So all the pundits are now "explaining" how Donald Trump won the US election with the new received wisdom that it was a blow against the establishment from uneducated, white, blue-collar workers. But they miss the same factor that was missed by the US commentators who rushed to call it for Clinton when early data showed a large turnout of Hispanic voters in Florida, assuming that those votes were for her. The fact is that established Hispanic voters, who by definition are legal, very likely voted for Trump, because they want to lock out illegal immigrants who they consider a lower class than themselves or could embarrass or make trouble for them. This attitude is common among immigrant communities faced with new waves of immigration. We see a parallel in SA, where employed black groups are not too keen on the unemployed masses joining them, lobbying against labour law reforms that would create employment opportunities but could harm those who already have their feet on the rungs of ...
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