In 2004, Vermont governor and Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean wondered why working class whites consistently acted against their own economic interests by voting Republican. Some suggested that Republicans’ cynical politicizing of social and cultural values masked economic policies favoring the rich. Others argued that Americans don’t vote on the basis of where they are, but on where they expect to get. Democrats seemed to threaten those economic aspirations with higher taxes and government regulation, while Republican promises of low taxes and a free market appeared more likely to promote success.
A dozen years later that faith in upward mobility has been shaken, replaced by gnawing economic insecurity. Long a background issue, increasing economic inequality became more prominent because of the Great Recession, because of our still shaky recovery from that disaster, and because of a dawning understanding that those responsible for the meltdown not only weren’t punished, but profited, and continue to use their “Too Big To Fail” status in ways that threaten a repeat. Even many of the most conservative Americans have come to believe the system is rigged – and not in their favor.
That’s produced an unlikely conjunction of populism on the Right and the Left. Conservative Republicans and radical Democrats revile each other, but they share a visceral anger about the apparent end of the American dream and the fact that it’s not an accident. Big business and big government seem linked in an unholy alliance of self-interest. Their slavish dedication to the needs of the top one percent makes them indifferent, if not actively hostile, to the concerns of the rest of us.
Labor activist and essayist Thomas Geohegan once suggested an all-purpose liberal political slogan: “What is it about ‘You’re being robbed!’ you don’t understand?” Sarah Palin’s recent war cry “We’re mad and we’ve been had” suggests this idea’s getting traction across the political divide as well.
Anger can be a game-changer. It’s conceivable that American political culture could re-shape itself around issues like income inequality and the irresponsibility of those who profit from it. Trump and Sanders supporters might pause and consider that possibility. Although they don’t like each other and they certainly don’t speak each other’s language, in this instance, on this issue, they’re saying the same thing.
