4 ms·
Lyndon B. Johnson - “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him s
by joseph_grobbles 6y ago
Lyndon B. Johnson - “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”
Play on a particular grievance or issue of a voter and they'll let you do almost anything else. Be anti-immigrant and you can destroy social wellness programs, stomp on unions, etc.
- proverbialbunny 6y agoIt's sad how true that quote is. The average person votes on rhetoric not actions, like voting record. All you got to do is give them a reason to vote for you, and it helps to have an excuse for your actions to prevent political attacks (like the quote above) and your voters will turn a blind eye to everything else.
- joseph_grobbles 6y agoI used the racism quote above because that is the foundation of how completely broken the political system in the US is. Where every progressive policy can be short circuited -- reviled by the very people it would benefit the most -- through some simple racist gyrations. Universal healthcare -- illegal immigrants! Robust social safety nets -- the classic "black welfare mother with a Cadillac" canard that comes up every time, where trillions in corporate welfare get a pass by angering people about some hypothetical minority "taking advantage" Universal income -- black mothers with lots of babies taking advantage It's incredible, but the modern GOP plays it like a fiddle. It is extraordinary, and the public is willingly complicit.