Deep in Trump Country, His Base Remains Faithful

Claire Galofaro / The Associated Press Dec 27, 2017 Whenever bad news registers in this part of Appalachia, the president isn't blamed—because the allegiance of those here is as much emotional as it is economic. Dig deeper ( 9 Min. Read )

‘Car Talk’ and Our Cultural Divides

Mike Rose / Truthdig Aug 17, 2017 The popular radio show helped break down barriers that keep us from knowing each other. It will be missed. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Art of the Con

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Mar 30, 2017 The interests of the working class were supposed to be the focus of the Trump administration, but the president has no coherent approach for lifting up blue-collar Americans. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Live at Truthdig: How Can We Fix the Disconnect Between Our Workers and Our Political System?

Staff / Truthdig Sep 8, 2016 The Truthdig team sat down with special guest Bill Boyarsky on Thursday to discuss income inequality as an issue in this contentious election season. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Working-Class Struggles in Southern California Symbolize Blue-Collar Blues Across America

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Sep 7, 2016 Far from the noise of the Donald Trump-Hillary Clinton brawl are painful examples of what this presidential campaign should be about: people struggling to raise their families out of poverty, send their kids to school and survive day to day. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

These Blue-Collar College Students Vote for the United States

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Aug 20, 2016 Interviews at one “working-class” school turn up distaste for both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump but hope for the future. That optimism, however, is challenged by the poisonous campaign being fought for the presidency. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

The Winner of the GOP Debate: Foolish Economic Policy

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Nov 13, 2015 The real headline from this week's Republican debate wasn't that the candidates clashed over immigration and national security. It was that they agreed on economic policies that have proved unpopular and unwise -- and that may make the eventual nominee unelectable. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Hidden and Deadly Bias of Class

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Nov 12, 2015 White working-class voters have been a key building block of the Republican coalition since the rise of the Reagan Democrats 35 years ago. You would think that the party's presidential candidates would want to respond to the heartbreaking crisis these Americans are facing. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

C. Wright Mills Understood Why We’re So Lame

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Apr 19, 2014 In the 1950s, as the United States transitioned from a factory- to an office-based economy, the sociologist perceived that "if you wanted to find out what was wrong with American society and politics, you had to look to the white-collar worker," writes Nikil Saval in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Why Are Wages Low? Blame Workers for Not Knowing They Are, in Fact, Workers

BLANK Jan 1, 2014 The anti-union movement won the battle of self-perception. Union-friendly blue-collar workers have been supplanted by white-collar office drones who don't see themselves as candidates for unionization because they don't really see themselves as workers, author Edward McClelland argues. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

‘Rural Brain Drain’ Turns Small Towns Into Ghost Towns

Staff / Truthdig Sep 22, 2009 For those die-hard bicoastal types who view much of America's heartland as flyover territory, the phenomenon of "rural brain drain," as The Chronicle of Higher Education calls the ongoing migration of younger generations from the country's small towns, probably doesn't seem terribly troubling -- but the Chronicle makes the case for why this mass exodus may constitute a national crisis. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

The Boss Hires Obama

Staff / Truthdig Apr 16, 2008 Bruce Springsteen, the iconic musician of the working-class U.S., endorsed Barack Obama on Wednesday. The announcement comes less than a week before the Pennsylvania primary, in which blue-collar voters may play a significant role in determining the Democratic nominee. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )