Despite the setbacks of the Republican Party, certain elements of the American left remain objective allies of the Trumpist far right.
The events of January 6 and their aftermath revealed a rift in the Republican Party and divisions on the right that should comfort Democrats and those who are sorry for the circus that has become of American politics.
However, this is without counting on certain elements of the “woke” left which, despite the best intentions in the world, help to strengthen the reactionary right and Trumpism.
Culture of banishment
This trend is not unique to the United States, of course. We are also experiencing the effects of this movement in our country which, in the name of redressing the real wrongs suffered by certain groups, seizes scraps of power within its reach to ostracize the symbols of the dominant culture and silence any voice that indisposes us.
At home, the controversies exposed at the University of Ottawa and elsewhere are only the tip of the iceberg. When soft administrators or politicians give in to the ludicrous demands of the Knights of Political Correctness, it can only do the right thing.
The phenomenon is present in all Western societies, including the United States.
Rename History
San Francisco is one of the most left-wing American cities and it is not surprising to find particularly wacky manifestations of what is known as “wokism”.
The local school board recently decided to rename 44 of its schools, named for figures as “problematic” as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. This same organization also agreed that the use of acronyms, which sometimes creates confusion for non-English speakers, should be eliminated.
If we forget the exorbitant cost of these changes, while budgets could help minority communities who are in dire need of services and infrastructure, these measures will inevitably provoke the ire of the majority and will point them against other initiatives that would genuinely promote inclusion of minority groups.
Stirring up the polarization
The “cultural war” is one of the main sources of mobilization of the Trumpist far right. The cultural revisionism which animates a marginal fringe of the Democratic Party is a remarkably effective foil for the mass of culturally conservative voters who would objectively benefit from the egalitarian economic and social policies of this party.
Internal divisions among Republicans will deepen in the coming months, as the party will have to choose between what remains of the ideals of its founders and the xenophobic and authoritarian populism attached to the Trumpist cult.
The Democratic Party should normally be able to capitalize on these divisions by the next legislative elections in 2022 by betting on center-left policies that really make a difference in people’s lives. It’s a safe bet, however, that the kind of aberration that we have witnessed in San Francisco, on issues that have no concrete scope, will remain a drag.