For years, Democrats have relied on a familiar political strategy: divide Americans by race and then position themselves as the solution to the tensions they help create.
Rather than emphasizing what unites the country, too many Democratic politicians, activists and media allies have focused on what separates us. Americans are routinely sorted into competing racial categories, encouraged to view one another through the lens of identity politics, and told that virtually every social, economic and political issue can be explained by race.
The result has been predictable. Instead of bringing people together, this approach has fueled resentment, suspicion and polarization.
Americans are increasingly tired of it.
A new poll suggests that the politics of racial division may finally be backfiring on the Democratic Party. Voters across racial and ethnic lines appear to be growing weary of constant lectures about privilege, oppression and identity. Many Americans are more concerned about inflation, crime, border security, housing costs and the economy than they are about the latest racial controversy manufactured by political operatives.
That should not come as a surprise:
A new NBC News poll found that Americans feel race relations have gotten better over the past six years, when protests and riots broke out after [George] Floyd’s death.
Today, 48 percent of adults say race relations are generally good, which represents a 20-point increase since 2020. Still, 50 percent say they are still generally bad. Only about seven percent indicated race relations were “very good.”
Race has become increasingly prevalent in political conversations over the past few decades. Much of it came from the left, which saw in the early 2000s that they could weaponize race against their political opponents. Democrats increasingly resorted to abandoning civil discourse and chose to simply pretend those who oppose their politics are motivated by racial animus.
Most Americans want to live in a country where people are judged by their character, work ethic, and actions rather than the color of their skin. They believe in equal opportunity, equal treatment under the law, and the promise that anyone can succeed regardless of race.
Yet many Democrats continue to embrace policies and rhetoric that encourage Americans to see themselves primarily as members of racial groups rather than citizens of a shared nation. Whether it is race-based preferences, identity-driven political messaging, or efforts to inject race into virtually every public debate, the message is often the same: America is divided into competing tribes.
The problem for Democrats is that voters are increasingly rejecting that worldview.
Americans face enough challenges without politicians trying to pit neighbors against one another, especially using something so base and shallow as skin color. The country needs leaders who focus on common goals and shared values, not activists who profit politically from division.
If recent polling is any indication, voters may finally be sending a message: they are ready for less racial grievance politics and more national unity. Democrats would be wise to listen, but they’re domestic terrorists, so they won’t.
