Once the party of the working class, the Democratic Party is now the home of highly educated citizens with progressive social views who prefer credentialed experts to make policy decisions, while Republicans have become the populist champions of white voters who increasingly distrust scientists, journalists, universities, Hollywood, and even corporations.  The result of this new ‘diploma divide’ is the most consequential transformation in American politics since the New Deal realignment back in the 1930’s.  Well into the 1980’s, as Ronald Reagan took the Southern strategy to new regions of the country, Democrats could count on the members of organized labor to back their party.  Cultural shifts, perhaps even more than economic ones, ended their dominance.  Our guest, Matt Grossmann, along with David Hopkins have written a book that explains the change.  It’s called “Polarized by Degrees: How the Diploma Divide and the Culture War Transformed American Politics.”