John Fund of National Review Online ponders the role of liberal disdain for the working class in boosting support for President Trump.
Everyone knows that Republicans have political problems, from their failure to repeal Obamacare to President Trump’s erratic tweets to his sputtering efforts to make populism a governing philosophy. But what about Democrats? While their problems don’t get as much media attention, Democrats are now both the minority party and a toxic brand to much of middle-class America.
Take last Friday, when Governor Jim Justice of West Virginia announced he was becoming a Republican. “The Democrats walked away from me,” he told a Trump rally in Huntington. “Today I tell you as West Virginians, I can’t help you any more being a Democrat governor.” …
… Trump certainly broke the mold in 2016. He did better among low-income whites than among upper-income whites — the first time a Republican has done that at the presidential level. He won 62 percent of the vote among white voters without a college degree who make less than $30,000 a year. …
… Since the November election, Trump’s popularity has largely held with those voters. Concerns about his lack of focus have been assuaged by the recent growth in jobs and wages. Democrats have not improved their position — in part because of their obsession with leading the “resistance” against Trump. A Washington Post/Abc News poll published July 19 found that 52 percent of Americans don’t believe the Democratic party stands for anything beyond opposing Trump. Even 42 percent of nonwhite voters agree that Trump-bashing is all the party is focused on.