THE BIG SWITCH, GOP IS THE WORKING-CLASS PARTY

In the post-World War II era, Democrats were labeled as the political party that represented average Americans. Democrats were credited with fighting for the rights of the working-class, minorities, women, and the disadvantaged.

In contrast, the Republicans were supposedly the party of the country club elitists, the Chamber of Commerce, and the business tycoons looking to garner favors from the government.

These generalizations may have resembled the truth through the years of Republican presidential nominees such as George H.W. Bush, Bob Dole, George W. Bush, John McCain, and Mitt Romney.

However, in the last eight years, since Donald Trump became the leading Republican, the political parties have switched roles. Today, the working-class is represented by Republicans while Democrats represent elite business interests.

For example, a recent study indicated that in the 2020 election Wall Street executives donated more money to Democrats than Republicans. In fact, among the top five donors to each party, Democrats raised $114.6 million in that election cycle, almost twice the amount given to Republicans.

In the 2022 midterm election, the top donor was far-left billionaire financier George Soros, who gave $35 million to Democratic Party candidates in that cycle, while he donated $125 million to his Super PAC to be spent over several election cycles. Another billionaire who supported Democrats almost exclusively in that midterm election was convict Sam Bankman-Fried, a crypto-fraudster, who donated $39.8 million.

The Democrats deliver for their big business allies with government handouts and a “Green New Deal” policy that enriches selected industries. In almost three years as President, Joe Biden and the Democrats have passed gargantuan spending bills with generous benefits for corporate cronies and big contracts for the connected friends in favored industries.

Instead of trying to help average Americans, the Biden administration, and their corporate friends, such as major automakers, are continuing to fund policies that support the “green agenda.” One example is electric vehicles which are extremely expensive and unpopular with American motorists. A recent study indicated that “fueling an electric vehicle” costs on average $17 per gallon due to the “increased burden on the energy grid exerted by charging stations, and an enormous amount of federal subsidies.”

Sadly, Biden and Democrats ignore the needs of average Americans, while continuing to promote costly policies and reaching new levels of federal deficit spending. Under Biden, the total federal debt has increased from $27.7 trillion to $33.7 trillion, an astronomical $6 trillion increase. Biden is on course to surpass the record amount of federal debt, $7.8 trillion, added by President Donald Trump, who increased spending in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Leftist comedian Bill Maher even recognizes the changing political party roles. On last Friday night’s edition of his HBO show, Real Time, his guest, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), claimed that “the Republican Party is changing. I think we’re becoming much more of a blue-collar party, which I think is a very good thing.” Maher concurred, admitting that “The parties are kind of switching like who the elitists are. It used to be the country club Republicans, and now it’s the Chardonnay-sipping Democrat.”

While there are still some “country club Republicans,” including U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), the base of today’s Republican Party can be observed cheering loudly at any Trump rally.

On Saturday, there were two events featuring huge crowds of typical Trump supporters. In Claremont, New Hampshire, thousands of people gathered to listen to an almost two-hour speech by Trump. As usual, the crowd was overflowing and there were not enough seats for the massive outpouring of his supporters.

Hours later, on Saturday night, Trump arrived at Madison Square Garden in New York City for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 295 fight. He was greeted by a thunderous “hero’s welcome” by the sold-out crowd of UFC fans.

Trump chose to enter the arena with Dana White, UFC President, commentator Tucker Carlson, his son, Donald Trump, Jr., and music superstar Kid Rock, all popular figures among average Americans. In addition, the typical UFC fan is blue-collar. According to a recent study, 60% of mixed martial arts fans earn less than $50,00 per year.

If Trump had attended an opera, a ballet, the symphony, or a play on Saturday night in New York City, he would have undoubtedly heard boos from the crowd. A wealthy New Yorker who supports the “fine arts” is not the type to attend a UFC fight or a Trump rally; however, the typical Republican of 2023 would be extremely comfortable at either event.

Since Trump is the overwhelming frontrunner for the Republican nomination, his supporters are the backbone of the GOP today. The people at Trump rallies are not elitists, but average Americans who are infuriated at the damaging policies being implemented by Biden and the Democrats.

High inflation and interest rates are ruining the economy and hurting working-class Americans in the pocketbook. Under Bidenomics, Americans are struggling. A new poll by The Center Square showed that 48% of registered voters chose inflation as the top issue in the country. This is unsurprising since inflation has increased dramatically during the Biden administration, rising as high as 9.1% in 2022. The current level, 3.7%, is much higher than the 1.4% rate of inflation at the end of the Trump administration.

Illegal immigration placed second in The Center Square survey with 33% of the respondents ranking it as the biggest problem in the country. At the end of Trump’s term, the border was secure, but today it is wide open, which is a national security threat and negatively impacts our economy. While many big business leaders support cheap labor and oppose closing the border, average Americans worry about national security and competition for jobs from illegal aliens.

Blue-collar Americans are being devastated by Democratic Party policies. They know President Biden does not care about their interests. Their best hope is to vote for Trump and Republicans who support his agenda. 

By: Jeff Crouere
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Jeff Crouere is a native New Orleanian and his award-winning program, “Ringside Politics,” airs Saturdays from Noon until 1 p.m. CT nationally on Real America's Voice TV Network & AmericasVoice.News and weekdays from 7-11 a.m. CT on WGSO 990-AM & Wgso.com. He is a political columnist, the author of America's Last Chance and provides regular commentaries on the Jeff Crouere YouTube channel and on Crouere.net. For more information, email him at jcrouere@gmail.com