August 11, 2016

Why Trump May Never Poll Over 45 Percent

Why Trump May Never Poll Over 45 Percent

"America has simply become too diverse for a Nixonian "Southern Strategy" to succeed. No longer can a multicultural Democratic coalition be broken by race-baiting whites. Decades ago, as political scientist Michael Tesler has explained, white attitudes on race were more monolithic and susceptible to wedge politics. Today, such tactics are ineffective to dislodge white Democrats from their party. The Trump campaign has been a test to see if the Republican Party can still win as an essentially all-white party with a platform rooted in racial grievance. All the evidence says it cannot. The Trump campaign can change now or the Republican Party can change later. There is no other option."