Asking better questions about white identity

In the early 1990s, James Carville said, “It’s the economy, stupid.” I vaguely remember Carville from that time. He was then the chief strategist for Bill Clinton’s successful 1992 presidential campaign. He was fiery and charismatic and spoke with a deep southern twang and looked almost whimsical with his bald head and lean frame.

I do not remember hearing him actually say this. I didn’t care about political commentary at the time. Here is one summary of the phrase from an online source:

“In 1992, the US was experiencing an economic recession and the incumbent president, George HW Bush, was perceived as out of touch with the needs of ordinary Americans. Carville told campaign staffers to hammer on the importance of the economy at every chance they got — he even went so far as to hang a sign in campaign headquarters reading, in part, “the economy, stupid.” The phrase became a mantra for the Clinton campaign. Since then, it’s turned into a catchphrase which pops up whenever analysts are discussing an upcoming election.

I bet there is a political commentator right now preparing to go on a talk show, do a podcast, or write an essay in which they will echo Carville’s admonition that “it’s the economy, stupid.” And they will not be entirely wrong. When gas prices go up, approval ratings for the President go down. When…