on smugness, and questioning the assumption that racism drove the white working class to the Republican Party

I recommend both of these pieces on liberal smugness: The smug style in American liberalismby Emmett Rensin a few thoughts on liberal smugness | Fredrik deBoer As Freddie deBoer notes, the first piece is long, but it's got some very good bits, so stick with it and don't assume you know the writer's politics. Perhaps its theme is here: If the smug style can be reduced to a single sentence,