A House Divided: Partisan Discourse and the Contours of American Working Class Politics

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Abstract

The 2016 US Presidential Election and its aftermath have reignited interest in the current state of American working class politics among academics, the media, and the general public alike. While many continue debate the various material or cultural causes behind the rise of populist figures like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, a great deal of previous work treats voters' economic interests and cultural predispositions as mutually exclusive and exogenously predetermined, and consequently rely on crude notions of false consciousness and/or elite manipulation when pressed to explain behavioral patterns inconsistent with these predefined factors. This paper aims to overcome this dichotomy by emphasizing the central role of political parties in shaping voters' interests and identities. It highlights the distinct ways in which competing parties mobilize similar class language in their competitive efforts to maintain or expand diverse coalitions of support.

Author

• Colin Patrick Arnold, University of Virginia