Thursday, October 6, 2016

Nuance on working-class white voters

This interview is a really great conversation between two white conservatives that evince a care and solidarity with the poor in the US.  Rarely in the recent past have I seen such an honest, respectable conservatism, one that doesn't dehumanize the poor, that rejects outright racism and xenophobia.

The interviewer and interviewee both make me think of a past conservatism, closer to the center.  Really these men seem to understand, care about, and want to understand further the reality and the people of their country (of all colors and classes), and they happen to fall slightly to the right in their conception of the role of personal accountability in determining human wellbeing.  But this by no means implies that they are blind to the need for a welfare state and structural solutions to problems of poverty, social pathologies, and inequality.  This is the type of person that could dialogue honestly and come up with joint solutions with an honest progressive, who likewise would have a realistic, compassionate understanding of our society, but happen to fall a bit the left of center on their conception of the role of the state in ensuring wellbeing.

The interview was really refreshing to read, and I'd highly recommend you go through it.  It's not very long; there are a lot of comments at the end, which is why the page seems like it goes on forever, but the interview itself is less than half of the webpage length.

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