mcjoan
takes issue with the following quote from Alterman's book:
liberals made a series of fundamental mistakes beginning in the mid-sixties. They were arrogant. They were "elitist." They did treat white working-people--their primary political constituency--with disdain. They were insufficiently sensitive to the cultural concerns of everyday American, particularly with regard to issues relating to religion, and even more particularly with regard to abortion. And they became wrapped up in the divisive politics of identity that made it impossible to communicate with much of the country or cooperate with one another.
There was a time not so long ago--say, before February--when I would have disagreed with this characterization of the path of American liberalism and instead agreed with mcjoan's dissent, which Alterman characterizes this way:
liberals were and are right about everything they believe and any attempt to determine we have, in recent decades, been so unsuccessful at winning elections or otherwise implementing their ideals is, ipso facto, to "accept the definitions" offered by "conservatives and traditional media."
But between January and now a new factor has emerged: what Big Tent Democrat described on a Clinton blogger call as "the Hillary Clinton wing" of the Democratic party. I agree with him that there now is one, and a large part of it appears to be composed of working class whites, especially those alienated by the problems enumerated by Alterman. But Hillary Clinton appeals to these people not because she has capitulated on core values (though she has occasionally pandered in silly ways, as with her gas tax holiday proposal), but because she has found a way to speak to their core anxieties without demagoging gays, minorities, immigrants, abortion, etc.
Hillary has proved that we can win those voters again, and we must try. Going around proclaiming that we have always been right, as seems to be the preferred method of many loudmouthed Obama supporters, just isn't going to work. Engagement, as in so many other areas of life, seems the right strategy. Hillary has tapped into something that can be good for America and the Democratic party, if we can save ourselves from ourselves.
