Attention: Wal-Mart Republicans!
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By Melissa Blair.
When I hear folks say the Republican Party is only for the rich and that it’s a good thing the Democrats are going to “soak the rich” by raising their taxes, I often wonder what their definition of “rich” is? I get called ‘rich’ all the time by people when they find out I’m a Republican. This is the standard response “You’re a Republican, oh you must be rich then”. Really, I am? For a split second ‘woo-hoo’ pops in my head, then reality sets back in. Wait, I’m not rich I shop at Wal-Mart to save money so I don’t spend what I don’t have. I’m not a trendy grocery store shopper who spends $5 on Doritos instead of $2 because the ambience of the store is eye-catching and hip music plays over the speakers. The point is, I’m fiscally frugal and by no means need to be ‘soaked with taxes’.
I’ve taken it upon myself to do a little social experiment. I asked random shoppers from Wal-Mart and the trendier markets, you know which ones they are, what political party they represent or at least support. I also asked some questions about race, age and income. The results were astonishing and unpredictable! [Enter sarcasm here] Actually, I wasn’t shocked at all, but most that hold on to the old ‘Republicans are rich’ stereotype might be. This is not scientific. I wasn’t trying to put together a research methods proposal. I just had regular conversations with folks while they shopped and took notes. What did I find in my chats-while-shopping you ask? Well, it reminded me of a popular saying “birds of a feather flock together”. Over 65 percent of the shoppers from the trendy, expensive stores were non-Hispanic Democrats. At Wal-Mart over 50 percent said they were Democrats and 30 percent where black or Hispanic. I asked the Democrats why they shopped at Wal-Mart. Their reply was “I’m not rich that’s why I shop here”. Interesting…
Now take my little experiment for what it is, and keep an open mind about it because it leads me to ask questions and evoke thoughts. Call me loony, but let’s be real, Democrats have always used the “Party for the Poor” slogan while ruling with an elitist fist. They don’t represent poor or struggling Americans, that is just how they’ve kept them…poor and struggling! To add insult to injury, they’ve also left them politically confused! Now let’s let realism take over. Democrats control the majority of the nation’s wealthiest congressional districts. Nancy Pelosi, worth over 16 million, represents one of the wealthiest regions with almost 44,000 über well-to-do households. Democratic majority leader Steny Hoyer represents a booming district whose median income is over $65,000. The majority of the top wealthiest senators are Democrats. Let’s delve even further. What do Newark, El Paso, Detroit, Buffalo, Philadelphia and a string of other poverty-stricken cities have in common? If you guessed they are all Democratic strongholds please call Alec Trebek immediately and get on Jeopardy! All of these cities have 20-35 percent of their citizens living below poverty level; and the percentages keep growing.
Have you ever heard the term the “plantation society”? It’s characterized, by many, as a wealthy class of people who want to limit the choices, opportunities and freedom of working-class Americans. Now don’t jump on me, I didn’t coin the term or apply it to Democrats, but it’s important to know others have, and yes many have been minorities. Utilize the information as food-for-thought!
Stereotypes about Republicans are out there and need to be squashed. Republicans must step out of their shells and talk to folks; I stress this often for a reason. Address stereotypes, our principles, beliefs and the future of the Republican Party and nation. All-in-all the majority of Republicans are regular folks who believe in the American dream, and aren’t wealthy, money-throwing elitist. Being fiscally responsible is one of our Republican principles and we should yell it from the roof tops. We’re not all rich, to boot we are very charitable and we do lend a helping hand. Look it up, Republicans lead Democrats in charitable giving. I thought Democrats helped the poor? I guess Republicans do!
One final thought, especially for those who disagree with me which is your right: If the Democrats have a solid hold on a voting bloc, poor Americans, why would they want to see that bloc disappear, in essence become ‘un-poor’?
Melissa Blair is a Doctoral candidate at the University of North Texas. She holds Masters degrees in Hispanic Studies and Public Administration from Auburn University.
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I liked this article a lot! The Democrats always mask the fact that they want to control the poor and not help the poor. When I was growing up I told my dad I wanted to go to college and he said it wasn’t for people like us. I now understand that he had been mislead to think we weren’t good enough. This site needs to keep up the good work and get the word out about what is really going on with the Democrats. Well done.
The account you give has to be told over and over again. By and large the trendy, higher priced places are usually owned by liberal democrats. The same hold true of those who hold to “smart growth” policies which limit development and drive up property values artificially. It is a form of land exclusion under the guise of protecting the environment etc. I am a Wal-Mart Republican and won’t apologize for it. As a member of the SREC, the issue of reaching Hispanic voters is often discussed with the same conclusion: We can reach them individually on our values, our policies that encourate the work ethic and keeping the fruits of your labor, and the view that as an individual, not a group, people will get the respect they earn. Melissa, this a good article. Keep it up!
Great article! The last paragraph about poor Americans being a voting bloc the Democrats can’t lose really hits home the idea of Democrats wanting to keep people where they’re at. It really should make any person think long and hard about who wants to truly help them. To me the best way to help someone is to make them realize they don’t always need someones help, that they are worthy, strong and smart enough to help themselves.
Sam Wall founder of Walmart is the poster boy for capitalism and the free-enterprise system. That same system that made him a multi billlionary is still alive and well in our great Republic. Us Hispanics urgently need to wake up and become more informed about the platform of our Republican Party. We need to fight the lies and misinformation campaign launched against us by the liberal democrats. Salud, Hector
Great article. I find myself dispelling these myths continually. When I meet Latinos who say they could ‘never’ be a Republican- the simple question is “Why? What makes you a democrat?” The answer is often “I like helping people”. Which usually leads to “So you think Republicans don’t?”
We can blame it on the populist media all we want, but we need to look at clarifying the image and dispelling the myths. Especially as Latino Conservatives. It’s about the values. Keep up the good work.
Just another way to illustrate that politicians not only know how to manipulate people but also do so without caring about the impact. This class warfare has got to stop. Democrats and Republicans need to stop bombarding people with stereotypes just as people need to stop depending on stereotypes to influence their beliefs. Anyone who wants to learn and grow as a person must perpetually challenge his or her worldview. Great article, keep up the good work.
Dang I’m a democrat and I can’t answer the last question!!!!! This has dug deep for me.
Lou I agree! It’s up to each one of us to fight against the labels liberals and others try to put on us and to support sites like this one. I visit this site a few times a week and I have not been disappointed. This article is right on point!