The Coming Democratic Schism - by Thomas Edsall

[kpete]

The Coming Democratic Schism
Thomas Edsall
New York Times
JULY 15, 2014

There is a striking generational split in the Democratic electorate.

This deepening division is apparent in a June Pew Research Center survey of more than 10,000 people, “Beyond Red vs. Blue.” The Pew survey points up the emergence of a cohort of younger voters who are loyal to the Democratic Party, but much less focused on economic redistribution than on issues of personal and sexual autonomy.

Back in April, Pew researchers wrote that “huge generation gaps have opened up in our political and social values, our economic well-being, our family structure, our racial and ethnic identity, our gender norms, our religious affiliation, and our technology use.” These trends, Pew noted, point “toward a future marked by the most striking social, racial, and economic shifts the country has seen in a century.”

I asked Andrew Kohut, the founding director of the Pew Center, what he made of these results. He emailed me his thoughts: “There is a libertarian streak that is apparent among these left-of-center young people. Socially liberal but very wary of government. Why? They came of age in an anti- government era when government doesn’t work. They are very liberal on interpersonal racial dimension, but reject classic liberal notions about ways of achieving social progress for minorities.”

One reflection of the confused state of generational politics today is that an earlier Pew poll, which I wrote about during the last presidential election, revealed that younger voters were less hostile to socialism than their elders.

Two other studies document the broad trends that the most recent Pew survey identified. A research paper, “Generational Difference in Perception of Tax Equity and Attitudes Towards Compliance,” by three professors of accounting — Susan Jurney, Tim Rupert and Martha Wartick — found that “the Millennial generation was less likely to recommend progressive taxation than” older generations…


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http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/16/opinion/thomas-edsall-a-shift-in-young-democrats-values.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=c-column-top-span-region%C2%AEion=c-column-top-span-region&WT.nav=c-column-top-span-region&_r=1

[tridim]

1. The Democratic party has always operated in schism mode.

And for the most part, we function just fine that way. It's healthy.

And it's why we are so much better and more creative than the major alternative.

Patiently awaiting NYT's expose on the complete collapse of the GOP and their hot civil war.

[beerandjesus]

2. Totally true....

And I'd go a step further, and say not only that we operate just fine that way, but that the Democratic party has accomplished great things that way; Civil Rights legislation is the big, obvious one, but it's just as true of the New Deal on one hand and the ACA on the other. Dennis Kucinich and Max Baucus were hardly in lockstep.


In fairness to the NYT, I think there's less to say about the GOP's collapse. You can actually analyze and discuss the schisms in the Democratic party; trying to do the same on the Republican side is like "analyzing" a seven-car pile-up.

[MisterP]

3. all parties rift or reverse: lack of realignment is in fact the sign of total nonresponsiveness

and capture by a elite seeking only to get office and not do anything with it

[Tommy_Carcetti]

4. So the future of our party is a bunch of libertarian brats?

That's comforting.

[1StrongBlackMan]

5. Funny ...

(from the poll)

Returning to the Pew data, even though younger Democrats are less committed to the central tenets of traditional economic liberalism, there is a strong body of evidence suggesting that the partisan commitment these voters made to the Democratic Party when they first came of political age will endure.

With all the differences among Democrats, the polling doesn't seem to match the OP's title.

[yurbud]

6. so in other words, the kids will vote for CORPORATE Democrats?

That seems highly unlikely since they have taken the worst punishment from neoliberal corruption with the assault on public schools, cuts to higher education, and diminished job prospects and job security.

The right to smoke pot and have a gay marriage is cold comfort if you have to live in a cardboard box and sift through the garbage of the rich to survive.

[1StrongBlackMan]

7. Perhaps; but ...

that not how the kids responded to the questions that were asked of them.

Their answers suggest that the kids will be voting Democratic, Corporatist or otherwise.

[TheKentuckian]

8. It seems to me there is a big disconnect in all financial matters above the immediate, personal ones

and even that sometimes quite sketchy when things don't come out of their pockets.

I suspect a decade or two of reality will wake them up but the world will be gone to Hell by the time it happens.

[yurbud]

9. I think there's something wrong with this poll

most kids I run into are pretty aware that they have to work their asses off to survive and somewhat aware that they have it worse off than previous generations.

[TheKentuckian]

10. How that awareness translates to policy positions (if any, is my concern)

Too often it seems to me "we're screwed" translates to get rid of Social Security (cause we aren't ever going to see it) and trusting the "smart people" who understand this shit aka the same bastards fucking them and everyone else raw to take care of this (very boring) stuff and leave me alone.

[Doctor_J]

12. That is what I am getting from the pro aca cult.

"It saved my aunt's life". So all that overhead and profit are great". Truly disgusting.

[Doctor_J]

11. That explains why the turd way is willing to promise big insurance a half trillion

dollars per year to deny citizens healthcare.