Reagan Democrats, Meet Wal-Mart Moms
I have encountered many strands of Democrats in my day. Arguably the two I am most acquainted with are the Manhattan “elites,” with their Ivy League degrees, strong-Left opinions, and deep pockets, and the “regular folks,” people who believe the Democratic Party offers the most practical, ethical solution for them to retain their lifestyle. In the Daily Telegraph today, Fred Barnes refers to these “regular folks” as “Wal-Mart moms — women with children under 18 who shop at Wal-Mart.” These people, who may have been Reagan Democrats in the golden age of conservatism, comprise sixteen percent of the electorate and will play a major factor this November. Most of these women “(46 percent) describe themselves as moderates” though they seem to be favoring the Republicans this fall. Many seem to have fallen out of favor with President Obama – though he still retains a 53 percent approval rate among the group.
Wal-Mart, the paradigm of greedy capitalism to many, is an easy place to find all of the necessities to sustain an American lifestyle at a reasonable price – an offer that is hard to refuse on a family budget under 60k. Interestingly, these women remained unconvinced of the benefits of the president’s job on the economy: “[Their] deep pessimism (73 percent) about the future that was the most striking finding in the survey, conducted on the Internet in late May. Half of Wal-Mart moms are concerned about falling into a lower economic class. They are anxious about joblessness.” Two thirds of the women surveyed said they were dissatisfied with their economic situation. Despite their initial support for Obama, it seems the “typical American” Wal-Mart moms are coming to their senses by realizing the practical implications of the President’s fiscal policies.
Though somewhat ironic in all of this are the Wal-Mart moms feelings towards Obamacare: “The moms dislike the recently enacted health care bill. Roughly twice as many said the legislation will make their health care worse (42 percent) than said it will make it better (22 percent). By 52 percent to 38 percent, they disapprove of the bill.” As we may remember, Wal-Mart endorsed the legislation in it’s nascence.
Maybe it’s time to draft another contract with (middle) America.