Barack Obama and the Courting of “Joe Six-Pack”Randy Shawbyline‚ Mar. 20‚ 2008Barack Obama’s remarkable speech on race won largely raves from the media and pundits. But much of the coverage questioned how the speech would go over with white ethnic voters, routinely identified as “Joe Six-Pack.” Apparently, Obama, unlike every serious presidential contender of the past and present, must not simply prove he can win an electoral majority, but rather that he win large segments of every constituency. But male white ethnic voters have backed Republicans in every presidential contest since 1968, and even Democratic U.S. Senators typically fail to prevail among white males. Far from offering an authentic voice of the working class, the “Joe Six-Pack” icon is typically a solid Republican whose views are more representative of his race than of a class whose black and Latino members vote overwhelmingly Democratic. The real issue is not Obama’s ability to win over white male ethnics, but rather that he is well-positioned to add Hillary’s core base---older women and Latinos---to his current supporters, making him the strongest Democratic presidential candidate in decades. |