Can the Progressive Coalition Beat Trump?

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http://prospect.org/article/can-progressive-coalition-beat-trump

Can the Progressive Coalition Beat Trump?
Eliza Newlin Carney
November 1, 2018
Whether or not they prevail on Election Day, women, immigrants, African Americans, and youth voters will emerge from this midterm stronger than before.


President Donald Trump has gotten extraordinary political mileage out of stoking the fears and prejudices of the predominantly white male voters who form the core of his supporters.

Now the question is whether the progressive coalition at the heart of the Democratic base—including African Americans, immigrants, young voters, and women—can turn out in sufficient numbers on Election Day to reassert that most Americans value inclusion over hate, facts over lies, equity over greed, and government accountability over corruption.

Too often, when talk turns to this “Rainbow Coalition,” a term first coined Chicago Black Panther leader Fred Hampton and later taken up by civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, progressive strategists wring their hands over the supposed pitfalls of “identity politics,” which are said to divide the nation instead of bringing it together.

But condemning racism, anti-Semitism, voter suppression, and chauvinism is not “identity politics.” It’s standing up for core American values. The true identity politics is practiced by Trump, who is systematically normalizing the white supremacist narrative that identity—specifically, being white and male—is what defines a “real” American.

As the nation lurches between its worst racist instincts and its ideals as a multicultural melting pot, virtually every bloc within the progressive coalition is testing its political power. Women are running in record numbers, and pouring money into races. African American voters have launched a string of new voter mobilization groups, including a multimillion-dollar super PAC. The number of young voters (age 18 to 29) who say they will definitely vote in this midterm has shot up. Latino voters, the main target of Trump’s xenophobic rants, are uniquely vulnerable but also energized. Here are some key progressive power centers to watch as Election Day approaches:

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No one voting bloc is defined by a single set of issues or concerns, and no one coalition can be sliced and diced into precise blocs. But progressive activists now raising their voices are doing so in unison, not in opposition to one another. Whether or not they win next week, their power is growing.