Although the polls consistently say that we are headed toward a close election, there is one large constituency out there that is keeping Mitt Romney from crashing to a fiery and humiliating defeat. This group, if they controlled the election, would elect President Romney by an 18-point margin or so, and would no doubt give him the huge Senate and House majorities he would need to carry out all of his policies, if he can ever decide what they are. Actually, President McCain would be up for re-election, but you get the idea.
This group of voters is white people. And as a white person, I just don't get it.
Actually I'm white, male, 55, married with kids, and live in the suburbs, so a pretty good candidate demographically for the Republican Party. I still don't get it, not at all.
Republicans took a balanced budget, drastically cut taxes, started two wars and still cut taxes more, ran up huge deficits, then blamed the next President for their failures and now insist that we have no choice, the only way out of this mess is to cut programs that support the middle class, like Medicare and Social Security, and to cut back on spending that might create jobs, improve education, or rebuild the country.
How does this help white people?
Republicans have refused to work with Democrats to run the country, creating a historically divided and ineffective Congress at a time when America desperately needed leadership and government action. They have proudly proclaimed their lack of any sort of cooperation.
Are whites better off because of this?
Republican policies have created a tiny class of super-rich who have reaped virtually all of the economic gains made in the last thirty years and have favored these super-rich with the lowest taxes they have seen in decades, while shrinking the middle class.
Is this what white people want?
If you are white and gay, or female, or are benefitting from Social Security or Medicare, or hope to one day benefit from those programs, or if you are concerned about access to affordable medical care, do you really want to put Republicans in charge? Why?
I could go on and on and on. Mitt Romney is not going to help white people, other than a few really incredibly wealthy ones. Republican policies are not making life better for white people, but white people seem to love these guys.
What in the world are white people thinking? I just don't get it.