Biden's Hispanic approval ratings plummets to 26% in new poll

How's Democrats' laser focus on identity politics working out?  Another summer of unrest in cities around the country ought to do the trick.

How's Democrats' laser focus on identity politics working out?

I would say it's not working out as well as the GOP's laser focus on Identity Politics.

Depends on which part of the country you're in. I live in rural Cochise County in SE Arizona where there is obviously a higher concentration of Hispanics than other areas. I am of Mexican American heritage myself and live 6 blocks from the border fence. Due to Biden's border policy fiascos, he is not well thought of in my neck of the desert whether it be by Hispanic  conservatives on the right or Hispanic liberal Democrats. 

I would say it's not working out as well as the GOP's laser focus on Identity Politics.

You're confused.  It's Democrats that laser focus on Identity Politics.  Republicans laser focus on the Culture War.

Democrats talk about who we are.  Republicans talk about why we are.

Democrats talk about who we are.  Republicans talk about why we are.

I'm going to have to ponder what you are trying to say here. It's catchy but I am not sure it is correct.

To me Identity Politics is a style of politics where you cultivate a voter base that will become single issue voters based on the groups they identify with and feel they belong to.

The Democrats have tried to assemble a coalition of basically everyone who is not a white male. They would like the Venn Diagram of the conjunction of all women plus all people of color to outnumber and defeat white male political and social power. They yap all day long about white supremacy and patriarchy and somehow are oblivious to how transparent the power grab is and how off-putting it is.

Republicans, to my surprise, have been pretty good with their own Venn Diagrams of attracting basically all white people and all men. The head of the Proud Boys on Jan 6 was a black man for crying out loud.

These simple Venn Diagrams aren't perfect predictors of voter behavior but attempting to win with anti-white politics turned out to be pretty foolish considering white people are still a substantial majority of Americans. 

LatinX is probably the dumbest and most counter productive word the left in America ever invented. It steps on two words, Latino and Latina, which hispanics were quite comfortable with and communicates that the left sees them as a huge non-binary gender coalition eager to take on white supremacy and patriarchy. As Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio show hispanics fit quite nicely into the GOP demographic tent and I doubt either of them will ever be caught dead filling in a check box claiming that they are LatinX. 

Sadly, I think the Democrats are just going to double down on their folly and wait until white people are an actual minority in this country. They (the party I belong to) are incapable of reflecting on the mistakes they make. They are more likely these days to consider any form of criticism to be hate speech rather than to be willing learn from it.

They will be more than happy to raise money from small donors as an out of power minority party.

To me Identity Politics is a style of politics where you cultivate a voter base that will become single issue voters based on the groups they identify with and feel they belong to

To me Identity Politics is the demand for recognition on the basis of a group, racial, religious, gender, sexual orientation, etc.  It's less about recognition and respect because we share the goals and values of Americans that it is a demand for recognition and respect because my identity is different.  An example would be Black Lives Matter not All Lives Matter.  

Identity Politics also includes the notion that if you don't share that identity, you can never understand the member of another group.  You can't understand LBGTQ if your straight. You can't appropriate my culture because they belong to my group.   Or if fail to acknowledge “white supremacy” in America, you are a racist.

In a sense you are discussing Identity as opposed to Identity Politics.

NPR is like a 24/7 Identity seminar these days. You can't get through 10 minutes before you hear the buzz words. Non-binary. Impact. Marginalized Communities. Intersectionality. White Privilege. Patriarchy. You might never guess from listening to NPR that about 87% of their listeners are white.

I live in NYC which is famously diverse. But I have seen more than a few political campaigns which are simply leaning heavily into "vote for me because I am one of you." I have seen a campaign with robo-calls telling the Dominican community not to vote for "La Cubana." If I recall correctly, AOC's first campaign had some posters/fliers that read "It is time for one of us." The political coattails in NYC are often populated solely with people who look exactly like the person wearing the coat with the tails.

Who needs issues when you can run on tribal membership like they do in Iraq and Afghanistan? The only issue left at the end of the day with Identity Politics is vanquishing our foes. It's not the sort of politics that works on coalition building.

