A Playbook With One Play

There is a party of “identity politics” in the pejorative sense, and it’s the Republican Party:

Senator Ted Cruz warned that his defeat in November’s mid-terms could lead to a state takeover by tofu-chomping, silicon enhanced California liberals with dyed hair.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Humble, Texas Saturday, Cruz warned that his opponent Beto O’Rourke would turn the Lone Star State into a version of California, with “tofu, silicon and dyed hair.”

Also, did you know that Beto was once in a rock band? Anyway, what is he going to do, run on the Republican policy agenda?

Alas, Democrats are going to blow it by talking about nothing but PUTIN:

In a state where approval of President Trump is near the country’s highest, Mr. Manchin, a Democrat, was once thought to be deeply endangered in his re-election this year. But the 71-year-old incumbent, who likes to say “Washington sucks,” has a 7- to 10-point polling edge over his Republican opponent, Patrick Morrisey. A lot can happen before Election Day, but for now, he is the envy of other red-state Democrats as the parties wrestle over control of the Senate.

For an explanation, look no further than the issue Mr. Manchin has made No. 1 in his campaign: health care, specifically protections enshrined in the Affordable Care Act, a once-vilified law that has grown increasingly popular now that its benefits are woven deeply into a state with high poverty and poor health. West Virginia has the highest share of its population covered by Medicaid, 29 percent, including about 160,000 who became eligible in the Medicaid expansion under the law.

It’s a truly sad level of false consciousness that West Virginians don’t understand that the ACA is worthless neoliberal crap!