‘He’s Diet Trump’ Editor’s Blog – Talking Points Memo / by Josh Marshall

‘He’s Diet Trump’

Editor’s Blog – Talking Points Memo / by Josh Marshall / 3h

TPM Reader AG has thoughts on Biden, Trump and white and black America …

I’m a big fan of your site. In fact I wish there was just a DONATE button in addition to the subscription options because I don’t want Prime! I’d spend even more time on your site than I already do and I need to do other things. I’m sure I’m not the only person who hasn’t subscribed for this reason.

Anyway I wanted to weigh in on your Biden fixation as an African American male from a working class background (although I now have a phd). First I want to bring this excellent article, “White People Want Trump,” to your attention.

You need to read it because it speaks to a reality that you along with most pundits ignore: Trump is going to win the majority of white voters. He will win 70% or so of the white men and 55% or so of the white women. So, given this reality, the candidate we need is the one who will inspire a record turnout among the so-called minority vote along with white voters under 30. To me, there are only two candidates who will do so: Warren and Harris. Warren will drive fewer PoC to the polls but make up for that by getting loads of young voters to come out, while Harris would do the opposite. Both went to Essence Fest this weekend, a HUGELY important gathering for middle class Black people. They know what they are doing on this front.

Biden, on the other hand, is already working to actively depress the Black vote with his tone deaf campaigning, from his refusal to apologize to Anita Hill to using Stacy Abrams as a campion prop, to defending segregationists, to asserting busing is a states rights issue (!)… I could go on. Imagine what will happen to the Latino vote when Trump runs the “Biden was in favor of building the wall” ad complete with hectoring audio from Uncle Joe. I think that you are being too credulous when parsing these early polls. Don’t trust white people over 40! Most of them will find some reason to vote for Trump regardless of who opposes him. Indeed I suspect that the reason that Biden does so well in these early polls is that he’s coming across as a cantankerous, entitled, slightly creepy (remember those shoulder rubs) white male. He’s Diet Trump. But when push comes to shove most white voters will choose the original over diet.

Given my race and when I was born I have some inherent difficulty not believing white people over 40. But I take JG’s point. And I agree with it to a real degree. Trump almost certainly will get a majority of the white vote and he’ll get a sizable majority of white men, certainly white men over 40. This is sad at any number of levels and I apologize for this on behalf of all moderate whites. It’s embarrassing.

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