Ruy Teixeira
Monthly Commentary and Analysis
August 2020
What Progressives Got Wrong About The Emerging Democratic Majority--And How Joe Biden May Get It Right

My latest, on the excellent new site, Persuasion. I've been annoyed for years about how people misinterpreted The Emerging Democratic Majority thesis. Here, I set the record straight.
"In the months after Barack Obama’s historic victory, the conventional wisdom held that Democrats would now dominate the nation’s politics for decades.
Let's Face It: Biden's Running a Smart Campaign!

And--dare I say it?--it's pretty much as I argued a Democrat should run and not the way recommended by the base mobilization is everything/get nonvoters to vote/there are no swing voters/the white working class is hopeless crowd. In other words, persuasion, baby! It's a beautiful thing.
And the pundits are catching up too! Ezra Klein:
"The key to Biden’s success is simple: He’s slicing into Trump’s coalition, pulling back the older, whiter voters Democrats lost in 2016.
Biden Bolshevism Watch (3)

So, not only is Biden turning out to be an excellent candidate, he's also turning out to have great policies. Let's get this guy elected!
One hopes that the latest releases from the Biden campaign have finally convinced his critics on the left that a Biden presidency would actually be very, very progressive. Well, probably not. Bur check out what Biden said in his speech today In Dunmore, PA:
Trump's Biggest Problem

As I have argued, the make-or-break constituency for Trump is the white working class; if they don't go his way, he's toast. Tim Alberta agrees and has a very interesting reported piece from Scranton, PA suggesting the deep trouble Trump is in. Well worth reading.
Defund the Police and Public Opinion

Defund definition that comes up on Google:
"prevent from continuing to receive funds"
This is not popular. It has been tested again and again and since normal people assume that what defund the police means to prevent the police from continuing to receive funds, they oppose it.
Should or Should We Not Be Worried About Backlash? (2)

Well, at this point I'm not too worried, given the dire situation in the country and how badly Trump has handled it, both in policy and political terms. Voters increasingly just want to get rid of the guy, which makes them less likely to be swayed by issues that in other circumstances would have some significant potential for backlash.
But that's no reason for complacency. Danger still lurks.