Ah Joe, we knew ye well. At least McCain thought he did. As we all know by now though, ‘Joe’ is a fraud. He is not a plumber, only makes 40k/yr, has no plans to buy his employers business, is a right wing nutter who shows up on right-wing talk shows, and by his own admission would get more tax breaks under Obama than under McCain.
But other than McCain once again showing poor vetting skills, the story is about something greater. Joe is not the real myth. The myth his fake story purports to tell is that of conservative populism.
Cultural conservative populism
Conservative populism derives much of its support from social/cultural issues, like abortion, gun rights, and religion. Conservative populists believe that the world (run by liberals in their mistaken view) disdains their views and persecutes them. The Roe v. Wade decision woke many social conservatives up to the fact that if they wanted to shape the world to their vision, they had to get politically involved. Roe v. Wade still serves as their clarion call since it proves to them the left’s attempt to persecute conservative cultural beliefs and activities (or the lack of them, in the case of abortion). Conservative cultural populism, in other words, derives its strength from a persecution complex. They believe that liberals are out to get them and their way of life.
Now it is not really true the left is out to get them, but there is a certain disregard for conservative culturalism on the left – say, on guns. So when the Republicans rally their base around cultural issues, there is some glimmer of truth to the concern, although it is entirely overblown. For instance, the Republican National Committee sent out mailings in West Virginia and Arkansas during the 2004 Presidential race saying the Democrats would ban the Bible. Clearly this is utterly absurd, but as shown by the likes of Bill Maher and others, some liberals do show a disdain for religion, fundamentalist religious beliefs in particular. As a result, the fear instilled in the conservative culturalists by the Republican Party can gain traction, no matter how far-fetched.
Still, no one is going to persecute the culturally conservative population, but this persecution complex is not the real myth of cultural populism. That comes with economics, and this is where Joe “the non-plumber” comes in.
Conservative Economic Populism
Reagan rallied conservative blue-collar union Democrats on four primary issues, God, guns, and guts (nationalism/self-reliance). The fourth? Trickle down economics. The Great Communicator convinced working class Americans that giving tax subsidies to the wealthy would benefit them. An essential part of that myth was making the working class believe they all could become wealthy as well. This myth relies on the making everyone think they will become the next success story, even though the chance of that happening is only a few time greater than winning the lottery. True, people do rise from poverty to great wealth in this country. That is one of the great things about it. But far more likely is that if you are poor, your kids will be a little less poor, and generation after generation, your descendents will eventually become middle-class.
At some point, your descendents several generations removed will be upper middle class, and their children do stand a much better chance of achieving great wealth. However, Joe “the non-plumber” will almost certainly not. Nevertheless, the conservative populist myth requires Joe “the plumber” exist. And so McCain trots him out as an example of how Obama’s plan to increase taxes on those making more than $250,000 a year will hurt the Everyday Man. As if the everyday working person makes $250k/yr!
Yet, the conservative populist myth has successfully persuaded millions of these ‘Joes’ that they are a step away from being hit by Obama’s tax increase on the wealthy.
The irony? Obama’s plan would help Joe the non-plumber far more than McCain’s. However, despite Obama mentioning that in the debate, this point has gotten buried under McCain’s incessant use of the conservative populist myth of Joe the plumber.
Society uses myth to create meaning, whereas logic explains how the world works. In politics and elsewhere, myth has more power. As I have said elsewhere many times, logic and facts do not persuade people; myth and narrative do. They are easier to understand, and it is how people frame the world in which they live. Facts and logic do not do that.
Republicans get this. McCain has finally hit upon the myth he needs to at least give him the opportunity to win over moderate working class whites. He now has a story he can tell Reagan Democrats, like Reagan had the pipe fitter who claimed he had never been hired by a poor man.
McCain now attacks Obama on claims of income ‘redistribution’ and ‘socialism’ to mesh with his myth of Joe the plumber. The myth becomes complete. Derisively blast economic models that would help Joe the non-plumber while extolling the virtues of an economic system that has moved wealth from the bottom to the top – how can the Republicans pull off this incredible con against the American working class?
Again, Republicans understand that everyone wants to be rich. It is the promise of America. A largely false promise, but a powerful one nonetheless. Joe the plumber embodies this promise, even if in reality he does not. It is the myth of Joe the plumber that has resonance.
Destroying the conservative populist myth
Progressives can use this promise of wealth to their advantage too, but it is harder, since the reality of rising above your economic situation is harder. But they can convince the public that moving some wealth from Paris Hilton to Joe the plumber will make Joe richer, and give him a better chance to achieve the promise of America.
The negative attack is there already – fat cats on Wall St. getting fatter while you lose your home and job. Easy.
But smashing the conservative populist myth, that every working class Joe can strike it rich virtually overnight, will prove much more difficult. Folks do not want to hear that they are not a paycheck away from living in the Hamptons, and that the process will take years and economic policies that take a little wealth from the wealthy.
However, this current economic environment provides a great opportunity for progressives to show how conservative economic policies do not help the lower and middle class. The proof is right there, hitting everyone squarely in the face. Obama needs to make sure everyone asks, “am I better off than I was eight years ago?” or even last year? If he can force their gaze upon their current economic plight, and the fact that conservative economic policies have caused it, then he will have gone a long way in destroying the conservative populist myth.
In two weeks, that is what Obama has to do. If he can, he blunts one of McCain’s last two gambits. The other gambit, which I will discuss in the next post, may fail on its own accord.
Just today McCain said at one of his rallies that ‘we do not want to spread the wealth, we want everyone to be rich!’, or something to that effect.
This helps prove your point, that there are those working class ‘joes’ out there that think they will be rich, even if they never will be. These conservative minded populists really think they are all going to be rich. Bizarre.
Left by Fred on October 23rd, 2008