"Identity Politics"
I had read about some commentators noting this for a few years now, but it hit home like a load of bricks in this election.
Here is the thing - there has ALWAYS been a tension between two of the primary core groups of the democratic coalition, the labor movement and the civil rights movement.
The Rs VERY purposefully have worked to attack this coalition from both ends, in different ways. They have tore apart the primary institutional element to holding the labor movement together, unions. This was direct and purposeful to help pull this group from the democratic party.
Let's be honest, a lot of the "working class" were not huge fans of those who were being advocated for with the civil rights movement. The more that the unity and fellowship provided by unions was pulled apart the more the collective interest in their own financial and life related well being was minimized and their less than favorable sense of he more "liberal" advocacy started to tug that them.
People want to think this election was about democrats "abandoning the while working class ECONOMICALLY." This is NOT the driver. End of the day, the Rs are all wrong on all elements wages, SS, health care and the democrats are right. And there is NO one who does not know that if given power Rs will flip the tax system to favor the ultra rich.
You don't need to be an astro physicist to know the difference here.
Yes, the Rs have successfully boon doggled the entire country into bleeting and thinking that only they are to be trusted with ta payer dollars, but even at that the foundation is that the scumbag liberals will "give it away to the THEM."
We haven't had pocketbook elections in a LONG time, decades. The elections of the last quarter century have all been CULTURAL, and this one was in spades.
SO about the "identity politics."
Here is the thing the democratic party absolutely has done the right thing advocating for the rights of ALL americans. BUT, this has been an increasingly bad POLITICAL position.
This election had almost no policy discussion. It was one and a half years of Trump saying horrible things about every non-white group christian group he possibly could and democrats coming to the rescue of ... Muslims, Mexicans, AAs, Transgenders ...
NOW, again, I am not saying that it is wrong to advocate for the rights of all americans.
It just isn't a good position POLITICALLY.
THIS is what Bernie is saying (and I supported Hillary no ifs, ands or buts).
I don't know the answer, I really don't.
But, isn't "identity politics."
