Episode 509: Talking Race-Class Fusion

The Republican Party and the Democratic Party take different approaches to talking about race and racism. While politicians in the Republican Party have used coded language or "dog whistles" to stoke racial division, politicians in the Democratic Party either avoid talking about race in favor of talking about class issues or talk about race as a matter of white over nonwhite conflict. Each of these approaches have had difficulty resonating with a broad multiracial coalition of voters needed for electoral success. Berkeley Law Professor Ian Haney López has an alternative approach to messaging around race that could resonate with most Americans: Race-class fusion politics. In this episode, Talk Policy to Me Reporter Noah Cole speaks with Ian Haney López (Author of 2019's "Merge Left: Fusing Race and Class, Winning Elections, and Saving America") about the race-class fusion approach to building a multiracial coalition for elections. Noah and Professor Lopez discuss the historical precedent for the approach, the focus groups that demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach, and criticisms of the approach. References Can Democracy (and the Democratic Party) Survive Racism as a Strategy?- - Ian Haney Lopez Medium Article Merge Left- Ian Haney López Dog Whistle Politics - Ian Haney López https://projectjuntos.us/ - Fusion politics messaging focus group findings https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/ - Poor people's campaign https://peoplesaction.org/ People's action https://race-class-academy.com/ Race-Class Academy resources for learning about race-class fusion politics Audio credits AOC Demolishes Lauren Boebert's Welfare Hypocrisy- The Young Turks (Youtube) Ron DeSantis slams critical race theory as 'poison'- Fox News (YouTube) The First Presidential Debate: Hillary Clinton And Donald Trump (Full Debate) | NBC News NBC News (Youtube) Poor People's Campaign asks America to face the injustices keeping millions in poverty PBS Newshour (Youtube) George Goehl: If Dems Don't Embrace Populism They Will Be Destroyed People's Action (Youtube) See show notes and full transcript here: https://gspp.berkeley.edu/research-and-impact/news/podcast/episode-509-talking-race-class-fusion