White Picket Fence Prologue
Oct 7, 2020
Dive into the complexities of suburban politics and the urgent role of voting. Discover how Trump's strategies target suburban white women by exploiting fears from the past. Julie shares her political beginnings, inspired by dynamic figures like Mondale and Ferraro. Reflecting on the surprising 2016 election, she confronts the unsettling reality of white women's political choices. The podcast emphasizes the importance of accountability and building multiracial solidarity among women as a path forward.
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Suburban Fear As A Political Playbook
- Donald Trump is explicitly courting white suburban women by stoking fears about urban violence and housing.
- Julie Kohler frames this as a political playbook echoing 1968 strategies to win re-election.
Childhood Political Formation
- Julie Kohler grew up in a politically engaged Minnesota family and dreamed of running for office after Ferraro's nomination.
- Her early activism and mock election win shaped a lifetime interest in politics and gender justice.
Electoral Shock And Specialness
- The 1984 landslide for Reagan shattered Julie's assumption that her world represented the nation.
- That moment seeded a false sense of exceptionalism about her state's politics that she later questioned.