I’ve popped up to disagree, I normally do. It’s in the Penguin blood. I’m a lefty, despite what others may think of my political persuasion, but nothing in the US spectrum is left of centre. You’re faced with two versions of right wing identity politics and asked to choose. One which couches itself in hyperbolic chat about equality and racial, sexual, societal justice but then presented itself in concerts with Black and Brown millionaires. The other which appealed to males, Christians and a rejection of the inconsistencies of the former. Trump is better at playing identity politics than the Democrats, he intuitively understands it and won’t tie himself in knots because he doesn’t have any convictions.

I have been writing for years as a Penguin, asking people to consider whether identity rather than economics is an intelligent strategy. I have been called a sexist, a racist, a transphobia and a bigot more times than I can count. I don’t mind, but it’s indicative of a mindset. A binary thinking that brooks no pushback at all, regardless of how insane the proposition. The American electorate has given the identity driven left the answer.

Of course whites gonna white, of course males gonna male. The problem is that some Hispanics hispanicked and women also maled. That’s a failure in messaging of the highest order and means self-reflection is necessary on the left. Instead there has been histrionic finger pointing and doubling down into messaging which has already failed.

I’d like to think most humans aren’t necessarily evil, and there’s an aspirational message that can cut through. If did in 2008. But things didn’t change much off the back of that recession, by the time many Americans were back on their feet it was 2018 and just in time for Covid and another round of inflation. American ‘working class’ isn’t working class, it’s middle class. Your working class don’t have stable homes, healthcare or much in the way of hope - and the democrats failed to include anything in their messaging via Beyoncé, Oprah and Taylor Swift.

My last two articles have the Penguin position outlined in detail, but you probably aren’t going to like them. However, we’ve debated enough times for you to know I’m committed to reducing (ideally eradicating) racism - I like the destination, I think the journey there is a stupid route to take.