Recently I read a Facebook post which could have been the textbook example of identity politics. It contained the following claim about Donald Trump:
This was an example of ... Trump's tendency toward doublespeak, saying one thing, meaning the exact opposite and acting like everyone else is bizarre and ignorant for taking his words at face value.
Very true, but this has been a trait of every President in my lifetime, with the possible exception of Harry Truman. And it also is true of Hillary Clinton. So why single out Trump for this criticism, other than the fact he seems to be an extreme example of it?
Identity politics has flourished to the point that it has all but destroyed our electoral process. Both major party candidates are running on platforms of promises they will never keep and which boil down to the same basic premise - someone other than "us" is responsible for all our problems.
Maybe we should try having four years WITHOUT a President. If you read the Constitution you might get the impression The Founders considered him/her to be a figurehead anyway, with the real power residing in Congress.
If Paul Ryan is the next Speaker of the House, we'll have a rubber stamp Congress anyway, so why not rubber stamp what We The People want instead of what bankgangsters, oligarchs, and corporate CEOs want?
If only we could forget for a moment what is good for us (in the ID politics sense) and focus on what is good for all of us.
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