There is no better example of extremism and hopelessness of the white working class than the current standard bearer in the GOP primary. Donald Trump leads with less-educated, working-class white people—the same group that is driving the increased mortality overall. Like a half empty bottle of Scotch, they are reaching for Trump out of desperation, outrage and xenophobia, because they have no idea what else to do. Their jobs are gone, wages are flat and the very idea of building a middle class life with a high school education is folly these days. Thus they have turned to ever more extreme rightwing politics, and with every win things only get worse. They keep going further into crazy town in desperation for a savior—a search that leads inevitably to someone like Trump.
The saddest part is working class America benefits the most from an activist, effective and liberal government, something they fight hardest against. Poor white people use food stamps, pay exorbitant rents and suffer from a lack of educational opportunity. They continue to lose the economic advantages they previously enjoyed, and their rage has turned into irrational and self-defeating behavior.