The proles by definition don't own capital, social or otherwise. I find the focus on Clinton a bit short-sighted. She certainly bought into the Reaganite neoliberalism (her husband cemented it into American zeitgeist for a generation by embracing it), but I'd hardly call her the source of it. And I'd take more offense at being called a "dumb, cousin-fucking terrorist"[0] than a "deplorable", but either way these people will not be served by either side.
I find it odd that you perceive this as a new thing. I'd call it an American trope that long predates me. For instance, "The Beverly Hillbillies" was a 1962 sitcom that played off of it.
> The Clampetts bring a moral, unsophisticated, and minimalistic lifestyle to the swanky, sometimes self-obsessed and superficial community. Double entendres and cultural misconceptions are the core of the sitcom's humor. Plots often involve Drysdale's outlandish efforts to keep the Clampetts' money in his bank, and his wife's efforts to rid the neighborhood of "those hillbillies". The family's periodic attempts to return to the mountains are often prompted by Granny's perceiving a slight from one of the "city folk".
That’s an illustration of my point. It’s a Hollywood criticism of Beverly Hills’ departure from the “moral, unsophisticated, and minimalistic lifestyle.” When Mrs. Drysdale calls the Clampett’s “deplorables” the audience is expected to see her as the villain.
Ah, is it the "openly" part that you're focusing on? I can imagine that, but it always seemed pretty open to me. I suppose I'm attuned to the dog whistles that they've long used. I'm pretty sure George Bush didn't spend much more time clearing brush off his ranch than it took to finish the photo op for instance.
Or maybe I just spent too long on calls with executives who were trying to find the best place to source "non-value added labor" (the ideal proles are interchangeable cogs, ideally without any benefits) that I forget that they sometimes try to hide these things.
[0]https://twitter.com/Eric_Alterman/status/1634971075334508544