The central dimension of conflict in the 2016 election was about issues that had to do with immigration, with Islam and with race.

What does that mean for 2018? More of the same.

Welcome to Deconstructed, I'm Mairi Hassan. On the eve of the most important US midterm elections of our lives, we're going to do something different on the show today.

It's a longer show and it's much more of a debate. My colleague Brianna Joy Grey joins me as does author and political scientist Professor John Sides.

The question I'm asking today is what's driving the millions of Americans, especially the white working class Americans, who support Donald Trump, who voted for him in 2016 and will vote for his party again next week in the midterms.

Of course the appeal is racist. He's appealing to people's racism.

So what's the still minute? I'm trying to get to the bottom. Is it racist?

First of all, anybody who wants to buy for Ktham is usually, I'm not saying that's about you.

I'm saying pick one that has a dominant. And I will not do that. Normalize sit here and tell you which was worse, slavery or the Holocaust.

So today on Deconstructed, is it race or class? What's really driving American politics right now?

Up next, the midterms just days away now.

The intensity of both sides is getting pretty close to 100%.

Everybody's up. All the numbers are up. The intensity is huge.

The single most important midterm of our lifetime. This is our most important midterm election, perhaps ever.

They're finally almost here. The midterms in which the Democrats are going to take back the House and maybe even the Senate too. Or will they?

There's a specter haunting these elections. The specter of the loyal, committed Trump voter.

The blue collar voters who maybe were traditionally Democrat who crossed over to vote for President Trump.

Blue collar we talk about. Non-college educated white voters. This was where you saw that swing the Trump.

A lot of people who voted for Donald Trump was around the issue of jobs, jobs particularly in the rust belt in the old manufacturing areas.

Two years ago, angry white working class voters in the key swing states of the rust belt. Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin.

Pulled a lever for Trump as a way of expressing their anger over economic injustice, over the outsourcing of their jobs and the stagnation of their wages.

A populist blue collar wave swept the billionaire property mogul into office and it was all because of economic anxiety.

...