“Why Punching Down Still Hurts”

Today on We Vote Too, we’re diving headfirst into a conversation many avoid but desperately need: Why do so many low-income white Americans keep voting against their own economic interests?

Let’s be real—despite the myth of the “welfare queen” (hint: she doesn’t look like you think), white Americans make up the largest group receiving government assistance. In 2022, 51 million white individuals received welfare, more than triple the number of Black recipients. Yet the narrative still blames Black folks for “draining the system.” Why?

In this episode, we get into:

• How the post-slavery South gave poor whites their first real shot at economic freedom—and how they chose whiteness over solidarity.

• Why is it more convenient to punch down than to challenge the wealthy elites pulling the strings?

• Whether we should still be courting these voters or cutting our losses.

With special guest Marquis Lupton, we explore the deep roots of racialized class politics, media-fueled division, and whether there’s still room for coalition-building in a time of MAGA populism and billionaires cosplaying as “working class heroes.”

🔊 Time-stamped breakdown:

• 00:00 – Legal disclosure (gotta keep it official)

• 00:33 – Intro music (get in the vibe)

• 00:48 – The historical plight and dilemma of poor whites

• 03:38 – Interview begins with Marquis Lupton: Is ideology more important than interest?

• 07:49 – Why do some poor white Americans feel threatened by progress?

• 09:45 – Should we still be trying to “win them over”?

• 13:31 – What does engaging with MAGA voters really look like?

• 16:55 – The uncomfortable truth: poor white people have more in common with poor Black folks than with billionaires

• 20:29 – The media’s role in dividing working-class communities

• 24:18 – How Obama’s presidency may have paved the way for MAGA

• 26:33 – No more excuses—some folks are exactly who they’ve shown themselves to be

• 31:59 – “Black people are resting.” What does that mean in this context?

• 40:47 – Black voters have historically helped poor white communities, even when it wasn’t mutual

• 42:59 – Outro: messy truths, mic drops, and marching forward

This one’s witty, sharp, and probably going to get your uncle mad at Thanksgiving.

We Vote Too—because democracy doesn’t work unless we all understand the game we're in.