Progressives need to end their relationship with petty identity politics

Over the past four years, the phrase “identity politics” has been floating around in the political paradigm. The phrase is usually defined as the predestined bias among certain groups to vote to form exclusive alliances outside of party lines. From an individual perspective, identity politics can also be the strategy of utilizing identity to better your political advantage. In the world of political junkies and pollsters, measuring by identity too often is harshly discouraged, as overusing identity in political exercise can be biased and inaccurate. In the modern era of performative politics, identity can be used as a vehicle for “woke-baiting,” in which a candidate links their merit to their personal identity. This applies most to “progressive” candidates like Elizabeth Warren, where they make fringe unfounded allegations of prejudice irrelevant to or out of context to political discourse. 

For political animals like Bernie Sanders, the fault of identity politics lies in the lack of support from African Americans, misconstruing their supposed progressivism.

If you spent any time on Twitter last Tuesday, March 3, you saw that many people thought Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont would pull through and win the Super Tuesday primaries by a healthy margin, especially because of his close victory in Iowa and wins in Nevada and New Hampshire. 

However, if you spent any time in community gatherings in a state like Alabama, you might have felt confident in Delaware candidate Joe Biden’s victory when talking with your neighbors. 

The last shred of hope for long-used political bellwethers like Iowa and New Hampshire faded away after Biden showed resilience in southeastern states, proving his popularity among older African American Democrats and moderate white voters. His experience in the White House with former president Barack Obama and his history of centrist policies creates a feel-good message, which resonates with a moderate voter base. Contrary to Biden, Sanders appeals to mostly white and Hispanic people who live in agricultural or industrial areas.

But the Twitter media cycle peddled Sanders as the imminent victor, even when acknowledging the demographic differences between Sanders and Biden supporters. So how come Sanders didn’t win? 

Well, older people don’t use the internet as much, so they aren’t in tune with the nuances of the constantly evolving American political left. Furthermore, the African American vote is not a monolith; it is just as ideologically varied as the white, Hispanic, or Asian voting blocs.

Progressives need to hone in on their approach to groups outside of their mostly youthful base. Moderates and center-leftists are more conservative in social aspects compared to their progressive counterparts, obviously, and leaving them high and dry will lead the Democratic party to nominate a candidate like Biden. Many people do not want the socioeconomic revolution that Sanders promises; they want four years of slow and boring politics that does not shift America out of its status quo. Progressives need a candidate who captures a sense of nostalgia, but who also promises that America will adapt to challenges like wealth disparity and lack of healthcare. I do not think Biden embodies that balance, but I do think his nostalgic moderate message won him Super Tuesday. If progressive candidates want to win, they need to emulate the nostalgia of Joe Biden.

As a progressive, I think that the biggest asset we have is a uniting feeling of unrest. America is not the same as it was 40 years ago – people don’t have healthcare and it’s almost impossible to own a house by the age of 35. Our country is slipping further and further into ignoring civic values and humanity. Progressives believe that we don’t have to bow to the systems of moderation. We can create sweeping change that provides for all. However, if we are to succeed, campaigns of the future need to recognize the actual state of the country instead of relying on absurd voting metrics or inaccurate assumptions about demographic behavior.

Daniel Cody is a freshman journalism major from Pennsylvania who writes about politics.