If someone tells you who they really are and what they think, you should believe them because they are probably telling the truth.
Case in point: On his podcast “The Ax Files,” Democratic strategist and political consultant David Axelrod had some fascinating things to say about North Carolina voters—in particular Harris voters vs. Trump voters:
On his podcast @davidaxelrod says Democratic voters in Asheville, North Carolina, are smarter and wealthier and will still show up to vote for Kamala, while he believes Trump voters will not. That’s why Kamala and Biden aren’t helping, they’re profiting from the catastrophe: pic.twitter.com/CqCAY0An74
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) October 4, 2024
Axelrod said:
Here’s my question about North Carolina. There were these murderous storms, which, by the way, were the third massive story of the week. And there’s a lot of displacement in western North Carolina, now Asheville is a blue dot in that area, there’s a lot of Republican voters there. (some persuading) But these voters in Asheville, you know, they’re the kind of voters who are going to find a way to vote. You know, they’re upscale, liberal voters, they’ll probably find a way to vote kind of vote. I’m not sure a bunch of these people whose homes and lives have been destroyed elsewhere in Western North Carolina will be so effortless to campaign for the Trump campaign.
There’s a lot to unpack here.
First, yes, murderous storms – certainly there were a lot of displacements. Many people have lost their homes, and many people still at home have lost electricity, water, internet and all the necessities of a newfangled lifestyle. Axelrod seems to forget this when he speaks disparagingly about the people outside of Asheville. But while I’m led to believe that Axelrod is right about Asheville being a blue dot in the area, his elitist, condescending attitude toward people “elsewhere in Western North Carolina” is quite surprising, even coming from him.
What’s wrong, Mr. Axelrod? Are you assuming that these people are less clever and less cultured than your “upscale, more liberal” friends in Asheville? Do you think they are less engaged? Less invested in the future of the republic? Are they less able to figure out where to go to vote, or are they less motivated to do so?
Regardless, I think we already know the answers to these questions. David Axelrod leaves us with a clear impression of how he sees the rural and small-town population in this part of North Carolina, and it’s not a pretty picture.
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Here’s the thing: This kind of snobbery could very well backfire if it reached a wider audience. I know the country and tiny town people pretty well; I grew up among them and live among them now, and I doubt that the rural and tiny town population living “elsewhere in Western North Carolina” is all that different from the rural and tiny town population in Allamakee County, Iowa, or Susitna Valley in Alaska differs. And I can tell you this: The best way to ensure that these people crawl on their stomachs through half a mile of junk and broken glass to vote is to tell them that you don’t believe them that much Have courage as their bourgeois, liberal “upscale” cousins drop out and cast their vote.
To the people of Western North Carolina, I want to say this: Let’s show this idiot who is motivated and worried about the outcome of his election and the future of our republic. Get out there and vote!
