the left tells itself the lie that the populist movement was rooted in purer ideals and the way to win votes in the rural midwest is to refocus on those purer ideals, which are the ideals of the left.

if it was honest with itself, it would realize that the democratic policy in the south was always deeply racialized, and that the republican tactics in the south, post-nixon, are in truth exactly the same as the democratic tactics in the south during the late 19th century. the existing concept of a pan-racial working class is simply an anachronism when applied to that stage in history, and trying to see ourselves in any movement of the era is consequently almost impossible.

can we start looking forwards some time soon?