There has been a great deal of discussion about identity politics and setting it aside in the news lately. Those discussions have led to a great deal of misunderstanding that should be cleared up.
No progressive thinks identity politics are unimportant, but how you approach the issues matters. If we, the public, think that politicians take on identity politics because they actually intend to do something about it, we aren’t paying attention to the actual record. Politicians, especially Democrats, talk a lot about identity politics; they do a whole lot less. There are a lot of reasons for that, including first and foremost, where the money comes from.
Let’s take a step back. FDR didn’t do the New Deal because he believed in the New Deal. He may have, but his motivation came from several million socialists, unionists, and WWI veterans who got in his face and told him he was going to do something. They gave him the backbone to do the right thing.
LBJ didn’t do civil rights because he wanted to do civil rights, again, he may have believed. LBJ did civil rights because a whole lot of African Americans, often enough led by MLK, got out in the streets and in his face and told him he was going to do civil rights.
Women’s rights are the same. They didn’t happen because some politician decided he was going to do the right thing, they happened because women got up in a bunch of politician’s faces and told them they were going to do the right thing.
LGBTQ? Obama gave it a pass. Until the community said, “we don’t care, we’re getting married anyway.” And suddenly, Obama found a passion for the issue.
It has always been this way, politicians don’t act - they are forced to act. That is why we are where we currently are. Democrats, all of us, got lazy. After the 60s we got this notion in our heads that the Democratic Party would “do the right thing.” We were wrong. The Democratic Party believes in progressive issues. That isn’t enough. They need a fire, lit by us, to do the right thing.
So when the Democratic Party plays identity politics it needs to be understood, they aren’t playing it because they are really going do something, they are doing it to get votes. Period. No politician gave Blacks their rights; Blacks forced politicians to do the right thing. Women did the same, and so did the LGBTQ community.
How did that happen? Were the African Americans who led the civil rights movement bus drivers, garbage men? Or were they even lower on the totem pole guys polishing shoes and working for pennies? No, they were people of some means; they had some security in life. Enough security to be able to act instead of worrying about working their second job to make ends meet. Before you can force politicians to listen to you, you have to have the security or the means to make an impression. This is what the “set aside identity politics” message is, and it’s open for debate. Do we talk about politicians standing up for us, or do we fight to give a level of security to the poor so they can fight for themselves? Do we count on the middle class, who’s number one cause of bankruptcy is getting sick, to fight or do we get insurance for all so they can set that aside and fight for themselves?
Progressives who discuss economic security aren’t saying, identity politics isn’t important. Heck, who’s the one white political leader who’s been arrested fighting for the rights of African Americans? Bernie Sanders. What progressives of this stripe are saying is that if you pay African Americans a decent wage, they can fight for themselves, like they have always done. If you give women a decent salary and health care, you don’t need politicians, who aren’t going to fight much anyway, to fight for them, they will fight for themselves.
No politician or political party ever did anything for anyone but their direct donors, the rich guys. They act when the voters are breathing down their necks. You can’t breathe down a politician’s neck if you’re running from McDonald's to Burger King to get in a second shift so you can feed your kids. Only economic security allows you to have the time to call your Senator. That is the message.
No progressive wants anyone to set aside African American men being shot in the street. They would point out that African American men have been shot in the street for decades, and yet the Democratic Party has done very little to address the situation. Counting on them to solve the problem might be a mistake. Yeah, they’ll talk about it, but then they will do nothing. But African Americans pounding the streets because they have the time and means to do so, that got their attention. Just like the Parkland students got the attention of politicians in Florida. Don’t set aside identity politics just don’t count on the Democratic Party doing anything to address the issue. Instead, give those impacted by identity a means to fight for themselves. Then see how fast the Democrats play a different tune.
Setting aside identity politics doesn’t mean set aside identity politics, it means take a different path to accomplish those goals. Give all people the security they need so they can fight for themselves. Why? Because the way we are currently approaching identity politics has been a failure. It has been since the 60s when African Americans got in the streets and fought for their rights. That is why progressives are looking at it from a different angle. One that empowers people to act for themselves.
I would be remiss if I didn’t make it clear, the Democratic Party believes in identity politics, they just don’t have the backbone to stand up against their corporate donors and act. Only we can give them the will to do something.