Forget 'Identity Politics,' Think 'Coalition'
Should political candidates appeal to particular racial, ethnic or gender groups? Or should they broaden their message to appeal to all groups?
Such are the questions that presidential campaigns ask themselves in the circular firing squad of blame and finger-pointing that follow a big loss.
Four years ago, the big word for Republicans after President Barack Obama's re-election was "diversity." After losing the popular vote in five of the previous six presidential elections, the Republican National Committee's "autopsy" report called for aggressive outreach to blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other growing nonwhite demographic groups that were not voting much for Republicans.
Alas, that outreach approach evaporated with the Grand Old Party's nomination of Donald Trump. Result: The GOP now has lost the popular vote in six of the past seven elections -- and yet bagged enough electoral votes to win the White House this year.
Republicans also crushed Democratic hopes to take back at least the Senate. Indeed, they appear to be one Supreme Court appointment away from dominating all three branches of the government. In no way can Democrats find victory in any of that.
Now the big word -- or phrase -- in Democratic discussions is "identity politics," a blessing to some and a curse to others.
The term has been around since the 1960s. Think of the period 50 years ago when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s broad humanitarian themes were elbowed aside by the feisty, militant "black power" movement.
Although the black power movement struck me as a slogan in search of a program, it inspired a new wave of "identity politics" for women, racial groups, gender groups, ethnic communities and other often-marginalized groups.
The headlines bristle with the term in the wake of Hillary Clinton's loss to Donald Trump. "The Politics of Identity -- Blessing or Curse?" asked a Huffington Post headline. " 'Identity Politics' and Its Defenders," was another in The New York Times.
From the right: "Identity Politics: Liberals, Do the Math," suggested National Review. Meanwhile, on the left, "Stop Calling It 'Identity Politics' -- It's Civil Rights," Alternet reminded.
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