(American Prospect) -- How can it possibly be that Donald Trump is on the verge of overtaking Hillary Clinton? Despite all of the questions Trump has raised about his suitability to lead the United States, nearly half of America’s voters seem willing to cut him enough slack to quite possibly elect him.
One factor is that political elites have underestimated the deep disaffection of middle- and working-class, downwardly mobile white people. Working-class whites may be well off compared to most blacks, Latinos, and immigrants, but they don’t see it that way, and not without reason.
For decades, two trends have been converging: increasing economic insecurity and falling earnings among white men, and the belated, entirely legitimate claims of out-groups.
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The Democratic Party has embraced those demands—of women, blacks, gays, lesbians and transgender people, immigrants, and refugees. That is to the Democrats’ great credit.