Political affiliation for many people is an identify almost as salient as any other group they belong to. But it is possible to become alienated and drop an affiliation. In fact, it is a lot easier than gender reassignment. 

You might never guess from listening to NPR that about 87% of their listeners are white.

I’ve always guessed that most of their listeners were white liberals.

I live in NYC which is famously diverse.

Isn’t it also famously segregated?

The only issue left at the end of the day with Identity Politics is vanquishing our foes. It's not the sort of politics that works on coalition building.

Exactly.

Isn’t it also famously segregated?

Yeah, I think hear that mentioned from time to time on NPR.

Some people here don't seem to be willing to admit that the GOP is deploying white Identity Politics.

I find that kind of puzzling. The GOP has been very good at "othering" many of the groups that flock to the Democrats' brand of Identity Politics. The Southern Strategy that Nixon came up with was a master stroke of white Identity Politics and it basically continues to work to this day.

Democrats also get pretty angry when you suggest they are relying heavily on Identity Politics. And it didn't them long to start talking about how overturning Roe v. Wade is ultimately a threat to gay and transgender rights. Listening to the chatter one might occasionally need to remind oneself that Roe v. Wade is about women's access to abortion.

I get dismissed as a concern troll using what-about-isms when I say that both our major parties are relying heavily on Identity Politics and that does a disservice to us all. But I think we all need to own that.

The Southern Strategy that Nixon came up with was a master stroke of white Identity Politics and it basically continues to work to this day.

Exactly, without it HHH and George McGovern would have surely gotten the Southern vote. 

But I think we all need to own that.

I agree.

Exactly, without it HHH and George McGovern would have surely gotten the Southern vote.

Lyndon Johnson admitted privately that the south was lost for a generation after signing the Civil Rights Bill but that doesn't mean explicitly deploying racist dog whistle (bullhorn) politics is any less odious even if it was inevitable.

I understand that FDR went to Dallas to unveil a Robert E Lee statue in 1936 and said:

”I am very happy to take part in this unveiling of the statue of General Robert E. Lee. All over the United States we recognize him as a great leader of men, as a great general. But, also, all over the United States I believe that we recognize him as something much more important than that. We recognize Robert E. Lee as one of our greatest American Christians and one of our greatest American gentlemen.”

Part of FDR’s Southern Strategy?

My, my, how times have changed.

Even though FDR was a Democrat, chances are he would be run out of the party today.

In fact, shouldn't he be pilloried for saying that about Lee?

Statues taken down, streets renamed, parks renamed?

FDR came a long way in his lifetime. He deserves credit for that. More credit than the Democrats are often willing to give. They look at his domestic agenda and act like it was a mere fig leaf for the Vietnam War. I think they get it backwards. The Vietnam War was his cross to bear and his domestic agenda was his passion project.

They look at his domestic agenda and act like it was a mere fig leaf for the Vietnam War. I think they get it backwards. The Vietnam War was his cross to bear and his domestic agenda was his passion project.

I think that you have confused FDR with LBJ.

Robert E Lee led an army , literally, to try and protect the institution of slavery. 

That seems to me to be kind of the definition unacceptable activity. 

For a long long time after the Civil War those who promoted a southern version of Civil War and slavery era events had success in convincing both the media and a lot of people that the South was a noble place and it's "lost cause" had been valiant.  We know better now.  

We know better now.  

Do you think that FDR knew better then?

What exactly does that have to do with FDR receiving a pass for his obviously wrong praise for Lee?

Had Trump said similar things, you would have called for him to be crucified, FFS.

Did you miss the actual point of my comment?

I suppose it all depends on which party the speaker belongs to whether one is remembered fondly or bitterly complained about..

Statues taken down, streets renamed, parks renamed?

Yep. 

Funny, I have NEVER heard a Democrat call for ANYTHING of FDR's to change.

I don't bother to wonder why.

I already know.

Gee. maybe history books need to be rewritten to reflect how FDR honored a traitor??????????????

