Resentment and Respect

Tom Friedman made an important point in his New York Times column this morning. In 2016 a lot of people, particularly non-college-educated whites, voted for Trump because they felt they had been disrespected and ignored by liberal elites, and they felt that Trump understood them and was more supportive of them than Clinton. For many, Clinton’s remark about Trump supporters being “deplorables” may have quashed any inclination they had to vote for her. Biden needs to counter this driving force of resentment on the part of such voters and convince them that he respects them and will vigorously pursue policies, like supporting unions, providing many more well-paying job opportunities, and enacting a much more progressive tax structure, getting it across as well how, despite Trump’s claims to the contrary, he has pursued a policies that enrich the already rich and squeeze the middle class and the poor.