whew, y’all. been having some discussions with some of my childhood friends of the caucasian persuasion back home in upstate south carolina and the extent to which they believe that trump is a “man of the people” is staggering.

many these childhood friends are poors whites who maintain that because trump was born rich that he is somehow immune to the kind of washington corruption they blame for their perceived diminished status on the hierarchy of capitalism.

they are acutely aware that the system is rigged towards the rich. they understand that the rich are getting richer while the working class flounder.

they yearn for a system that looks after the common man (usually this is couched in concern for vets. this seems to be the allowed example of folks in need.)

the disconnect happens when they mislabel taxation as a form of theft for “welfare” and various “social justice causes” not realizing that these programs they deride are the very programs that could materially benefit their lives.

cushioned within their wealth worship and smaller government is the heartbeat of white supremacy and bloodlust for oppression. it’s crazy because these folks will swear up and down that they are not racist.

but even as they claim to “not see color”, they continue to advance polices that place a target on the back of POC and other targeted populations. they do this to reinforce their identity as “real, hardworking” americans.

THEY deserve a better shot, but anyone different from their kind is a leech on the system.

talking with these kind of white folks is as illuminating as it is disturbing.

the extent to which they have had the lid of right wing media lowered over them sealing them off from reality is terrifying. this atmosphere of disinformation and racism fuels their desires to send conspiracy nuts like @mtgreenee to represent them in Congress.

and we all suffer.

so i say all that to say that i hope democrats disregard their deep rooted desire for bipartisanship. like @ezraklein we can only move fast to help people. quickly. there will be no convincing these folks. they will be left to just begrudgingly benefit from the fruit of our labor

the progress we need to make will have to be big and bold enough the cognitive dissonance of the white folk i grew up around in South Carolina won’t be able to deny. these same folks derided social security as socialism in the thirties, but they cashing them checks now.

i hope that @POTUS listens and @TheDemocrats to the majority of americans who put them in power and stop trying to make deals with a devil lacking any logic and grasp in reality.

-a fed up black southern woman.