80 years ago, FDR signed Executive Order 9066. That order put around 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps without any due process.  An Asian-American hate crime?

No, no, it can ONLY be a hate crime of committed by a conservative President.

Otherwise it is just a mistake to be forgiven wholly.

80 years ago, FDR signed Executive Order 9066. That order put around 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps without any due process.  An Asian-American hate crime?

Actually, they were ''internment camps'' not concentration camps. Yes, FDR signed EO 9066 to his lasting shame but the actual architects were John J. McCloy, assistant secretary of war, and three U. S. Army officers, Major General Alien W. Gullion, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, and Colonel Karl R. Bendesten. In developing the relocation policy these men had the full cooperation and support of Earl Warren, (yes, that Earl Warren later chief justice of SCOTUS) who held the positions of attorney general and governor of California during the Second World War.

There was another group that suffered the same fate as the Japanese. They were the Aleut people of Alaska (Alaska Natives) around 1,000 of them were put in ''internment camp'' and 10% died of malnutrition, lack of medical care and hypothermia. Oh, they were never allowed to return to their homeland in the Aleutian Islands. When the Japanese were awarded $20,000 each for the interment the Aleut people were only given $12,000 each. 

If it's an Asian-American hate crime shouldn't Chief Justice Earl Warren bare some responsibility for it?

Another thing that brings up an interesting question is why of the 150,000 Japanese living in Hawaii only around 2,000 were incarcerated? Could it have been more about property and businesses than being Japanese?

I have!

You know who else came a long way in his life?

FDR.

Kavika, thanks, good information.  I was ignorant of the Aleut side of this tragedy.  Of course many are to blame and racism and desire for well tended properly were part of the motivation.

Sadly that is far from the end of it. 40 Aleut were taken POW by the Japanese and taken to Japan only half survived the war. They received nothing from the US government. While the US had next to nothing to defend Alaska the Territorial Guard AKA Eskimo Scouts was formed and around 7,000 served guarding the Alaska coastline they were from the  Aleut ,  Athabaskan ,  White ,  Inupiaq ,  Haida ,  Tlingit ,  Tsimshian ,  Yupik , and were promised veteran status. As usual, the US government forgot about that promise and it wasn't until 2000 that those still alive were granted veteran status, appx 1500 to 2000. Many Alaska Natives fought in both Europe and the Pacific campaigns.

Oh, the Eskimo Scouts served without pay.

To me Identity Politics is a style of politics where you cultivate a voter base that will become single issue voters based on the groups they identify with and feel they belong to.

Identity politics makes people the topic of discussion.  Identity politics tend to draw attention to an individual and make that individual a charismatic prototypical icon for an identity.  The individual becomes the whole.  George Floyd wasn't a guy that was murdered; George Floyd was an iconographic martyr for all Black people.  Derek Chauvin was the archetype for all cops.

Republicans, to my surprise, have been pretty good with their own Venn Diagrams of attracting basically all white people and all men. The head of the Proud Boys on Jan 6 was a black man for crying out loud.

That statement is an example of identity politics.  The line up of Republican candidates for the 2016 Republican Presidential primaries was actually as diverse (if not more diverse) than is typical for Democrat Presidential primaries.  Melania Trump is an immigrant from eastern Europe.  But that doesn't fit the identity that Democrats have created for Republicans. 

Your Venn Diagram doesn't fit reality.  Enrique Tarrio (the head of the Proud Boys) is Cuban.  How can Tarrio be a white supremacist?  Democrats have created an identity for Republicans and everyone that Democrats oppose must be forced into that Republican identity by any irrational means.

Sadly, I think the Democrats are just going to double down on their folly and wait until white people are an actual minority in this country. They (the party I belong to) are incapable of reflecting on the mistakes they make. They are more likely these days to consider any form of criticism to be hate speech rather than to be willing learn from it.

White people becoming an actual minority will not happen.  Hispanic immigrants are predominantly white and self identify as white.  The United States is actually becoming more white.  Democrats are attempting to impose a separate and distinct identity onto Hispanics.  But the problem is that immigrants are integrating into society and won't stay confined in Democrats' arbitrary identity box.

