Every political party and movement has a story they tell about themselves in order to appeal to a certain group of people whom they believe will get behind their cause. These narratives shape the strategies of their respective parties in particular, which in turn influence the general shape of political discourse and the way people interact with each other.
In this article, we will take a look at the target demographics of both the Democrats and the Republicans, the narratives they tell to appeal to these demographics, and how these narratives lead to unhealthy developments in society. Then we will examine the Solidarian narrative and see how it could help aid the formation of a brighter future for America.
Democrats: Vanguard of the Oppressed
In recent history, the Democratic Party has primarily portrayed itself as the “defender of the oppressed.” Democratic strategy has involved defending the interests of a very broad and loosely-associated coalition of groups that consider themselves to be oppressed minorities. Since almost any demographic or group that is not the absolute majority could plausibly consider itself “oppressed,” and since many people feel sympathy for the “underdog,” this is a very useful strategy for gaining widespread support that translates into the raw voting power needed to gain political supremacy. As long as Democrat politicians pass enough policies to make their constituents feel like they are being defended from their oppressors, they will gain their support and continue to win office.
However, the same strategy that leads to Democrats’ success also sows the seeds of their more recent failures. The Democratic coalition is united primarily by one common feature—a sense of grievance. This means that the Democrats become defined primarily by opposition rather than positive vision. Without a positive vision and a common goal beyond “overthrowing oppression,” there is nothing else to unite the Left of the political spectrum. This leads progressive activists into a continual contrarian attitude as they constantly criticize the status quo and attempt to guilt-trip common people into supporting their policies.
This strategy also leads to the paradox of the ever-shrinking size of their individual coalitions. Once a given minority’s interests have been largely defended through legal means, the Democrats need to find another minority to defend in their place. Then once that minority has its rights legally enshrined, a new cause must be taken up in its stead. The end result is that the Democratic Party begins to appeal to ever smaller and smaller groups of people and tiny niche demographics, leading to the outside perception that the Democratic Party is getting weirder and weirder and ever more out of touch with reality. For example, the Party began by defending women (about half the population), and over time has ended up advocating transgenderism (only about 1% of the population), which has resulted in widespread backlash against progressive ideology in recent years. It quite naturally also leads to the increasing fragmentation and disunity the Left has begun to see.
Republicans: Vanguard of the Normal
The Democratic tendency to defend, promote, and celebrate ever smaller and more obscure niches and interests provides a natural foil to the recently-adopted Republican narrative. For years the Republicans have waffled back and forth, indecisive on a coherent self-narrative. Attempts to be defined as the party of traditional values, the party of patriotism, and the party of Christians all were tried and (largely) discarded. This incoherent messaging is perhaps one of the primary causes of the conservative loss of cultural influence that preceded 2016.
In the post-Trump era, however, it appears that the Republicans have adopted a new narrative that could turn them into a dominant power for years to come. This is their new appeal to “normal people.”
According to this new narrative, the Democrats are the supporters of “weird people” who then gain elite status and try to force their odd lifestyles and ideas on everyone else. The Republicans then become the advocates of “normal people”—everyday Americans who just want to live a normal life, and who are tired of the endless games of Leftist identity politics. The recent surge of support for Trump in the polls is a good example of how more and more people see the Democrats as simply out of touch with reality.
While this narrative correctly points out many of the flaws and shortcomings of the Democratic strategy, it also leads to a number of flaws of its own. In particular, the new Republican narrative leads to unrestrained condescension and mockery of the “weird people.” After all, in order to gain support from the “normal people,” the Republicans have to make sure that the Democrats appear as unappealing as possible, and that requires mockery. This results in increasing division and fragmentation in American society, and does little to advance positive changes and developments in our country.
Solidarians: Vanguard of the Common Good
While the narratives promoted by the Democratic and Republican Parties focus on division and demonization of the other, the American Solidarity Party holds to a constructive narrative centered around advocating the common good. One of the key problems with both Republican and Democrat strategies is that they are inherently anti-cooperative. They define politics in terms of a war of people who hate each other, rather than fellow citizens. To do so is nothing short of a de facto denial of America itself, as it negates American citizenship and makes party support the primary goal.
In contrast, the Solidarian emphasis on finding common good on common grounds provides a platform for cooperation between people of different political backgrounds who just want to build a better life. With this narrative in mind, Solidarians can build a coalition of people who are worn out by the hyper-polarization of the culture wars and want to focus on standing for something rather than against the “evil party.” This narrative of cooperation rather than competition, humanization rather than demonization, and patriotism rather than division could prove a powerful and appealing story in the next several decades.
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To build its narrative, the Solidarity Party will need both to challenge the prevailing “culture war” narrative, and replace it with something more appealing. To that end, Solidarians must focus on recruiting supporters from the ranks of people who are fed up with the fruitless, endless infighting in politics and who want to build an America worth living in for generations to come. While doing this will be challenging at first, with increasing numbers of people dropping out of politics entirely, the people who will first rally to the cause will be the most motivated and energetic advocates of solidarity. Once a clear vision for the future is established and support for the ASP has increased, the politically-disengaged will finally have something worth voting for. When that time comes, the Solidarian Option will finally become the movement it aspires to be.
In my experience the Republican Party is less opposed to weird people as it is to weird ideas. I just got a survey from a conservative college that asked how much I opposed Socialism (without defining it) and how much I opposed "woke" ideology (which is mostly a strawman at this point). But I will say that they are doing a better job of scooping up white working class voters as the Democrats leave their interests behind in a quest for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The DEI vision that the Democrats promote in I would argue a positive one. And I mean positive in the sense the it is not opposing something. I certainly don't see it as a positive set of values but I believe the vast majority of democratics do.
So the challenge of a Solidarian movement is to convince working class voters the we are on their side and professional people that the USA will be a more fair playing field than the left can deliver in it's current state.