Every issue is a kitchen table issue
By Win or lose, every election cycle it seems the answer to everything that ails the Democratic Party is to focus on “kitchen table” issues. Joe Biden did little else, and looked to be on the way to losing the 2024 election handily. Meanwhile, Trump ran on a roster of deranged culture war issues: anxious masculinity, trans panic and his absolute favorite political chew toy–naked racism. He won.
Once again, the politicians and pundits seem to be saying that the way forward for Democrats is to button up about social issues and focus on economics. But the fact is that social issues are economic issues. Trans people can’t serve in the military (thus earn a paycheck and free healthcare) if they’re barred. Women can’t bring home a paycheck if they’re harassed out of their jobs. Women and people of color can’t advance at work and earn raises if they’re systemically excluded doing so. Women and people can’t gain entrance to the schooling and/or training they need to put food on the table if they’re in an environment so toxic that makes it difficult to function.
The ability to freely move about in society with dignity and at least some parity with straight, white men is a pocketbook issue because it quite literally impacts every facet of our lives.
It’s fairly to obvious to anyone who’s willing to look that one of the reasons we moved the ball so significantly on LGTBQ and abortion rights is because both pro-choice and pro-gay rights people and pols loudly and proudly proclaimed themselves to be.
You cannot win culture wars if you do not fight them. And you cannot help black, brown, queer and femme people put food on the table if you do not have their backs amidst this dystopian backlash against these really hard-earned gains.
One of reasons MAGA endures is because they simply never give up or give in. People who are–however marginally–on the left side of the political spectrum better learn to be just as dogged in our support of what is right or we are screwed.