Republicans have an advantage longer term because Republicans talk about why being an American is important.  

Actually, they were ''internment camps'' not concentration camps. Yes, FDR signed EO 9066 to his lasting shame but the actual architects were John J. McCloy, assistant secretary of war, and three U. S. Army officers, Major General Alien W. Gullion, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt, and Colonel Karl R. Bendesten. In developing the relocation policy these men had the full cooperation and support of Earl Warren, (yes, that Earl Warren later chief justice of SCOTUS) who held the positions of attorney general and governor of California during the Second World War.

Not all people of Japanese descent in the United States were interned. 

Getting ready to say that.  We had Truman and Eisenhower after FDR and Eisenhower implemented the "Advisor" role for Vietnam in '56.

“Not all people of Japanese descent in the United States were interned.”

That a single Japanese-American was interned was inexcusable. Added to our treatment of Native Americans, and the generations long treatment of the descendants of slaves, just another stain that cannot be washed clean.

Relatively easy to acknowledge the common thread. 

“Republicans have an advantage longer term because Republicans talk about why being an American is important.”

Substitute ‘white’ for ‘American’ and you may have a point. Today’s gop does not espouse traditional American values, they use them as a cudgel to deride and divide in desperation. 

Hindsight has the advantage of having nearly perfect 20-20 vision.

they use them as a cudgel to deride and divide in desperation. 

Sorry but you appear to be projecting ..... badly!

Not all people of Japanese descent in the United States were interned. 

Is that supposed to be some type of defense of what we Americans did to fellow Americans?

Maybe he is just complaining about inefficient government.

Is that supposed to be some type of defense of what we Americans did to fellow Americans?

Not 'we Americans'.  The Japanese internment was a west coast policy driven primarily by California politics.  Don't blame all of America for California's stain on history.

The Japanese internment is just another example (among many) of how bicoastal politics has been an ever present threat to the United States.  

Not 'we Americans'.  The Japanese internment was a west coast policy driven primarily by California politics.  Don't blame all of America for California's stain on history.

The vast majority of Japanese at the start of WWII lived in WN, OR, CA, and the territory of Hawaii so of course, the military areas imposed by the military would be on the WC since that was where most Japanese lived and it was the closest to Japan....How many Japanese lived in Minnesota in 1940, do you have any idea Nerm..It was a grand total of 50. The govenor of CA at that time was Earl Warren a republican...

Did the governor of MN or the congressman or senators speak out against the internment..NO they did not, in fact only one politician in the US spoke out against it and he was the Governor of Colorado, Ralph Carr. 

Do you have any idea where the internment camps were located, Nerm? This is where,  California, Arizona, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Arkansas. How many are coastal, Nerm?

The Japanese internment is just another example (among many) of how bicoastal politics has been an ever present threat to the United States. 

 What a load of shit, you have no idea of what in the hell you're talking about. Take a damn good look at the state you live in if you want an example of policies that have been a threat to the US and minorities, do you need a history lesson on it. I was born and raised there so don't try to bullshit me. 

C’mon man!  

Biden is working on getting things wrong for 50 years now.    There is a better than even chance he is not going buck that trend.

C’mon man!   Biden is working on getting things wrong for 50 years now.    There is a better than even chance he is not going buck that trend.

Biden is a true blue Democrat and proves it every day.

Now Biden is trying to revive the Korean War.  Let's party like it's 1950.

Yep, and he is still successful at getting them wrong. Why mess up a track record?

How do you say IDIOT when that person states that the U.S. will jump in to help Taiwan "if" China continues with its actions???

Only two words to describe Biden's latest foul up and that's "Oh s#*t!"

Lol .... how about ..... C’mon man!

Yep, that too!

How's Democrats' laser focus on identity politics working out? 

It didn't take long for the family oriented, religious Hispanic population to figure out where the democratic party stands.

Ay Carumba!

La verdad!

Nobody actually passed build back better.

It might have something to do with the fact that the party that would like to pass build back better doesn't have a majority in the senate.

