Weaponized Identity Politics and Hubris gave us Donald, and The Elites in both major parties are just fine with the outcome of the election.

Make no mistake about it: the political elites, whatever their party label, have got exactly what they wanted this election. It's like an early Xmas present for them: a POTUS in the form of a peer who is an oligarch who thrives off extracting rents from the petite bourgeoisie, who is clearly keen on massive government subsidies to their peers by tax breaks and lucrative contracts, and who is a demagogue skilled at fomenting discord along the demographic-identity divides in the lower classes.

Donald played (and, since he won, is still playing) the same game of identity politics Hillary did, just from a different approach. The intent is the same as it ever was: distract the lower classes by pitting them against each other so they cannot effectively mount a robust dissent. Hillary did this during the primary contest by pitting folks who'd normally have backed Sanders against each other for fear of being labelled sexist or racist, and then doubled-down in the general election by shaming reluctant leftists in the same way.

Donald's approach is different from Hillary's, of course. Rather than attempt to guilt white folks into voting for fear of being labelled a sexist or racist, Trump decided that enabling the anger of a large number of racist whites and blaming "immigrants" for all our problems was the route to victory. He started in long before Hillary and her surrogates' strategy of identity-shaming white men got into high gear, so it was clearly not a reaction to her strategy. Not that it matters. The point is they both used weaponized identity politics in very negative ways, and the two together created this perfect storm in which disaffected lower class folks (of all identities) who'd normally have voted for Hillary sat out, while Donald's target audience turned out.

Hillary's hubris also played a big role in her loss. It wasn't enough for her to be the first female president. No, she also had to be the first Democrat in a generation (or more) to turn red states blue (if not at the POTUS level, then by swinging congressional districts with her supposed coattails). The sheer arrogance of the GOTV strategy she chose for the general campaign would be staggering if we hadn't had decades to understand Hillary's ego. She overreached because she was arrogant and had a grotesquely inflated sense of entitlement. Combined with her not-so-intelligent strategy of demonizing some 10%-15% of her voter base as racists and sexists, the result is Donald Trump as President.

One thing that worries me is the spectacular success of the main tactic they used (weaponized identity politics) will be one they turn to again. The narrative in Democratic circles is already pointing to that (just visit any "blue" rag, like ToP or whatever): they're blaming this loss on disaffected, "racist" and "sexist" white men. Elites on the "blue" (I refuse to call it "the left", since it isn't) side have seen the potency of this approach to politics. They've flirted with it for about 20 years, but this election really showed how powerful it can be: it helped propel their chosen Champion into the nomination. They aren't going to let such a winning tactic go if they can help it.

But this is all sort of dancing around the main point: the result of this election isn't that different from '10, '12, or '14 when Republicans made gain after gain. Democrats think they have an even more credible claim to some level of helplessness to prevent the Republican agenda of corporate giveaways, destruction of our safety nets, and terribly sociopathic foreign policy. Republicans now have a "mandate" to pursue these things. Cui bono? Both, of course. Republicans have a clear path to enact their agenda. Certain Democrats have a clear opportunity to put on a big show of fighting back while "reluctantly" agreeing to the Republicans' agenda. And in both cases the power of using the tactics of divide-and-conquer was reaffirmed, spectacularly.

So this election worked out great (for them). They get to further enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us.

And that's just fine with them.

It's too bad for us, though.

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Some people have been thinking about returning there to write and comment again. If you're among them, or if you are like me today and in the mood for some schadenfreude, check out the two diaries linked below. They're both meetings of the Flat Earth Society. Reality never penetrates, and anyone who attempts to introduce it is called names.

DEO's Favorite Rant (from a Hollywood producer, of course)

The TOP Safe Space for Hillary addicts (the comments more than the diary)

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Alex Ocana's picture

. . . the friendly Democrats at KOS. My essay concerned the fact that folks in Latin America have had women President (s) for decades now. In Bolivia we had the second woman President in the world, and in Dominica the first elected female President.

Here is the response:

Obiwan Capote Jun 10 · 02:26:28 PM

Alex, droogie to the Brothers Koch:

I realize after all those months of being paid to slap Hillary with your phony support for Sanders, you are crazed with seething hatred that is clearly clouding your frontal lobes. But the traitor-for-hire at AFP or CFG who wrote this up and faxed it to you was really reaching with this bullshit.

LOL, I don't know what "AFP" or "CFG" stand for even after trying to look them up. Whatever, my last post was a picture of Clinton kissing Kissinger at the high baller Alfred E. Smith Landshark Dinner. I was suspended three days for being a meat popsicle.

Now, as one who lived through a year of serious, dangerous censorship in Peru during the Fujimori era in which academics, like myself, were being arrested and disappeared... I have to note that KOS is a wannabe equal to other totalitarian police states who try and control speech. Except, of course, they can only symbolically disappear a person with their infantile mojos and bojos or whatever the crackass Happy Meals they talking about.

Conclusion: They can smoke my Johnson, eat butt nuggets and screw the pooch. Flame me KOSitronic Clinton bootlickers.! Yuck it up, Mother Tuckers! Long Live Freedom of Speech!

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From the Light House.

no charge.

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The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.

elenacarlena's picture

to respond like that, and at least that was the only one who did respond like that, most responses were positive.

It isn't anti-Hillary nor pro-Bernie to just say that the Americas have had woman Presidents before. It's presentation of facts.

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Please check out Pet Vet Help, consider joining us to help pets, and follow me @ElenaCarlena on Twitter! Thank you.

