Why are working class whites so often defined as "whites without a degree?"

[RINO Tom]

Because saying that makes it sound like the republican base is poor people. Which is obviously rediculous but it fits the identity politics narrative of the left.

Pretty much this.  Politically active liberals (including much of the media) hardly represent a majority of Democrats, but they MUCH prefer - by and large - to picture their fight as against a bunch of Stone Age rubes than against self-sufficient people who just think the Democrats' ideas are stupid.

[RINO Tom]

Because saying that makes it sound like the republican base is poor people. Which is obviously rediculous but it fits the identity politics narrative of the left.

Pretty much this.  Politically active liberals (including much of the media) hardly represent a majority of Democrats, but they MUCH prefer - by and large - to picture their fight as against a bunch of Stone Age rubes than against self-sufficient people who just think the Democrats' ideas are stupid.

And I've never understood quite why this is, considering that the 'guy with briefcase hustling someplace' demographic is a massive paper tiger in terms of knowing what they're talking about and having good ideas.

I think it's telling that while internet liberals are cackling at how trashy, racist and stupid the GOP is this year, Hillary is still talking about how Trump is just going to give tax cuts to his billionaire buddies and running TV ads about how he's secretly for free trade (LOL at everyone who thought she'd make this play for moderate Republicans by being less protectionist than he is).

[RINO Tom]

Because saying that makes it sound like the republican base is poor people. Which is obviously rediculous but it fits the identity politics narrative of the left.

Pretty much this.  Politically active liberals (including much of the media) hardly represent a majority of Democrats, but they MUCH prefer - by and large - to picture their fight as against a bunch of Stone Age rubes than against self-sufficient people who just think the Democrats' ideas are stupid.

And I've never understood quite why this is, considering that the 'guy with briefcase hustling someplace' demographic is a massive paper tiger in terms of knowing what they're talking about and having good ideas.

I think it's telling that while internet liberals are cackling at how trashy, racist and stupid the GOP is this year, Hillary is still talking about how Trump is just going to give tax cuts to his billionaire buddies and running TV ads about how he's secretly for free trade (LOL at everyone who thought she'd make this play for moderate Republicans by being less protectionist than he is).

Hillary love free trade, IINO Tom. Deal with it.

Even if that's true and you proudly claim her as a total liar, as she's actively campaigning against it, my point sailed right over your head.

[RINO Tom]

There isn't a perfect measure for class, but I don't see why can't surveys can't have questions for occupation.  Or something like the NRS social grade in the UK.

Seriously.  I don't know why we magically decided that the "Blue Collar, Professional or White Collar" classifications didn't work!  Sorry, but I am not going to view a social worker with a master's degree and a $40,000 income as somehow more fortunate than the guy who's third in command at his construction company, never went to college but earns $90,000 per year (and yes, I know multiple people like this) just because the media needed to find a new way to make Democrats better people than Republicans.

[RINO Tom]

I know education has been a better indicator of social stature in my life. Both my father and uncle work jobs bringing significant amounts of money. My dad manages all IT at our hospital, biggest private source of good jobs. Uncle travels for work to supervise and inspect pipelining, welding, and that sort of thing. My uncle was a diehard Trump guy. My father wasn't a fan of either major candidate.

When I see resentment of the upper middle class, it's always guys like dad who don't obviously impact something being made but are still incredible valuable in production. I think the working class is more of a culture that prefers my uncle's work to my dad's work. That's why I think possession or lack thereof of a college degree is a solid indicator.

Question? Was your uncle always republican, and your father?

My uncle was a Democrat, is now an Independent. Big Trump Guy. My father, and all of my family on my father's side, are all Republicans.

Wasn't there a time in the not-so-distant past where WV (registered) Democrats were arguably more socially conservative than WV (registered) Republicans?  I thought I remembered a poster here discussing that RE: primaries once.

[RINO Tom]

There isn't a perfect measure for class, but I don't see why can't surveys can't have questions for occupation.  Or something like the NRS social grade in the UK.

Seriously.  I don't know why we magically decided that the "Blue Collar, Professional or White Collar" classifications didn't work!  Sorry, but I am not going to view a social worker with a master's degree and a $40,000 income as somehow more fortunate than the guy who's third in command at his construction company, never went to college but earns $90,000 per year (and yes, I know multiple people like this) just because the media needed to find a new way to make Democrats better people than Republicans.

You make it sound like these definitions of "blue collar, professional, white collar" etc. were just created recently to discredit Republicans.

In the 1950s, the opposite would have been the case.  The lower paid white collar worker was more likely to vote Republican then while well-paid skilled blue collar workers would have been Democrats since they were the party of the "working man."

They still are.  Anyway, created to discredit Republicans?  No, certainly not.  However, given that having a college degree in the 1950s was a VERY good indicator that you were White and fairly well off, it obviously had a higher correlation to being a Republican ... just as being White and wealthy does today.  Let's not act like the types of people who have comprised "college graduates" has remained the same all this time and they have just switched parties.  My point was that people holding lower-paid jobs are MUCH more likely to have a college degree now than they ever have been, and fields that already probably have a lot more Democrats in them than Republicans (education, social work, etc.) seem to require a degree - especially an advanced one - moreso than a lot of other fields, even if they pay less.  Using "having a college degree" as some mark of class to separate the parties (as Non Swing Voter masturbates to) is just stupid beyond belief.