Lunch pail Democrat explained
In United States politics, the term lunch pail Democrat, lunchbox Democrat, or lunchbucket Democrat refers to members of the Democratic Party of a "blue collar" or working-class background,[1] [2] [3] as well as politicians who share or attempt to leverage this background through populist appeals. Laurence Collins of The Boston Globe summarized the term as "a label that connotes an absence of lofty philosophical concerns in favor of a concern for people's more basic needs".[4]
The term lunchpail is also used more broadly as a metaphor for the working class, and in addition to Democrat is paired with other terms, such as lunch pail liberal or lunch pail socialism.[5]
History
The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang notes the term "lunch-pailers" being used to refer to laborers in a political context as early as 1958, and "lunch-pail liberals and Progressive Democrats" used in 1992.[6]
Politicians
Among the traits associated with lunch-pail Democratic politicians are:
Applications
- Hubert Humphrey was described as the "last of the lunch-pail Democrats" in 1982 by New York magazine.[9]
- Al Gore's efforts during his 1992 campaign have been described as: "determined to cast himself as an old school, labor lunch-pail Democrat in the tradition of Hubert Humphey and Walter Mondale. This strategy was problematic in a number of ways, not least because it wasn't particularly convincing."[10]
- Democratic politician and eventual 56th governor of Mississippi, Cliff Finch used the emblem of a lunch-pail with his name upon it in his campaigns.[11]
- During the 2008 Presidential primaries, Hillary Clinton was described as "transforming herself into a white lunch-pail populist, knocking back whiskey shots in Indiana."[12]
- Spiro Agnew was described as "Nixon's ambassador to the lower middle class, to the blue-collar American — the people who voted Democratic in the past, the people we used to call lunch-pail Democrats."[13]
External links
Notes and References
- Book: Lana Stein. St. Louis Politics: The Triumph of Tradition. 13 October 2012. 31 May 2002. Missouri History Museum. 978-1-883982-44-7. 71–.
- Web site: Politics, Policy, Political News. Politico.
- Book: Dante J. Scala. Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics. 13 October 2012. 5 December 2003. Palgrave Macmillan. 978-0-312-29622-3. 56–.
- Book: Laurence Collins. Power & privilege [sic]
an examination of the Massachusetts legislature]
. 13 October 2012. 1983 . The Boston Globe.
- Book: Frank M. Bryan. Real Democracy: The New England Town Meeting and How It Works. 13 October 2012. 3 December 2003. University of Chicago Press. 978-0-226-07796-3. 273–.
- Book: Grant Barrett. The Oxford Dictionary of American Political Slang. 13 October 2012. 21 April 2006. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-530447-3. 172–.
- Book: Sidney Plotkin. William E. Scheuerman . Private Interest, Public Spending: Balanced-Budget Conservatism and the Fiscal Crisis. 13 October 2012. 1 July 1994. Black Rose Books Ltd.. 978-1-895431-98-8. 15–.
- Mother Jones. Mother Jones Magazine. 13 October 2012. February 1997. Mother Jones. 58–. 0362-8841.
- New York Media, LLC. New York Magazine. Newyorkmetro.com.. 13 October 2012. 7 November 1988. New York Media, LLC. 40–. 0028-7369.
- Book: John P. Avlon. Independent nation: how centrists can change American politics. registration. 13 October 2012. 22 February 2005. Three Rivers Press. 978-1-4000-5024-6.
- Book: Dale Krane. Stephen D. Shaffer. Mississippi Government and Politics: Modernizers versus Traditionalists. 13 October 2012. 1 March 1992. U of Nebraska Press. 978-0-8032-7758-8. 84–.
- Book: T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting. The Speech: Race and Barack Obama's "A More Perfect Union". 13 October 2012. 18 August 2009. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. 978-1-59691-667-8. 22–.
- Book: Richard Lemon. Troubled American. registration. 13 October 2012. 15 October 1971. Simon and Schuster. 978-0-671-21065-6. 138–.
