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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Nothing To Say

How about you?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

You should read the article below. This is an interesting perspective with what's wrong with our liberal progressive movements. Comments?

https://www.commentarymagazine.com/politics-ideas/identity-politics-poison-womens-march/

Dale Carrico said...

Whiny white guy identity politics is also an identity politics. The Marches and protests happening now function as a counter-ceremonial refusing the normalization of Trump, and are perfectly fine as far as they go. Anything to hobble and legitimize and divide the GOP undermines the damage they do, and stages a narrative terrain (low approval, divided caucus, self-inflicted wounds, Dems fighting for vulnerable constituents with photogenic suffering faces) on which to resist them and wrest power as soon as may be back from their hands. I agree that practical organizing to throw out the Republicans will involve lots of diverse constituencies working together. I don't think a focus on "identity" (especially given the emphasis on intersectional struggles these days), that is on civil rights for precarious minorities or support of diversity as a strength is a weakness in the Democratic coalition but its reflection of the reality of the nation and eventual source of its triumph. This "interesting" take about the silliness of identity partisans and divisiveness of identity politics is one I've read a million times already -- how were you so lucky not to have encountered it for so long? Clinton lost the electoral college because of 60,000 votes in three Republican states, in the aftermath of systematic disenfranchisement, and still won the popular vote by millions. The diversifying, secularizing, planetizing Obama coalition won twice and has grown since. A whole lot of lying and cheating and media malfeasance on the part of or in favor of the Republicans coupled with a little sooper-lefty no difference between the parties stay-at-home assholier-than-thou let them steal it at the margins, as they always will any chance they get. Clearly, Dems need to run more media-friendly candidates who don't start out in approval holes, deserved or not, and just keep the wonky mastery of policy and presidential temper under a blanket until after the campaign is over from here on out. Kiss babies, seem strong, connect with your audience -- policy happens after you win. The problem is that all the next victories we need to happen seem harder than the one we just lost... and I don't think the Republicans fear long-term consequences as starry-eyed Dem wonks seem to think, and I don't think Trump voters expect anything but to get screwed so they will probably keep electing Republicans who bully the right scapegoats and blow stuff up on tee vee even if they get screwed, and I don't think the sooper-left fauxvolutionaries are near ready to skip the ego-boost of purity cabaret for pragmatic voting and patient long-term organizing for the real prizes: sustainability, fairness, diversity, knowledge.