The New York Times reported that Hillary Clinton is not liked by white men. The reason may be that she does not like white men, maybe including Bill, and white men recognize that. Hillary is appealing primarily to the rich and the poor, taking for granted the people in the middle. She is seeking big money from Wall Street financiers, West Coast techies, and Hollywood celebrities. She uses those big bucks to buy votes from poor blacks, mainly in the South, but also in northern industrial states. Poor blacks do seem more susceptible to typical political tactics that often persuade people to vote against their own financial or social interests for some unrelated promise. Poor, white social conservatives have been victims of this tactic for years, supporting Republicans who destroy their jobs and their livelihoods, because they oppose abortion and support guns.
Bernie Sanders has called her bluff to a certain extent by highlighting her close connections to Wall Street and her support for trade agreements that have destroyed American jobs. It’s significant that Bernie has had trouble getting votes from the black population, when they would be some of the main beneficiaries of his proposals. It shows the power of Hillary’s appeal to blacks, financed my her wealthy backers. Bill Clinton was often called the first black President, essentially making Obama the second black President, while Hillary is now running to fill Obama’s shoes and be the third black President.
The New York Times story indicates that many white men see that Hillary is ignoring them and has no plan to help them. She appeals to women by calling on them to vote to make her the first female President, perhaps offsetting any perception by middle class white women that she is ignoring them. She appeals not to their financial or social positions, but simply to the fact that they are female. It works, but she has no similar appeal to while men, who recognize that a Hillary presidency would not be good for them.
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