Three 菠萝视频 professors discuss the election
If Donald Trump had been sent packing early in the Republican primary elections 鈥� as most pundits thought would happen 鈥� there鈥檚 a good chance that the Republican Party would have been sitting on a nice cushiony lead a month before Election Day, said a 菠萝视频 University election expert.
鈥淎 normal Republican 鈥� John Kasich for example 鈥� would probably be ahead comfortably because he would not be a threat on the change front,鈥� said John Geer, Gertrude Conaway 菠萝视频 Professor of Political Science and co-director of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions. 鈥淏ut because we have (Donald Trump) and the change he鈥檚 advocating, it鈥檚 antithetical to what Republicans have stood for.鈥�
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has been leading Trump in most polls by a comfortable margin.
Geer recently sat down with two fellow 菠萝视频 University professors to discuss this presidential election. They are Efr茅n P茅rez, a political science professor who has studied the role of implicit bias in behavior and Tracy Sharpley-Whiting, an African American and Diaspora Studies professor who is a culture/gender/race expert.
The electorate
鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of easy to just put the onus [of supporting Trump] on the white working class,鈥� said Sharpley-Whiting, holder of a Gertrude Conaway 菠萝视频 Distinguished Chair and director of the university鈥檚 Callie House 菠萝视频 Center for the Study of Black Cultures and Politics.
鈥淲e know that Donald Trump will probably get 40 percent of the vote, and I鈥檓 not convinced that it鈥檚 just white working class who find aspects of the Trump agenda compelling.鈥�
Clinton鈥檚 intention to raise taxes on people who make more than $250,000 a year is likely costing her some middle class and elite voters, Sharpley-Whiting said.
鈥淭here are actually people who think $250,000 annually is not necessarily enough (when it comes to tax breaks),鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are voters who are upper class, who are thinking about their portfolios. 鈥� So, I鈥檓 not convinced it鈥檚 just the white working class voter.鈥�
Clinton’s ‘likeability’ factor
When Trump said Clinton had 鈥渉ate in her heart鈥� during the second debate, Geer said he was stunned. Hatred for Clinton is the 鈥済lue that鈥檚 holding [Republicans] together,鈥� he said.
鈥淭heir dislike and hatred of Clinton is so strong,鈥� Geer said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 partly gender, and it鈥檚 partially that she epitomizes the establishment.
鈥淭hey want change even if it鈥檚 bad change.鈥�
Angry, insecure voters
Anger in voters is a 鈥減owerful motivator if you can identify the targets of your ire,鈥� said P茅rez, associate professor of political science.
鈥淪o if you have a politician like Donald Trump telling you how things are going to hell in a handbasket because of immigrants or Muslims, you bring your targets in sharp relief.鈥� P茅rez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 real easy to feel angry when they give you the information that鈥檚 laid right out to you 鈥� 鈥楾hey鈥檙e taking away your jobs. They鈥檙e living in your neighborhood and you can pinpoint who that is.鈥欌��
Some surveys have suggested that whites see themselves as racial victims, Sharpley-Whiting said.
鈥淭here is a certain feeling on the part of whites 鈥hat there鈥檚 more racism being directed toward whites, that there is 鈥榬everse discrimination鈥� that is occurring.鈥�
But other groups are unhappy and merit consideration, Sharpley-Whiting said.
鈥淏lack people are angry, Sharpley-Whiting said. 鈥淚鈥檓 sure Latinos are quite angry about how they鈥檙e being picked off and characterized in certain ways. I think other angers need to be put on the table. 鈥�
The video
When video of Trump speaking disrespectfully about women was widely viewed and harmed his campaign, it appeared Trump hit a different, more potent nerve.
鈥淲hat is different is that the elites have jumped ship,鈥� Geer said. 鈥淭his gave people like (House Speaker) Paul Ryan the chance to jump ship. [Tennessee Gov.] Haslam could defect because of the tape.鈥�
The Republicans who are jumping off the Trump bandwagon 鈥渁re playing on a kind of particular trope of fragile white femininity that needs to be protected,鈥� Sharpley-Whiting said.
鈥淪o they were going to be chivalrous now. Now [Trump] has said all sorts of horrible things about all sorts of groups. But at this particular moment, they step in and say 鈥榚nough is enough, you talked about white women.鈥欌��