The 2020 election might provide a golden opportunity for the working class ¡ª Americans without a four-year college degree who tend to work in blue-collar and service industries such as construction and retail. Though partisan control of Congress and the presidency will keep the government divided, there¡¯s a possibility that initiatives like pro-union policies and infrastructure spending might reach a bipartisan consensus.
Encouraged by their gains among Hispanic voters and their continued strength among Americans without a college degree, Republicans are eager to rebrand themselves as, in the words of Sen. Marco Rubio, ¡°a multiethnic, multiracial, working-class coalition.¡± Meanwhile, establishment Democrats, including President-elect Joe Biden, will need to fend off a vigorous challenge from a socialist wing of the party that¡¯s intent on displacing them. That will probably require economically focused policies.
Republican skepticism of government benefits will keep some ideas off limits, such as national health insurance, which would remove a huge source of risk from Americans¡¯ lives. But policies that emphasize the value of work ¡ª something conservatives and liberals have both traditionally valued ¡ª have a better shot.
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