Grasping Reality on TypePad, by Brad DeLong

J. Bradford DeLong: @delong: Theeal argument is: Economic anxiety makes people more likely to become racist, misogynistic, transgressive cheerleaders for genocide. That argument was behind Mitt Romney's 2012 comments that we shoud only talk about inequality quietly behind closed doors lest we Trumpify the Republican base via open discussion.

This view is, I think, at its root based on Goodwyn's belief that at the end of the 19th-century good Marxist Populism was derailed by establishment Democrats who played the squirrel card of Jim Crow. I have always thought that this version of the "history delivered the package to the wrong address" theory had little to recommend it...

Thus I still don't believe it. Look at what Mitt Romney says about Barack Obama and Obama voters in his 2012 Secret 47% Video. If there is anybody who is not "economically anxious", it is Mitt Romney, but Romney's views toward Barack Obama and Obama voters when he let his hair down and talked to his donors was Trumpism--pale pink Trumpism compared to the full distilled doses the Republican Party is mainlining right now, but Trumpism:

• Obama himself is an unqualified jealous success-hating jumped-up affirmative action hire: "[His] magnetism and his charm and his persuasiveness... [but he is] extraordinarily naive... "One word: VEAK!".... His attack of one American against another American... [his] division of America... [his] going after those who have been successful... "hope and change".... His policies... haven't worked... he's a bad guy... he did bad things... he's corrupt... He just wasn't up to the task.... "He's in over his head"... "the president's been a disappointment".... He's going to... try and vilify me as someone who's been successful..."

• Obama's voters are the moochers: people who believe they are entitled to free gifts, don't care about the country, and cannot be induced to take responsibility even for their own lives: "We make it hard for people who get educated here or elsewhere to make this their home. Unless, of course, you have no skill or experience, in which case you're welcome to cross the border and stay here for the rest of your life.... 47 percent of the people... will vote for the president no matter what... who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them.... These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax.... And so my job is not to worry about those people--I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.... [Obama] followed the old playbook... especially [to] the African-American community, the Hispanic community and young people.... Focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote.... He made a big effort on small things. Those small things, by the way, add up to trillions of dollars.... Forgiveness of college loan interest was a big gift. Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women.... Obamacare... anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people.... [FOR Black and Hispanic voters]... making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge. Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus.... The amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called DREAM Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group..."

Looking at the entire thing--the 47% video and the post-election conference call--it really is quite incredible. "Economic anxiety."

Mitt Romney:

My dad... had he been born of Mexican parents I'd have a better shot at winning this... I mean I say that jokingly, but it'd be helpful if they'd been Latino.... My dad never had the money or time to get a college degree. Without a college degree, became head of a big car company and ultimately a governor. And believed in America, believed in the opportunity in this country, never doubted for a moment that he could achieve his dreams.... I... inherited nothing. Everything that Ann and I have we earned the old-fashioned way, and that's by hard work....

We make it hard for people who get educated here or elsewhere to make this their home. Unless, of course, you have no skill or experience, in which case you're welcome to cross the border and stay here for the rest of your life. [Audience laughs.] It's very strange. It's run by people who don't understand the words "global competition of ideas," and our idea has to win, but only if America reigns strong....

[Obama] gave Russia their No. 1 foreign objective... getting the missile defense sites out of Poland, and he... got nothing in return. He could have... gotten them to agree to crippling sanctions on Iran. He did not.... We should have been aggressively supporting the voices of dissent... [and there was an effort towards revolution there we should been aggressively supporting.... We should have made it clear... that... it is unacceptable to America to have a nuclear Iran. Instead what this administration has done is communicate to the Iranians that we're more worried about Israel attacking them than we are about them becoming nuclear.

It's extraordinary.... The president's foreign policy... is formed... by a perception that... his magnetism and his charm and his persuasiveness is so compelling that... Putin, Chávez, and Ahmadinejad... will find we're such wonderful people that they'll... stop doing bad things.... It's an extraordinarily naive perception, and it has led to huge errors....

I saw Dr. Kissinger; I said to him, "How are we perceived around the world?" And he said, "One word: VEAK!" [Audience laughs.] We are weak, and that's how this president is perceived, by our friends and, unfortunately, by our foes. And it's no wonder that people like Kim Jong Un, the new leader of North Korea, announces a long-range missile test only a week after he said he wouldn't. Because, it's like, what's this president going to do about it? If you can't act, why, don't threaten....

This president's failure to put in place a status forces agreement allowing 10-20,000 troops to stay in Iraq? Unthinkable! And yet, in that election, in the Jimmy Carter election, the fact that we have hostages in Iran, I mean, that was all we talked about. And we had the two helicopters crash in the desert, I mean that's—that was—that was the focus, and so [Reagan] solving that made all the difference in the world....

The thing which I find most disappointing in this president is his attack of one American against another American, the division of America based on going after those who have been successful.... Sen. Rubio says that when he grew up here, poor, that they looked at people that had a lot of wealth, and his parents never once said, "We need some of what they have, they should give us some." Instead they said that you work hard and go to school, someday we might be able to have enough....

There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what... who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe that government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you name it. That that's an entitlement. And the government should give it to them....

The president starts off with 48, 49, 48—he starts off with a huge number. These are people who pay no income tax. Forty-seven percent of Americans pay no income tax. So our message of low taxes doesn't connect. And he'll be out there talking about tax cuts for the rich. I mean that's what they sell every four years. And so my job is not to worry about those people--I'll never convince them that they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives....

I have to... convince the 5 to 10 percent in the center that are independents that are thoughtful.... This president won because of hope and change. All right? He won because of hope and change.... The 5 to 6 or 7 percent that we have to bring onto our side, they all voted for Barack Obama.... They like him. But when you say, "Are you disappointed in his policies that haven't worked?" they say yes....

They don't want to be told that... he's a bad guy, that he did bad things, that he's corrupt.... They want to think... he just wasn't up to the task. They love the phrase, "He's in over his head."... The things that animate us are not the things that animate them. And the best success I have speaking with those people is... "the president's been a disappointment".... I could say to that audience that, [and] they nod their heads and say, "Yeah, I think you're right"....

What's he going to do by the way is try and vilify me as someone who's been successful. Or who's closed business or laid people off—an evil, bad guy. And that may work. I actually think that right now people are saying, "I want somebody who can make things better, that's gonna motivate me, who can get jobs for my kids and get rising incomes." And I hope to be able to be the one who wins that battle....

...[The President] followed the old playbook [of targeted initiatives to woo specific interest groups]--especially the African-American community, the Hispanic community and young people.... Focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote.... [While our campaign focused on] talking about big issues for the whole country: military strategy, foreign policy, a strong economy, creating jobs and so forth.... He made a big effort on small things. Those small things, by the way, add up to trillions of dollars.

With regards to the young people... a forgiveness of college loan interest, was a big gift. Free contraceptives were very big with young college-aged women.... Obamacare also made a difference... because... anybody now 26 years of age and younger was now going to be part of their parents’ plan, and that was a big gift to young people.... [ObamaCare was also a useful tool in mobilizing black and Hispanic voters.] You can imagine for somebody making $25,000 or $30,000 or $35,000 a year, being told you’re now going to get free health care, particularly if you don’t have it, getting free health care worth, what, $10,000 per family, in perpetuity, I mean, this is huge. Likewise with Hispanic voters, free health care was a big plus....

In addition with regards to Hispanic voters, the amnesty for children of illegals, the so-called DREAM Act kids, was a huge plus for that voting group. [And their effort] to paint me as 'anti-immigrant' [was effective].... Immigration we can solve, but the giving away free stuff is a hard thing to compete with....