Hamilton Nolan, In These Times
[Nolan is addressing a debate in Democratic Party circles that asks the question: what national electoral strategy will help Democrats do well in 2022 and 2024? Often, partisans either demand to include/remove less popular items from the agenda, especially those that center racial or other constituencies and their needs. This is related to the ‘Democrats should not pander to white working class voters’ trope.
What is new here, is a redefinition of the problem as being fundamentally about the loss of union members across nine states, especially in smaller cities that used to be manufacturing hubs. Viewed with that lens, the problem – and likely solutions – are no longer about messaging, but about organizing. — Progressive Hub]
There is nothing the Democratic Party loves more than indulging in some existential hand wringing over its declining popularity in the crumbling American heartland. Indeed, this was the favorite pundit pastime of the entire Trump era. Amid the wailing over cultural differences and economic insecurity, a rarely heard word is “unions.” Yet, a new report adds to the evidence that the fate of the Democratic Party is intimately tied to the decline of union power. It’s also one more sign that the labor movement itself needs to throw everything it has into new organizing with a fervor that has been lacking in our lifetimes.
The new analysis, by several Democratic consultants, parses election results at a county level to argue that the simple narrative that Democrats win urban areas, Republicans win rural areas, and the suburbs are a battleground, is simplistic and misleading. In fact, the report finds that Democrats’ biggest losses in the 2020 election came in “factory town” counties with smaller cities that traditionally relied on manufacturing employment — counties that account for 40% of all voters.
Recent Posts
Senators Launch Bipartisan Bid to Block Trump War on Venezuela
October 18, 2025
Take Action Now “Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela,” said Sen. Adam Schiff. “And we must assert our authority to stop the…
Democrats Have Let Republicans Become The “Peace” Party
October 17, 2025
Take Action Now The massive disconnect between the Democratic Party’s leadership and its base is sure to have ramifications far beyond last year’s…
‘Textbook Authoritarianism’: Trump Aims IRS Criminal Division At Left-Leaning Groups, Donors
October 16, 2025
Take Action Now Reporting by the Wall Street Journal indicates the active “weaponization” of the agency to target the far-right president’s political…
Trump Knesset Speech Displays Complete U.S. Backing Of Israel
October 15, 2025
Take Action Now Trump stirred controversy in several off-script moments in his address to the Israeli Knesset, including spotlighting a top…