One of the reasons that the GOP was helpless in stopping the rise of Trump is that they failed to realize that a huge portion of their voters don't operate in the language of the "Reagan Revolution." The "buzzwords" of the Republicans since the time of Reagan have been words like "freedom,"individualism," "personal responsibility," "opportunity" and "liberty." In the shadow of the Soviet Union, these were an appealing set of principles for conservatives to unite behind.
Trump has shown us, however, that these values are not the currency that the Republican base trades in. It's not freedom that so many of these disenfranchised voters yearn for.
On the right, so many voters, especially lower-class whites, feel that their way of life is under attack. "They find their religion, their hobbies, their music, their culture, consistently mocked and looked down upon by elites. On the left, there is a growing concern with the way that traditionally marginalized communities are treated and respected. These are people who are seeking honor.
The alt-right has gained power. White identity politics - while nowhere near the power of other forms of identity politics - has come out of hiding. This is in response to the left's emphasis on identity politics on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. It's no coincidence that this comes as families, churches, and local politics and loyalties are weaker than ever. These identitarians are seeking community.
People identifying less and less with older forms of community - churches, families, one's state or locale Instead, they're fighting tooth and nail for the advancement of the new communities and causes they've attached themselves to. The influence of Enlightenment liberalism and an increasingly all-encompassing politics has hallowed its traditional sources, and so many voters find contemporary politics to be a source of meaning.
Enlightenment liberalism promised to end the pointless feuding of differing sects and polities. It came to liberate the individual from oppressive social constraints, and it came to create a free space where individuals can pursue their own wills, rather than being subjected to the sovereign's idea of meaning.
The pre-Enlightenment values of honor, community, and meaning, are making a comeback. Trump gained power in part because he speaks to these concerns Whichever party can read the times and speak to these values will own the political future.
Interesting point about how liberals have pushed identity politics but were surprised when white identity showed up to the party. Never thought about it that way. #genius
ReplyDeleteI disagree that the values you discuss are making a comeback. I think this Trump hysteria represents the dying gasps of the anti-intellectualism side of the Right, fostered by the Right to help win elections. The Frankenstein monster of Conservative think tanks has been unleashed and you can see the establishment Right is having trouble dealing with it.
ReplyDeleteI very much agree that Democrats and the Left in general have far over played ID politics and helped foster a backlash against the Political Correctness model that Clinton represents. Biden even pointed out they, the Democrats, don't speak to the guys he grew up with, referring to blue collar, working-middle class white guy. You might go so far as to say the Democrats do speak to them and they say, "it's all your fault and everyone is welcome here but you."
In any case, both parties have failed the people of this country miserablely. Repairing the dangerous divide, in MY opinion, starts at a local and even personal level. We should not look to Washington to show us how we should treat our fellow Americans, we have to have civility with our immediate neighbors , even if we don't like them politically because the ultimate alternative is is unrest and division that leads to a modern civil war. Not today or tomorrow but again, in my opinion, that is where this divergence lead in the long game.