Does the other party have any useful plans? We should be grateful that GOP senators decided to help Democrats address the baby formula crisis. That's something I guess.

Nobody actually passed build back better.

Yes, thankfully, that is completely true.

It might have something to do with the fact that the party that would like to pass build back better doesn't have a majority in the senate.

It is a split Senate.

Harris is the tie breaker in the event of a tie, so that is a little stretch to say the Democrats don't have the majority. Isn't Chuck Schumer the Senate MAJORITY leader?

Does the other party have any useful plans? We should be grateful that some small few GOP senators decided to help Democrats address the baby formula crisis.

Looked to me like Republicans and at least one Democrat decided not to run up the national debt more.

Does the party in charge have any plans to combat inflation, or are we just going to leave it all to Joe Biden's laser-like focus on it?

Looked to me like Republicans and at least one Democrat decided not to run up the national debt more.

Excuse me? 

Did Republicans care at all about the debt under Trump when we didn't even have a national crisis to address?

Did Republicans care at all about the debt under Trump when we didn't even have a national crisis to address?

Not really.

The Republican Congress under Trump ran deficits every year.

Just like the Democratic Congress under Trump.

Just like every single Congress for the last 20 years.

No one in DC seems fiscally responsible in the least, and before you cite lower deficit spending by some Democratic Presidents, a deficit is still a deficit.

Then hurling the deficit back and forth as a talking point is kind of pointless.

I'm not a person who loves deficit spending and I think the credibility of the recent fashion of "deficits don't matter economists" has been called into serious doubt by the eruption of uncontrollable inflation that we are suddenly seeing. The inflation has multiple causes but one thing that really can't be indulged during a period of unstable prices is reckless government spending. (So I am not actually a fan of many of the things Democrats had their hearts set on spending money on. At least not all at once.)

No one in DC seems fiscally responsible in the least, and before you cite lower deficit spending by some Democratic Presidents, a deficit is still a deficit.

Obama and Clinton were both deficit hawks. It was from Clinton that I learned/heard that inflation is kept under control when you keep wage increases below the productivity growth rate. When I read him saying that it made me angry and/or disappointed. Because if he is right our stable prices depend on our low wage economy. And who wants a society where so many people are stuck in go nowhere jobs?

Covid has unleashed a moment where those people all disconnected from the workforce at the same time and are now seeking better paying jobs or demanding better pay for their old jobs. And part of the result of that is record inflation, which is not sustainable.

I don't know how this plays out but I am a retiree with little patience for high inflation. I hope the Fed can bring things back down to something under four percent before I am effing broke.

Did Republicans care at all about the debt under Trump

Exactly, what about…

when we didn't even have a national crisis to address?

Exactly, COVID, what crisis.

Trump's tax cut deficits were incurred before Covid.

propublica

There is no doubt that the 2017 tax cut has increased the size of subsequent deficits and the debt. 

Since deficits are projected to remain large and growing over the foreseeable future, what will the current Congress and the administration due?  

Will they enact needed reforms to shore up Social Security and Medicare, increase revenue, and decrease spending?

I'm not a build back better fanboy. I think it is filled with too many goals that aren't fully funded and will therefore either expire after a short time or get tacked to the deficit. People could laugh all they wanted about the deficit while interest rates were low but as we are seeing now interest rates can't stay pegged to zero forever.

The best economist/commenter I have read about the deficit has been Larry Summers. He, for the record, says that he supports BBB because it will ultimately add productivity to the economy. I think it would be wiser to shelve additional handouts of cash and spending into the economy until prices stabilize. I'm also a let's try one idea at a time kind of person and see how it works out. But nobody asks my opinion beyond seeking my vote on election day.

As for non-congressional things to do about inflation there are interest rates and the portfolio of government held securities. Larry Summers said it was insanity for the government to continue buying mortgage based securities while housing prices were spiking. That seemed obvious but the Fed is just so damned slow to act. 

Will they enact needed reforms to shore up Social Security and Medicare, increase revenue, and decrease spending?

