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Part of the reason that Trumpers can seemingly inexplicably back progressive policies, like the $15 minimum wage in Florida, is that not every damn thing has a materialist explanation. The Left relies on outdated, falsified sociology from the 19th century. Update your priors.
People overwhelmingly vote for social (cultural, religious, fraternal) reasons, with policy as a post-hoc rationalization. That’s why telling people that Trump wanted to take away their healthcare didn’t dent his base.
It’s about culture - which includes race but not necessarily, which explains Trump’s small gain in POC support. He signaled repeatedly for traditional Protestant & Catholic identity, and simultaneously for “rugged individualism,” a secularized Protestantism in itself.
The Left-Liberal axis can make headway into these broad, cross-ethnic identity groups that comprise the Republican base, I promise. It’ll take direct outreach and engagement, and respect for the gestalt of their values at the very least — family, country, communal spirituality.
Religion doesn’t just shape politics; politics shape religion, and religious groups synchronize their dogmas with their party of choice over time. Democrats need to send people into rural areas and not just pay attention to their material needs, but spiritual ones as well.
There is a crisis of meaning in America, brought on by the shift away from traditional religion, and that cry for belonging has fueled Trumpism as much as anything else. From evangelicalism to Qanon, the new forms of meaning-making in Trump country are increasingly toxic.
@marwilliamson was definitely right that we need to answer this spiritual + cultural crisis with real fulfillment of those intangible social needs, not just materialist policy. Americans need *each other*. If we wake up to @JoeBiden’s America, I hope he prioritizes this.
