Big on Quora: Why Would a Middle-Class, Blue Collar Union Member Vote Republican?

A lot of this is due to the failure of Communism and the collapse of the USSR. However, I think that there is more we need to understand.

In my view, I think we are now voting for our tribes and not our ideology. The Democrat party has built itself up on an approach that vilifies whites and especially white men. If you are a white guy, then you have received clear signals that there is no place for you in the modern Democrat party even though you are a middle-class, blue collar union member type of voter.

The Democrats cemented their anti-white positions into place with their new focus on white privilege. One of the benefits of white privilege ideology is that it can be used to justify racial discrimination against whites through various affirmative action programs, minority set-asides, and reduced emphasis on the skills and tests on which whites outperform non-whites, particularly Latinos and blacks.

If you are a a middle-class, blue collar union member type of voter, then you know full well that the ideology that unifies the Democrat party will be used to harm you and especially your young children or grandchildren. The Democrats, in a sense, have forced whites to participate in the arena of identity politics.

Accordingly, we can expect whites to double down on their support for efforts that will preserve their tribe as the dominant racial group in the nation. These efforts include restrictions on non-white immigration, complete moratoriums on immigration in general, and the phasing out of pro-minority policies including affirmative action and special preferences for non-white students in college and university applications.

In addition to the tribalism argument, I think it is also fair to observe that the Democrat party is moving very far to the left, so far that it is coming to emphasize socialism as an issue to attract minority and younger voters. In this regard, a middle-class, blue collar union member type of voter may very well be voting in their own economic interest by opposing anything which would lead the U.S. into becoming a more socialist country. For these savvy voters, the are making the correct choice for themselves and their families by voting against candidates who might turn the U.S. into another Cuba or Venezuela.

John C. Drew, Ph.D. is an award-winning political scientist.