Ruy Teixeira must be feeling a bit like Dr. Frankenstein these days.
In 2002, with a co-author, the veteran Democratic analyst published one of the most cited – and most misunderstood – political books of the century, titled The Emerging Democratic Majority. He and John Judis argued that demographic change – the rising percentages of non-white voters across the country – could give the Democratic party an increasing built-in advantage in national politics.
If, that is,they did the right things to build the potential coalition. If they didn’t blow it.
Unfortunately, too many people on the well-educated, increasingly “woke” left wing of the party latched onto the title of the book while missing too much of its analysis and caveats.
Here’s how Teixeira put it to the New York Times this week: “It’s a huge liability for the Democrats, because the people who staff the party, the people who staff the think tanks, the advocacy groups, the foundations, the staffers, they’re all singing from the same hymnal to some extent. They live in this liberal cultural bubble, particularly the younger members.”
Those inside this bubble mistook “emerging” for “inevitable.” They took from the book the idea that demographics equal political destiny, that the growth in the number of Hispanic, Black and immigrant residents of America would by itself create an impregnable majority, which then (and Thank goodness! they said among themselves)wouldn’t have to concern itself with the petty, racist concerns of working-class whites.
They don’t want to hear it (boy, do I know that), but the people who during the Obama era openly spoke of a “progressive majority” that would never again need to worry about what dumb white men thought…well, they actually helped sow the anxiety and anger that propelled Donald Trump into the Oval Office. And they’ve learned nothing from their disastrous mistakes – because they refuse to acknowledge them. Bubbles breed ostriches.
The current progressive vogue for the catchall term “people of color” points to the persistence of these errors that Teixeira is now on a frantic mission – in Liberal Patriot (his Substack newsletter), his blog, his media hits – to correct before it’s too late.
First, let’s underline a key point: Far from dismissing working-class whites disdainfully, Teixeira and Judis were including many of them in their “emerging majority” – the people whose parents once upon a time were FDR Democrats. They knew, given the way America is now segregated geographically by education and class – and the way its national politics hinge on flaws like gerrymandering and the Electoral College – that no party hoping to hold a majority can write off, or worse, openly insult these white voters.
Second, Teixiera understands – in a way not grasped by the denizens of advocacy groups, foundations, and political action committees that he’s trying to wake up from their wokeness – that “people of color” is meaningless as a tool for political analysis.
Blacks, Hispanics, Asian-Americans, you name it – are all large and varied groups, including people of many ages, regions, and viewpoints. But, undercutting progressive wet dreams of dominance, many of them have views like these:
· They know racism is real, but they don’t believe America is hopelessly racist.
· They do believe in God and think America would be better off if more people read and heeded the Bible.
· They don’t want police executing 12-year-olds carrying toy guns, but they do want well-trained police protecting their neighborhoods.
· They are tired of corrupt and rapacious corporations, but they’ve not soured on free enterprise and the upwardly mobile American dream.
· They don’t think children should be kept in cages, but neither do they think America should shout “Come on in!” to every person anywhere on the globe who hankers to live on its soil.
· They think no one should be persecuted because of who they are, but they do not go to bed every night worrying about the emotional travails experienced by gender-fluid people.
A lot of these folks voted for Joe Biden, in the primaries and on Nov. 2, 2020, precisely because he was not Bernie Sanders or AOC. And guess what? Those attitudes also describe many of the white suburban independents and Trump-averse Republicans whose reluctant votes gave Biden the majorities he needed in crucial swing states, like my own Pennsylvania.
Right now, scads of those voters are expressing big disappointment about Biden to pollsters. Why? In part because to them he seems to be listening too much to the woke and too little to the reasons they held in their hearts when they pressed the button for him.
This, I think, is more a matter of perception than reality. Biden’s poll numbers strike me as way worse than his sometimes shaky but overall solid performance in his first year deserves. But I have no doubt that the high volume of self-righteous and clueless carping he endures from his left contributes to the general sense that he’s not in control of the helm.
In the Liberal Patriot and elsewhere, Teixeira is steadily offering the best advice I’ve read on how the Democrats can escape this tailspin and fight to retain their majority (something the American experiment desperately needs them to do).
I’m going to end by quoting at length from one of his recent posts, because it strikes me as the essence of a wisdom I can’t top or duplicate. I urge you to read the whole post and everything else this guy is writing:
A good way to start would be to embrace widely held American views and values that are particularly strong among the multiracial working class.
· Equality of opportunity is a fundamental American principle; equality of outcome is not.
· America is not perfect, but it is good to be patriotic and proud of the country.
· Discrimination and racism are bad, but they are not the cause of all disparities in American society.
· No one is completely without bias but calling all white people racists who benefit from white privilege and American society a white supremacist society is not right or fair.
· America benefits from the presence of immigrants and no immigrant, even if illegal, should be mistreated. But border security is still important, as is an enforceable system that fairly decides who can enter the country.
· Police misconduct and brutality against people of any race is wrong and we need to reform police conduct and recruitment. But crime is a real problem so more and better policing is needed for public safety. That cannot be provided by “defunding the police”.
· There are underlying differences between men and women but discrimination on the basis of gender is wrong.
· There are basically two genders but people who want to live as a gender different from their biological sex should have that right and not be discriminated against. However, there are issues around child consent to transitioning and participation in women’s sports that are complicated and not settled.
· Racial achievement gaps are bad, and we should seek to close them. However, they are not due just to racism and standards of high achievement should be maintained for people of all races.
· Language policing has gone too far; by and large, people should be able to express their views without fear of sanction by employer, school, institution, or government. Good faith should be assumed, not bad faith.
Besides positively embracing these views it is necessary for major Democratic officeholders and candidates to actively dissociate themselves and their party from the woke stances that contradict these views and tarnish their brand among working class voters. That entails not just saying that one does not endorse now-familiar strands of cultural leftism but in some well-chosen places directly criticizing by name some who hold extreme views that are associated with the Democrats. That will be of great assistance in getting the message through to average working-class voters.
I know this prescription will go down like castor oil for many of those who read National Interest. But I’m sharing it because I believe Dr. Frankenstein has exactly the right plan of treatment to heal the monster he helped create and others want to keep alive.
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Chris Satullo, a civic engagement consultant, is a former editorial page editor/columnist at The Philadelphia Inquirer, and a former vice president/news at WHYY public media in Philadelphia