There is NO reason to return to the ORANGE SATIN its still the same out of touch propaganda that enabled a CROOK and LIAR to destroy the BEST Democratic candidate since FDR in Bernie Sanders.They have learned NOTHING from this election they still refuse to realize that Hillary Clinton was the most HATED candidate of ALL time.I went over there the night of the election to see how the HILIBOTS were handling their hand made disaster,as aways it wasnt HELLERYS fault she lost, the blame went to white working class voters.Then I was treated to another one of "teacherkens" diatribes of self hate because he was born white and that was enough for me.Dont feed the BEAST!After the CRAP pulled by Markos with his March edict that silenced anything said opposing her majesty Queen HELLERY he showed his true loyalty and that was to the WALL ST money grubbers.STAY AWAY!

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DW

riverlover's picture

Is he allying with DOV now? White self-castigation is all the rage now, especially for white XY holders. I am more refreshed, even in this crazy time for not being OT.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

white XY holder

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riverlover's picture

Were they in the same universe as the rest of us the past 1.5 years? I think delusion is entrenched there now. And star-worship. A very dim and tarnished star IMO.

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Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.

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Can't add to it

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edg's picture

You write that Trump's strategy was not a reaction to hers. I disagree. Hillary launched her " identity-shaming white men" strategy in 2008 against Obama. As I recall, I was a misogynist for wanting to vote for the black guy. Trump likely got his ideas from her near-success 8 years ago.

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being that tuned in.

I remember well being called a sexist while I worked on the Obama campaign. The only reason that didn't work then is because Obama had a, erm, trump card against her gender play.

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mouselander's picture

With a political system that enforces a binary choice between A & B, and with both mainstream parties equally dedicated to the subversion and undermining of the middle class and upwards redistribution of wealth, Republicans will continue to be in the driver's seat for the foreseeable future. History has shown repeatedly that when general economic insecurity becomes sufficiently extreme that it leads to widespread anger and despair, scapegoating and appeals to bigotry and intolerance will always gain more traction than will empty bromides about coming together or celebrating our differences.

It's absolutely correct that members of the Democratic Party establishment are far more comfortable with a President Trump than they would have been with a President Sanders. That's why they weren't the least bit discomfited by the knowledge that Hillary Clinton was clearly a far weaker general election candidate than was Sanders. The primary objective was not to win the presidency, it was to protect and perpetuate the oligarchy.

If things are ever to change for the better, progressives have to discontinue the futile and self-defeating strategy of trying to forge alliances with the reactionary forces within the Democratic Party whose only real allegiance is to the maintenance of elite rule at all cost. Bernie Sanders spoke to a future where ordinary people were politically empowered, and government's role was redefined so as to serve the interests of the many as opposed to the privileged few. It is literally true that those who comprise the Democratic Party hierarchy - Obama, the Clintons, Pelosi, Reid, Schumer, Rubin, Podesta, Brazile, etc.- are as implacably and unalterably opposed to this vision as are any of the most unapologetically elitist and far-right Republicans.

However the Left defines the philosophical parameters and operating model that represent the anti-oligarchy, pro people, peace and planet movement going forward, it has to be in such a way that people such as those listed above are outside it. Otherwise, it would be like going to war against North Vietnam with the Viet Cong as your putative "allies." Good luck with that.

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inactive account

Steven D's picture

to distract everyone else about what they are really doing. That's the role they expect us to play.

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"You can't just leave those who created the problem in charge of the solution."---Tyree Scott

This identity politics bullshit is something anyone who's ever read Howard Zinn would recognize instantly. Two wings of the oligarchic class playing divide and conquer to keep the plebs down and powerless. It's the same phenomenon as post-Reconstruction rich Southerners fanning the flames of the Klan to keep poor whites and blacks at each others' throats. It prevents them from uniting against their real enemies.

The hostility of Clintonites to class politics was very telling. They demonized Sanders and anyone else making class-based arguments, castigating us as racists and sexist and purists. They used every weapon in their divide-and-conquer arsenal, to prevent the poor and working classes from uniting against the wealthy whose interests they served. Most of them were unwilling dupes, but some of them (like Markos) undoubtedly knew exactly what they were doing.

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k9disc's picture

if there ever was one.

Nice piece.

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“Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat.” ~ Sun Tzu

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Orwell: Where's the omelette?

and have used it since. It is good.

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Meteor Man's picture

Identity politics is an essential part of the game:

Here’s how it works. Each group of players is assigned one of three roles: Victim, Persecutor, or Rescuer. The first two roles are allowed one move each: the Victim’s move is to suffer, and the Persecutor’s move is to make the Victim suffer. The Rescuer is allowed two moves: to sympathize with the Victim and to punish the Persecutor. No other moves are allowed, and no player is allowed to make a move that belongs to a different role.

That may seem unduly limited. It’s not, because when a group of people is assigned a role, all their actions are redefined as the move or moves allotted to that role. In the Rescue Game, in other words, whatever a Victim does must be interpreted as a cry of pain. Whatever a Persecutor does is treated as something that’s intended to cause pain to a Victim, and whatever a Rescuer does, by definition, either expresses sympathy for a Victim or inflicts well-deserved punishment on a Persecutor. This is true even when the actions performed by the three people in question happen to be identical. In a well-played Rescue Game, quite a bit of ingenuity can go into assigning every action its proper meaning as a move.

What’s more, the roles are collective, not individual. Each Victim is equal to every other Victim, and is expected to feel and resent all the suffering ever inflicted on every other Victim in the same game.

Each Persecutor is equal to every other Persecutor, and so is personally to blame for every suffering inflicted by every other Persecutor in the same game. Each Rescuer, in turn, is equal to every other Rescuer, and so may take personal credit for the actions of every other Rescuer in the same game. This allows the range of potential moves to expand to infinity without ever leaving the narrow confines of the game.

http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/2016/04/american-narratives-rescu...

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"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn

I think I first saw that blog linked here, and I love reading it. Fascinating analyses of the world, and the comment sections so far have been wonderful, open-minded discussions.

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