posted by John Denker
In terms of what should matter, in the interest of good governance,
you don’t want identity politics to be a significant factor. You want
policy issues to dominate.
In terms of what does matter, recent presidential elections are open
to a not-entirely-cynical interpretation: Although identity politics
played a role, it was not the controlling factor. Obama got 43% of
the white vote in 2008 and 40% in 2012. Romney got 78% of the Mormon
vote in 2012, which is less than the 80% that George W. Bush got in
2004.
Therefore, anybody who analyzes things primarily in terms of
demographics is (a) wrong and (b) playing into the hands of the bad
guys.
If somebody tries to strike up a conversation about demographics,
change the subject. Anybody with any sense wants the discussion to be
about issues, not demographics.
Do not engage with the provocateur in the chicken suit.