What is either party really going to do about this? Both the GOP and Democrats have been shameless with regard to piling on to the deficit. The GOP puts reckless tax cuts on the books and the Democrats have a spending agenda that goes beyond the event horizon.

Obama and Clinton were both deficit hawks. Clinton's reducing the deficit to a surplus might actually have been a mistake for the economy. It created a shortage of risk free government securities which resulted that interest in bundled mortgage backed securities which wound up becoming toxic assets.

Obama was criticized for not throwing enough money at the economy after the 2008 crisis. But as our inflation problem shows now, economists don't always know what they are talking about. They certainly never seem to agree on very much and we go from crisis to crisis with nobody admitting they were wrong.

The Feds problem isn’t a tax revenue problem.    It’s a revenue spending problem.    Tax increases, tax decreases ..... when is the last time spending was at or below the revenue collected?    

We don’t have a tax decrease or increase problem.    We have a spending problem.

When I say "the Fed" in reference to inflation I mean the Federal Reserve System. They have nothing to do with taxing and spending. They set interest rates and monetary policy and are independent of our elected officials. (At least in theory.)

en.wikipedia

Obama and Clinton were both deficit hawks.

There is also something to be said in favor of divided government.  Both Clinton and Obama had a Repub led House for the final 7 of their 8 years.

I hear ya but I meant the entire Federal Government.    Of which the Federal Reserve is part of.

There is also something to be said in favor of divided government.  Both Clinton and Obama had a Repub led House for the final 7 of their 8 years.

Geez, we have divided government right now even with the Democrats appearing to control both the WH and Congress.

The thought of the GOP controlling everything in 2025 terrifies me. I'll be praying for divided government and any Democrats who are saying we need to get rid of the filibuster right now to do this or that thing with their non-majority in congress really need to be told to sit down and stop.

That's not a completely accurate description of the Federal Reserve's relationship to the government.

The Federal Reserve is a strange Frankenstein creation of government regulated private sector employees. It satisfies both ideologs who don't like to see the government actually own anything and the people who got sick of banking crises brought on by a chaotic free for all of dishonest capitalists.

The Federal Government sets the salaries of the board members but I believe the salaries are paid by the banks that are members of the federal reserve system. And then any profits made by the Federal Reserve are paid to the the Federal government. It's all very strange.

A case could be made that it is unconstitutional whereas a straightforward central bank like other nations have (and we used to have) would be constitutional.

when is the last time spending was at or below the revenue collected?    

The Clinton administration and it turned out to be a mistake.

It is far better to have a small deficit so a predictable supply of risk free debt can be issued by the government. Risk free debt anchors the economy to rational interest rates. 

The Clinton administration and it turned out to be a mistake.

Opinions do vary on if that was a mistake but he only did it because he was forced to by congress.    One of the last significant bipartisan deals ever made by our government.

Those days seem to be done and we are all paying for it now.     But our politicians are still just fine.    All of them.

Shame on us for letting it happen.

Government holds the purse strings.     To collect revenue and to spend it. That was my point.    

They have full control to spend within their means or not.

They have full control to spend within their means or not.

The governments budget does not resemble and should not be run like a household budget.

That supposition is part of the problem.    

The basic concept is the same.    Yeah, it not exactly the same thing.    Neither is running a business but going too far in debt is a problem for all.     Especially for government when you have to raise taxes because you overspend.

Few people think they are taxed to little if they are being honest.    Not everyone however is honest about that.

Few people think they are taxed to little if they are being honest.    Not everyone however is honest about that.

If only we let Joe the Plumber run the economy.

The Fed could learn something from Joe the plumber

That's just a ridiculous statement.

Right back at ya.

I'm curious.  How can a person who has had ZERO accomplishments in 50 years build something back "better"?

Just another of those things that make you go hmmmm.

I wonder how bad Biden's poll numbers really are?

We’ll find out in November.

For many it can't get here fast enough!

Oh, the whine will just get louder.    The folks involved are chronically deranged and will just move on to the next cookie jar when refused a cookie.

For many it can't get here fast enough!