While political pundits in the US will be focused on which party retains control of the country's Senate and Congress, there is a deeper issue at stake in the upcoming legislative election – the polarisation that has made America's politics dysfunctional. Because Democrats and Republicans speak only to their “base voters”, the divisions only become deeper with each election. For Democrats, the problem is that they have not only lost the support of many white voters, but show little interest in making the changes that will win them back.
When trying to understand how Democrats lost white working class voters, four stories come to mind:
In 1984, both President Ronald Reagan, who was running for re-election, and his challenger, former vice president Walter Mondale, appeared before the National Italian American Foundation dinner. Mondale was accompanied by his running mate, congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro, an Italian American. Mondale’s speech was a string of “I’m for this or that”, and was met with an unenthusiastic response. In fact, his only applause lines occurred when he mentioned his running mate's name.
Reagan began his remarks with: “My grandmother, like yours, came to this country with nothing but her hopes and dreams for a better life and the determination to work hard to improve her lot in life. I stand before the inheritor of her dreams and the beneficiary of her hard work.”
When he finished, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room, because the Hollywood actor had let them know that he understood their story. I left upset, because Reagan gave the speech that Democrats had always given in the past, and Mondale demonstrated that he, like too many other Democrats, had forgotten how to connect with the very voters that once had been the backbone of their party.
During the Bill Clinton administration, I was invited to a chat with the president. I began by telling him about my old neighbourhood in upstate New York. It was largely Italian American and immigrant, with three generations living in two-family, post-war duplexes. Most had good union jobs in the cotton mills a few blocks away. When the mills closed and moved their operations overseas, thousands lost their livelihood and were forced to move looking for alternative employment.
Extended family ties severed as older folks were left behind. And nuclear families were also threatened by looming economic disaster. Homes were abandoned and left to disrepair as the city’s population dropped from 100,000, to 58,000. When I asked Mr Clinton what could be done about this, his immediate response was: “We're never getting those jobs back. Instead we have to invest in continuing education and retraining in high-tech jobs.”
I left upset, because Reagan gave the speech that Democrats had always given in the past
I was startled since it was clear that he had never met my 50- or 60-year-old neighbours, and his flippant answer showed no understanding of or compassion for their plight and needs.
During the 2008 elections, I had a TV series, in which I interviewed a prominent Republican conservative activist. He was making the traditional Republican arguments about lower taxes, cutting government, and deregulation. I asked him, “If that’s the case, why do your candidates spend so much time railing against abortion, immigration, and racial justice?”
He responded, “Those are shiny objects we dangle in front of angry voters to win their support, so we can win elections in order to pursue our economic policies.”
Then in 2014, after Democrats had suffered terrible losses nationwide, I was at a meeting of the party leadership where the party’s pollster made a presentation of the results. He noted that the election wasn’t as bad as some thought because Democrats had won handsome majorities of its base vote – which he spelt out to mean young people, educated women, and black, Latino and Asian voters. The problem was that despite winning these groups, Democrats didn’t win enough of them and so needed to spend more to turn out more of these voters. Since I chaired the party’s council that represents voters of European and Mediterranean ethnic immigrant descent, I pointed out that by ignoring them, we had lost legislative elections in Midwestern states and that the impact of those losses would be devastating to all voters in those states. I asked that in addition to focusing on “our base”, the party direct more resources toward winning their votes as well.
His response was: “We can’t waste money on groups that aren’t ever going to vote for us.”
The point is that Democrats lost touch with white ethnic voters and, like the Republicans, were pursuing their own version of “either-or” politics. They spoke to liberal “elites” and their “base”, but ignored or insulted others. As a result they left the field wide open for Republicans to prey off the fears of the white working class to win their support. They were losing jobs, seeing the values they had been taught to be believe now called into question, feeling the “American Dream” that had inspired them was now beyond reach and that Democrats weren’t paying attention to them.
The issue wasn’t race, per se. Rather it was the feeling of having been abandoned and vulnerable that had enabled Republicans to exploit race, immigration, or cultural change as reminders of their fear of being ignored by Democrats and left behind. A recent University of Maryland poll found that “white Americans see an increase in discrimination against other white people and less against other racial groups”. More than just a lack of empathy, poorer white Americans feel a sense of abandonment.
This November, Democrats have a chance to turn this around. In Pennsylvania and Ohio they have nominated candidates, John Fetterman and Tim Ryan, who speak to the frustrations and aspirations of white working class voters. Although their policies differ (Fetterman is somewhat more politically progressive than Ryan), both address themselves to the needs of those who’ve lost jobs and are struggling with a changing economy. They haven’t abandoned critical issues like women's rights and racial equity, but present them in the context of policies that are good for everyone. That is the way forward for Democrats both to defeat Trumpism and become a party that can govern in the best interests of all Americans.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Selected fixtures
All times UAE
Wednesday
Poland v Portugal 10.45pm
Russia v Sweden 10.45pm
Friday
Belgium v Switzerland 10.45pm
Croatia v England 10.45pm
Saturday
Netherlands v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Denmark 10.45pm
Sunday
Poland v Italy 10.45pm
Monday
Spain v England 10.45pm
Tuesday
France v Germany 10.45pm
Rep of Ireland v Wales 10.45pm
The specs: 2018 Renault Koleos
Price, base: From Dh77,900
Engine: 2.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 170hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 233Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.3L / 100km
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Andor
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
The specs: 2018 Mazda CX-5
Price, base / as tested: Dh89,000 / Dh130,000
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Power: 188hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 251Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.1L / 100km
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
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Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
