Could Democrats win over racially conservative whites with economic populism? It’s unlikely, because people who oppose racial justice also tend to oppose liberal economic policies.
To test this, I created scales of economic and racial liberalism, using two questions that have been on the American National Election Studies surveys since 1972.
One question asks respondents to place themselves on a one-to-seven point scale on government aid to black Americans, the other on a one-to-seven scale on guaranteeing jobs and income for all Americans.
In 1972, only 54 percent of white Americans who took the racially liberal position (supporting aid to black Americans) also took the economically liberal position (guaranteeing jobs and income).
By 2016, 74 percent did. And in 1972, 77 percent of individuals who took the racially conservative position were economic economic conservatives. In 2016, 86 percent were.
So if I am opposed to government aid to black people, and government aid to people in general (the inevitable consequences of being opposed to the existence of the government) I am apparently a "racial conservative" which I guess would make Thomas Sowell and Walter E. Williams racial conservatives as well...
So Sowell, Williams and I are apparently opposed to black prosperity in America. Gotta say this is news to me. That Walter Williams link is very informative.
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