Your posts are routinely some of the most clear-eyed and rational analyses of macro and micro political trends. Very much appreciate your work and perspective, Sheluyang.
I think this is the key quote from this: “Progressive activists, despite making up only 8% of Americans, essentially have control of a party that half of Americans vote for.”
That sums up so many problems we have with our current political system right now. Do you think there’s a similar group on the right with the same control over the Republican party?
Man, I don't know - the core premise of this article, the bit about the Democratic agenda being set by a subset of the party that's whiter and more stridently on the cultural left than the party writ large, is well-argued and rings true. But the frame surrounding it about trans issues reeks of cherry picking! A poll asking "should 13-year-olds get boob jobs" is going to get a pretty overwhelmingly negative response - no surprise there! But in at least some regards trans rights enjoy popular support across the political spectrum - YouGov also did a poll indicating that the vast, vast majority of Americans are in favor of employment protections for transgendered people, including a sizable majority of Republicans (56% for vs 32% against): https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/18/many-dont-understand-what-transgender-means
I would say it markedly weakens your thesis if your OMG CRAZY FAR-LEFT BOUTIQUE IDEOLOGY AGENDA ITEM or whatever is something that, in its less extreme form, is generally popular within and beyond the Dem base!
This was an interesting article, however I think issue of Blacks and conservative ideology is more complex than you present it as. While your average working-class black may agree with your average working-class white on most social issues there is one important one that they definitively won't: Race. Whites are much less likely to see racism is being a major problem for Black Americans, more likely to take the cops side when an unarmed black teen is killed, etc. Even if white liberals and working-class blacks don't have much in common, at least the liberals will show sympathy for their struggles.
How Liberals Fake Popular Support For Their Social Policies
Your posts are routinely some of the most clear-eyed and rational analyses of macro and micro political trends. Very much appreciate your work and perspective, Sheluyang.
I think this is the key quote from this: “Progressive activists, despite making up only 8% of Americans, essentially have control of a party that half of Americans vote for.”
That sums up so many problems we have with our current political system right now. Do you think there’s a similar group on the right with the same control over the Republican party?
Excellent breakdown, man. 🫡
I’m sending this article to everyone I know. It’s spot on. Thank you.
Man, I don't know - the core premise of this article, the bit about the Democratic agenda being set by a subset of the party that's whiter and more stridently on the cultural left than the party writ large, is well-argued and rings true. But the frame surrounding it about trans issues reeks of cherry picking! A poll asking "should 13-year-olds get boob jobs" is going to get a pretty overwhelmingly negative response - no surprise there! But in at least some regards trans rights enjoy popular support across the political spectrum - YouGov also did a poll indicating that the vast, vast majority of Americans are in favor of employment protections for transgendered people, including a sizable majority of Republicans (56% for vs 32% against): https://today.yougov.com/topics/politics/articles-reports/2022/03/18/many-dont-understand-what-transgender-means
I would say it markedly weakens your thesis if your OMG CRAZY FAR-LEFT BOUTIQUE IDEOLOGY AGENDA ITEM or whatever is something that, in its less extreme form, is generally popular within and beyond the Dem base!
This was an interesting article, however I think issue of Blacks and conservative ideology is more complex than you present it as. While your average working-class black may agree with your average working-class white on most social issues there is one important one that they definitively won't: Race. Whites are much less likely to see racism is being a major problem for Black Americans, more likely to take the cops side when an unarmed black teen is killed, etc. Even if white liberals and working-class blacks don't have much in common, at least the liberals will show sympathy for their struggles.
That and also giving free money to their base under the guise of various programs.