Joan Williams, a other well-known author and founder of the Center for WorkLife Law at the College of Law at the University of California at San Francisco. She has criticized elitism in the United States Democratic Party. During a recent discussion with host Steve Clemons, Williams argued that the party’s disconnect from everyday voters is driving people away and fueling a rise in populism.
In her book, “Outclassed: How the Left Lost the Working Class and How to Win Them Back,” Williams outlines her perspective on the challenges facing the Democratic Party. She argues that the party needs to continually realign itself with the working class’s interests and values. Without this step, it will continue to have a hard time winning their backing. This change, she argues, is key to keeping voters from latching on to the siren song of populist movements.
Williams strongly urges the Democratic Party to focus first on re-engaging the people they want to represent. She notes that a significant portion of the electorate feels alienated by what they perceive as elitist attitudes within the party. She contends that this anger has driven the success of populist candidates such as Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. These candidates commit to addressing issues that voters in these communities feel more acutely.
As the founder of the Equality Action Center, Frank Knapp lays out in this post, there are concrete ways that Democrats can go about closing this gap. She’s been on the right side of most high-profile battles—advocating for policies that go directly to the concerns of working-class people and families. In so doing, she argues that the party can restore lost trust and loyalty from its core constituency.
Williams’ perspective is of great value right now, as the Democratic Party struggles to hold onto its brand with voters. Given the growing attractiveness of populism, there is a need for Democrats to deeply and urgently rethink their approaches and communications. As Williams writes, everything depends on doing so—or else losing for years to come at the ballot box.
