politics
The Democrats Can’t Just Laugh Off ‘Woke 1’
Republicans have no incentive to let them forget past excesses.
TL;DR
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez expressed a willingness to run for president and downplayed past progressive stances like "defund the police."
- The ideology of "wokeness" gained prominence in 2020 following protests against police killings, influencing institutions like Congress, corporations, and universities.
- Many progressive ideas from that period are now seen as flawed, with cities reversing police cuts and universities struggling with issues like antisemitism.
- Democrats are employing strategies like retconning (Kamala Harris) and laughing off past stances (Ocasio-Cortez) to distance themselves.
- Progressive groups like the Democratic Socialists of America continue to hold radical positions, including prison abolition and reparations.
- Republicans have capitalized on "anti-wokeness" as a unifying party tenet and a campaign strategy.
- Public opinion appears to be against Democrats on many culture-war issues, particularly concerning sex-segregated sports.
- The unwillingness to fully repudiate "wokeness" could lead to its resurgence and impact future Democratic presidential primary contests.