folks have been conditioned to believe that learned others do not understand or appreciate the values of physical labor and would not survive if it were not for their dirty hands and sweat. It's a core Regressive belief that ignores most of the progress of the industrial revolution, especially recent technological advances. One might say a computer is as necessary for survival in the modern world as a plow was a century ago, yet this group delights in bragging that they are not tech savvy, despite having 50 years to adapt.
Hmm, didn't Trump claim during his candidacy that he went to Wharton? Isn't Penn an ivy school?
But I may not know much, I went to Southern Oregon, and then Michigan State.
No ivies in my past. Well I did live on Ivy Street.
Peter,
You missed FDR and JFK as Harvard men.
Even Harvard bloggers could be elitists if they didn't have a background of working in a muddy melon field.
Bill H.
Yes, Trump went to Wharton at Penn, which is Ivy League. He transferred in his junior year. I will write about Trump tomorrow. He is the ANTI elitist, the crude vulgar guy who brags about his money, his brains, his education, his penis size. This is the opposite of elitist behavior. It is tabloid behavior.
Part of why the media and the people in power in both parties underestimated Trump was that he was so gauche, so anti expert, so simpleminded in his language, so vulgar in his behavior that they couldn't believe people would support him. It turned out that Republicans held their nose and voted for him while people on the left thought they had the luxury of voting their conscience. Plus, people who read the NY Times underestimate the number of people who read the tabloids.
Trump didn't hurt himself politically by revealing he was prejudiced. A lot of people are prejudiced. When George W. Bush said that Islam was a religion of peace and we should blame the criminal terrorists, not the religion, it sounded noble to educated people and sounded like damned fool elitist crap to a lot of Americans. Trump is what Archie Bunker would be, had he won a billion dollar lottery. Trump understands Archie Bunker.
"No bum that can't speak poifect English oughta stay in this country...oughta be de-exported the hell outta here!"
--Archie Bunker
@Mike Tuba: Moo U., Go Blue!
Government is a complex beast. Understanding the nuances of foreign policy, federal laws, constitutional laws, the intricacies of process, etc, takes a higher level of intelligence than say . . . Making sandwiches. Not saying making sandwiches isn’t honest, valuable work. However, when choosing someone for either position, I want someone who has the intellect and skill set to go to Yale Law, who is at the top of his or her game. I want the best to lead us. As you know, that does not necessarily mean that person came from an elitist background. Plenty of middle class students attend Ivy League schools - you yourself were one of them. Elitist when it comes to education and intelligence only became a bad thing when the dumbing down of science, facts and education became accepted practice. Was Angela Merkel chastised as elitist for her degrees? This is a trumpian American thing. While I agree we should be avoiding political dynasties and big money, we should push back on well-educated, qualified candidates that can speak proudly of being able to get in to our best schools. It’s only a problem if we let it be - change the messaging.
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