Way back in the olden time in 2002 Ruy Teixeira was co-author of a book on The Emerging Democratic Majority. Young people, the educated, women, and minorities would put the Democrats in power forever.
But this week he is telling Democrats that they are giving away the store.
The Democratic coalition today is not fit for purpose. It cannot beat Republicans consistently in enough areas of the country to achieve dominance and implement its agenda at scale.
The Democrats may be the party of “deep blue metro America” but it is not the party of “the common man and woman.” What to do? Teixeira proposes a Three Point Plan.
Democrats Must Move to the Center on Cultural Issues
Democrats Must Promote an Abundance Agenda
Democrats Must Embrace Patriotism and Liberal Nationalism
Well, yeah. No kidding! And what he is saying is simply that Democrats need to appeal to the ordinary middle class, the ordinary commoner. That’s because
Commoners are into marriage and family and children
Commoners are into making the world a more prosperous place for them and their children
The tribe of the commoner middle class is the Nation.
This is not that hard.
Yes, but why are the Democrats out in La La Land on cultural issues? Teixeira waffles about “the cultural left… [and] a series of views on crime, immigration, policing, free speech and of course race and gender” completely incomprehensible to common people. But why? He doesn’t really say, just that Democrats “emphasize the identity politics angle of virtually every issue.”
Yes, but why are the Democrats out in La La Land on the economy? Teixeira writes that they seem to believe that “a dramatic expansion of the social safety net and a rapid move to a clean energy economy will—eventually—result in strong growth, a burgeoning supply of good jobs and a rising standard of living for all.” Yeah. And I gotta bridge. But why? Why would the Democrats have gone total nutcase on the economy? He notes that Democrats view growth with “suspicion” and focus instead on the “fairness” of growth.
Yes, but why are Democrats out in La La Land on patriotism and the nation? Teixeira notes that it’s kinda hard to be patriotic when you believe that “America was born in slavery, marinated in racism and remains a white supremacist society… with… everybody either oppressed or oppressor.” By the way, “just 34 percent of progressive activists say they are “proud to be American” compared to 62 percent of Asians, 70 percent of blacks, and 76 percent of Hispanics.”
The truth is that Ruy Teixeira can’t really tell Democrats that they have got it all wrong, and that they should do a complete reset: that their cultural ideas on LGBT are crazy; that their economic policy, to enslave Americans to green energy and redistribution, will only crash the economy and the people; that there is no alternative to America as a nation. Because if he did — supposing he could even think that far — he would be out of a job.
Teixeira won’t tell ‘em but I will.
Dear Democrats, your problem is simple. Back in the day, you borrowed the Marxist over/under political formula, that you educated elite were the protectors of the workers from the depredations of the bourgeoisie and the big corporations. This meant that you could win all the elections because the workers amounted to a majority of the voters. Hey, all politics is about the enemy. It’s cool to make Republicans in country clubs the enemy, because there aren’t too many of them. But when the enemy is the whole deplorable middle class, well…
But now, of course, the workers are a minority. Actually, the lower class is not the workers any more, but the non-working underclass that lives on government benefits. And now the voters are divided into three minorities: the educated class, the commoner middle class, and the underclass. Actually, it is starting to look as if the commoner middle class might be the emerging majority. In that case, the progessive over/under political formula looks like a loser.
But, if the over/under political formula is past its sell-by date, what then? Good point. Actually, I have a plan for that. It is my Good Life proposal for the educated class. Forget power and politics, and instead understand that the creative life means being a Sacrificial Hero. But I doubt if our liberal friends are ready for that.
But first, liberals and Democrats would have to back away from their narrative that the Republican Party is a bunch of fascists, giving “rein to some of the darker impulses in the national psyche, has shown flagrant disregard for democratic norms and offers little to the American people in terms of effective policy.” Oh please. Talk about conspiracy theories!
And what did any ruling class ever offer to the world in terms of “effective policy?” What would that be when it was at home?
No, Mr. Teixeira. The Republican Party is slowly becoming the party of the commoner middle class, and what the commoner middle class wants is exactly the Three Point Plan you have suggested.
Forget crazy gender antics.
Let the economy grow and develop with minumum political supervision.
Celebrate America the nation.
For the truth is that a ruling class is there for one reason only. To fight the next war. And if there is no war, then we don’t need no stinkin’ ruling class, whether feudal, fascist, educated, or woke.