By Briahna Gray
The 2016 Bernie Sanders campaign terraformed the landscape of political possibility: “Socialist” is no longer a slur,
“Medicare for All” is a litmus test for 2020 hopefuls, and Americans
are no longer so inured to the influence of money in politics. To
millions on the left, the then-relatively unknown Vermont senator’s
unexpected surge in the 2016 Democratic primary (and consistently strong
approval ratings) demonstrate that electoral victory in 2020 requires
adopting much of his platform and approach to politics. This means,
among other things, making economic inequality central to any
prospective presidential agenda.
Yet the very concept of “economic anxiety” has become a punchline at best, and a third rail at worst, among a loud swath of the Democratic coalition. Because economic concerns have, at times, been used as a pretext to avoid recognizing the role racism and xenophobia played in Donald Trump’s popularity, many Democrats now bristle at the notion that the Democratic Party should reach out to working-class whites at all. Understandably fearful that “wooing” white voters might require an appeal to bigotry, it’s now commonly argued that the Democratic Party should concentrate its efforts on nonvoters of color instead.
The divide between “team economic justice” and “team demographic destiny” now informs how different factions of the left, broadly defined, decipher the results of Democratic primaries and special election battles. And unfortunately, this has led to dangerously inaccurate and biased prescriptions for 2020.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Intercept_
Yet the very concept of “economic anxiety” has become a punchline at best, and a third rail at worst, among a loud swath of the Democratic coalition. Because economic concerns have, at times, been used as a pretext to avoid recognizing the role racism and xenophobia played in Donald Trump’s popularity, many Democrats now bristle at the notion that the Democratic Party should reach out to working-class whites at all. Understandably fearful that “wooing” white voters might require an appeal to bigotry, it’s now commonly argued that the Democratic Party should concentrate its efforts on nonvoters of color instead.
The divide between “team economic justice” and “team demographic destiny” now informs how different factions of the left, broadly defined, decipher the results of Democratic primaries and special election battles. And unfortunately, this has led to dangerously inaccurate and biased prescriptions for 2020.
Click here for the full article.
Source: The Intercept_
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