Which candidates play the 'victim' and how does it work for them (or not)?

[bloom]

Frank Bruni wrote about how Trump plays the victim and whines - and how he even admits that he is the biggest whiner. And uses whining to get what he wants.

So I got to thinking about the Democrats. These ploys for sympathy. I think the women mostly avoid it - as it would make them look weak. And they don't want to seem weak (and also they get blasted for it in the media). I wonder if a lot of voters do look for some victim aspect to sympathize or empathize with.

Some women identify with the women candidates and recognize that women have been victimized as a group - even if we don't make that obvious. Some of us do. It's interesting when feminists ignore that - that identify with other victim aspects of other candidates (esp. Sanders).

So basically - I think men can get away with playing the victim and women have to at least be more subtle about it.

What do you think?

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Are you thinking of one in particular?

[bloom]

2. Sanders and his people seem to relish in it the most (of the Democrats) n/t

[brooklynite]

3. Gabbard has played the victim frequently...

The DNC is "out to get her"

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4. yeah - that's similar to the Sanders thing. n/t

[judeling]

5. They all play the victim (at times)

None of them use it like Trump, but all of our candidates, heck all of us use it.
But like everything else woman have to use it differently then men.

There is nothing wrong with using victimhood. It can be an important bonding point to make bigger issues tangible. Actually there is probably a measure of victimhood or at least the amount that candidates connect with the shared victimhood of their supporters. That is depth of support. Nobody can deny that Trump has extraordinary depth of support, as does Bernie. Sanders ran a whole campaign as a victim of the system. I know we all think it was policy and ideas and that was true at the topline, but the devotion is a factor of shared victimhood. Sanders unlike Trump has moved way beyond it.

But in the current crop Klobuchar probably uses it best.

[bloom]

6. That's interesting.

How do you think Klobuchar uses it best?

[judeling]

7. She is subtle and she sets up attacks to take advantage of it.

First she invites attacks. Since she is inviting attacks she sets up the predicates to deflect and take advantage of them. Both Sanders and Warren know her very well so they have avoided it. But if you remember the Kavanaugh hearings you can see it quite clearly. She set up the predicate of a daughter of an alcoholic and then was able to when the attack came play it simply.

She also uses it as part of multi-pronged attacks. A good example is the "a woman mayor" attack on Buttigieg. It was an attack on his experience, but it did use gender to make it less explicit. His "gay guy" was then seen as a plea for shared victimhood,

[bloom]

8. Those are good points.

To me, it seems that EW has mostly shown how she overcame being a victim (being confined by past expectations). Showing how that can be done.

It's interesting, because it is like she is saying that she is not a victim, and yet as AK pointed out - RE: a women mayor of South Bend..., women do not still get the same consideration as men.

It seems like the sort of message best left for others to make on their behalf. But AFAIC, the women have more to overcome victim-wise than any of the male candidates - regardless of how they (the men) try to paint the picture.

[judeling]

9. It was a good thread

We miss a lot. When we think about these things in the heat of battle. The Gender are Race card is a plea for understanding and a sharing of victimhood. Based on some deep-seated and real concerns. All politicians use stories of people to highlight points and policy it makes it real and tangible. When they can use their own story so much better because it makes that connection. But when they can use their story and connect it to a sense of victimization they make that connection even stronger and gives people a sense of knowing they will fight for them.