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>The Democratic Party and the left continue to think Trump's victory was about race https://taibbi.substack.com/p/kansas-should-go-f-itself https://taibbi.subs

>The Democratic Party and the left continue to think Trump's victory was about race https://taibbi.substack.com/p/kansas-should-go-f-itself https://taibbi.substack.com/p/kansas-should-go-f-itself taibbi and thomas frank's writings on this subject have been very good. racism is an easy scapegoat because it is more or less a purely effervescent moral failing that can be broadly applied without asking uncomfortable questions about the institutional failings of establishment neoliberalism, clintonism, "nudge theory" and the rest.

api 6y ago
Yes, culture war issues are used by both the right and the pseudo-left to avoid talking about economic issues. As soon as you bring up race, abortion, or homosexuality, it sucks all the air out of the room and everyone stops talking about unfair trade policy, unfair and in some cases outright regressive taxation, crumbling infrastructure, growing monopolies, wage stagnation, or the exploding costs of health care, real estate, and tuition. The things people talk about and get emotional about are the things that sway elections, and therefore these are the topics politicians focus on. I don't think you have to imagine some sophisticated conspiracy to sideline economic issues... politicians just don't pay much attention to them because their constituents aren't bringing them up. Meanwhile their donors have a clear position in favor of the status quo, so that ends up being their economic agenda by default. Look at how charged the Supreme Court battle is, which is mostly about abortion, and compare that to the complete lack of interest shown by politicians on either side regarding our record unemployment numbers or the COVID driven collapse of small businesses across the USA. We are in the midst of a small local business holocaust in the USA and a profound consolidation of corporate "big chain" control over local economies, and not a word... we are too busy screaming about Ginsburg's replacement. I am not saying those "culture war" issues don't matter. Clearly they matter a lot to some people in very real ways. I'm just pointing out how they dominate the political discourse and prevent other issues from being debated. The economic and operational issues I listed above arguably affect more people than most of the culture war issues, and the Venn diagrams overlap quite a bit too. Gay rights mostly affects gay people, but wage stagnation affects everyone including gay people.
DenisM 6y ago
> establishment neoliberalism It’s weird how no one talks about this most fundamental issue. You’re literally the first person I have seen to bring this up.
- odessacubbage 6y ago
  bloggers and twitter people do. people within the democratic machine do not. up until maybe the past 2 years it was entirely heretical to even lightly suggest that obama did not do a good job without shifting all the blame towards mitch mcConnell or the koch brothers. actual critiques of the power structure from within are rare and even then, hardly ever substantive or satisfying.
  - api 6y ago
    ... which is why the Democrats keep losing easy elections, like against Donald f'ing Trump. Clinton almost won with an absolutely horrible campaign that failed to excite anyone. She even through in that awful 'deporables' comment. I know what she meant, but it sounded like she was insulting the entire US working class. Donald Trump is one of the most consistently unpopular and widely disliked presidents in history. He has his fanatical base, but that base is no more than 30% of the population at best. Most other people can't stand him and the only reason they'd vote for him is if they feel there is no better choice. The fact that there is any question at all about the outcome of this election shows just how pathetic the Democrats are at connecting with the electorate.

api 6y ago

Yes, culture war issues are used by both the right and the pseudo-left to avoid talking about economic issues. As soon as you bring up race, abortion, or homosexuality, it sucks all the air out of the room and everyone stops talking about unfair trade policy, unfair and in some cases outright regressive taxation, crumbling infrastructure, growing monopolies, wage stagnation, or the exploding costs of health care, real estate, and tuition. The things people talk about and get emotional about are the things that sway elections, and therefore these are the topics politicians focus on. I don't think you have to imagine some sophisticated conspiracy to sideline economic issues... politicians just don't pay much attention to them because their constituents aren't bringing them up. Meanwhile their donors have a clear position in favor of the status quo, so that ends up being their economic agenda by default. Look at how charged the Supreme Court battle is, which is mostly about abortion, and compare that to the complete lack of interest shown by politicians on either side regarding our record unemployment numbers or the COVID driven collapse of small businesses across the USA. We are in the midst of a small local business holocaust in the USA and a profound consolidation of corporate "big chain" control over local economies, and not a word... we are too busy screaming about Ginsburg's replacement. I am not saying those "culture war" issues don't matter. Clearly they matter a lot to some people in very real ways. I'm just pointing out how they dominate the political discourse and prevent other issues from being debated. The economic and operational issues I listed above arguably affect more people than most of the culture war issues, and the Venn diagrams overlap quite a bit too. Gay rights mostly affects gay people, but wage stagnation affects everyone including gay people.

DenisM 6y ago

> establishment neoliberalism It’s weird how no one talks about this most fundamental issue. You’re literally the first person I have seen to bring this up.

odessacubbage 6y ago
bloggers and twitter people do. people within the democratic machine do not. up until maybe the past 2 years it was entirely heretical to even lightly suggest that obama did not do a good job without shifting all the blame towards mitch mcConnell or the koch brothers. actual critiques of the power structure from within are rare and even then, hardly ever substantive or satisfying.
- api 6y ago
  ... which is why the Democrats keep losing easy elections, like against Donald f'ing Trump. Clinton almost won with an absolutely horrible campaign that failed to excite anyone. She even through in that awful 'deporables' comment. I know what she meant, but it sounded like she was insulting the entire US working class. Donald Trump is one of the most consistently unpopular and widely disliked presidents in history. He has his fanatical base, but that base is no more than 30% of the population at best. Most other people can't stand him and the only reason they'd vote for him is if they feel there is no better choice. The fact that there is any question at all about the outcome of this election shows just how pathetic the Democrats are at connecting with the electorate.