Is Trump exploiting 'anger and fear amongst blue collar men'?

[MillCreek]

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/21/460281546/watch-obama-says-trump-exploiting-anger-fear-among-blue-collar-men?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

The President says yes.

[makattak]

http://www.npr.org/2015/12/21/460281546/watch-obama-says-trump-exploiting-anger-fear-among-blue-collar-men?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news

The President says yes.

The president also claims it's because blue collar workers are racists:

"Well, look, if what you are asking me, Steve, is are there certain circumstances around being the first African-American president that might not have confronted a previous president, absolutely... Some of them may not like my policies, some of them may just not like how I walk, or my big ears or, you know. So, I mean, no politician, I think, aspires to 100 percent approval ratings. If you are referring to specific strains in the Republican Party that suggest that somehow I'm different, I'm Muslim, I'm disloyal to the country, etc., which unfortunately is pretty far out there and gets some traction in certain pockets of the Republican Party, and that have been articulated by some of their elected officials, what I'd say there is that that's probably pretty specific to me and who I am and my background, and that in some ways I may represent change that worries them."

It's in his language, but clear as day: "The blue collar workers don't give me any credit for all that I've done for them because I'm black. These people supporting Trump are just a bunch of racists who would love my policies if they came from a white man."

I think we can see who the racist is, Mr. President.

[Perd Hapley]

Nothing new. Same old "angry white man" race-baiting. Same old "white men insecure about changing demographics" rubbish.

As always with Obama, he pushes the old, tired party line. The failed politics of the past.

[brimic]

The Dems just continue to piss all over blue collar America- the dems ditched blue collar for gimme dats, criminals (on both ends of the economic spectrum), and illegals.
Message to obama- keep distancing yourself from blue collar america, keep calling them racists, keep calling them bitter clingers...

[MikeB]

Which party runs on exploiting fear ... ? "War on Women", "Republicans want to take blacks back to the 50's", Republicans want to disenfranchise minority voters", "Republicans hate gays", "Throw Granny off a cliff", etc, etc. The Dems have been exploiting made up Fears for decades while appealing to identity politics...

It's probably both parties and all politicians that exploit "fears". It's how you get a voter to become engaged, especially low information ones. For Obama to try and call out Trump on that is ridiculous.

[Ben]

Well, fear is promoted across the political spectrum. Some promote fear of the loss of rights, freedoms, and what's yours and what you've earned. Others promote fear of the loss of privileges, safety, and free stuff via other people's money.

They can all be mixed up as well. There are plenty of conservatives that value safety over freedom (see TSA) as long as it's 'Merica vs trrists.

[tokugawa]

"Anxious"?   Worried?   Anyone  not anxious about  the traitors, buffoons, and criminals running this country and the attendant startling array of economic, political and international disasters underway, is  asleep , stoned or dead.

[AJ Dual]

Honestly, the absolute BEST way to sow cog-dis and FUD over Trump is for a major media outlet (besides Fox), or all of them, to start running stories on the surprising number of "Obama Voters" who are now Trump supporters.

However, that will mean they have to throw their precious BSJOTUS under the bus, by admitting through implication that his two elections were really also just bandwagon following, and emotive reasoning and low-information voters too.

[Ron]

http://www.ontheissues.org/Donald_Trump.htm

Doesn't look very scary to me.

Same problem as with all politicians though, trustworthiness.

[Perd Hapley]

Which party runs on exploiting fear ... ? "War on Women", "Republicans want to take blacks back to the 50's", Republicans want to disenfranchise minority voters", "Republicans hate gays", "Throw Granny off a cliff", etc, etc. The Dems have been exploiting made up Fears for decades while appealing to identity politics...

It's probably both parties and all politicians that exploit "fears". It's how you get a voter to become engaged, especially low information ones. For Obama to try and call out Trump on that is ridiculous.

Fail. No mention of how they made everyone afraid of fear-mongering, in the Bush era. Gotta love the irony.

[Mannlicher]

if the President said it, chances are pretty high that it's a lie.  I can't recall him being a poster boy for honesty.

[Perd Hapley]

if the President said it, chances are pretty high that it's a lie.  I can't recall him being a poster boy for honesty.

[Scout26]

Well, let's look at his track records of '"Focusing like a Laser Beam on Jobs."

1.  Keystone Pipeline.  Lots of Bue collar jobs there.  Vetoed.

2.  The War on Coal.  Just saw something about a steel plant in Ashland, KY closing.  ~800 jobs directly lost, plus all the jobs of vendors and suppliers gone also. \

3.  Obamacare.  Welcome to Part-time America.  Blue collar factory/assembly jobs are now temp jobs, if there even are jobs.


Yep, he's done the working blue collar man good.

[Battle Monkey of Zardoz]

Trump exploiting?   No more than any democrat who basically says "vote for me, I give you free *expletive deleted*it".

[Perd Hapley]

Well, let's look at his track records of '"Focusing like a Laser Beam on Jobs."

 


I had forgotten about that.

[BlueStarLizzard]

what makes me giggle snort is that it's not fear that turns the "blue collar" worker to trump.

It's that they are pissed the *expletive deleted*ck off and Trump is saying a lot of the *expletive deleted*it they'd like to say (and are saying)

and the gigglesnort moment is way to go Obama, you just pissed 'em off even more by saying it's 'cause they're scared.

I think the Obama administration has probably produced more outright rage and resentment among all factions than any other in the history of the US. He eggs on his own factions to riot and then pokes the other side with every stick he's got.

okay... maybe that is not so funny...

[Perd Hapley]

Accusing the right of fear and insecurity is a beloved tactic of the left. Buying or carrying guns means that one is afraid of minorities, etc. It's not just in politics, of course. In history textbooks, religious revivals and moral movements are routinely described as attempts by the bourgeois to control the scary, immoral behavior of the lower classes. More examples will occur to you.*

As we know, the left engages in an awful lot of psychological projection.


*Bonus points if you know which gun writer not infrequently used this phrase.  

[roo_ster]

Accusing the right of fear and insecurity is a beloved tactic of the left. Buying or carrying guns means that one is afraid of minorities, etc. It's not just in politics, of course. In history textbooks, religious revivals and moral movements are routinely described as attempts by the bourgeois to control the scary, immoral behavior of the lower classes. More examples will occur to you.*

As we know, the left engages in an awful lot of psychological projection.


*Bonus points if you know which gun writer not infrequently used this phrase.  

Jeff Cooper?

[Monkeyleg]

Woody Allen?

[Perd Hapley]

Jeff Cooper?

Correct.

[dm1333]

I'm seriously pissed he mentioned her bathroom break during the debate.  I can't stop thinking about Hillary tearing up the ladies room.  Or that smug "I feel sorry for whoever goes in there next" look on her face as she sauntered back to her podium.