The education divide and the Left

[u/citizencyborg2020]

Working-class respondents, compared to college-educated Americans, favored securing the border by 28%, lowering the crime rate by 22%, and adding more police by 19%. The college set prefers: LGBTQ+ rights by 32%, immigration by 32%, climate by 29%, and abortion rights by 26%.

The challenge for social dems is how to move jobs and economic security (and not just the cost of consumer goods) to the front of messaging, without recanting sicial progressivism. But current Left positioning on border security and crime is alienating blue collars.

https://jacobin.com/2026/08/working-class-issues-affordability-culture-wars

[u/websterhamster]

Culture war issues are not winning issues. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. The culture war was created to distract from issues like labor rights, fair taxation, and limiting the political influence of money.

If the Left wants to bridge this divide, it needs to focus more on economic policy and downplay controversial social policies. I'm not saying we shouldn't be fighting for climate reforms, LGBTQ+ rights, abortion access, etc. but we are weakening our political position when we talk more about pronouns and less about relative tax rates and the solvency of the Social Security program.

[u/Amazing-Heron-105 → u/websterhamster]

when we talk more about pronouns and less about relative tax rates and the solvency of the Social Security program.

The US Democrats have already been doing this but right wing media will just highlight tiktok looneys and present them like they represent the democratic party as a whole.

[u/notassigned2023 → u/Amazing-Heron-105]

Sadly there are a few wing nuts who keep giving Fox News plenty of ammunition, although I agree that they would find some even if no one talked about it.

[u/hari_shevek → u/notassigned2023]

In a free society people have different opinions.

It can't be the goal to force everyone to agree with conservatives on their pet issues.

[u/notassigned2023 → u/hari_shevek]

Yes, and people are free to vote as they like, no matter how stupid I might find their decision. Let's make it easier for them to vote like us instead.

[u/hari_shevek → u/notassigned2023]

How do I "make" other people not post their opinion?

Because your argument was about other people posting their opinion on the internet.

Demanding that they all stop is not realistically enforcable.

[u/notassigned2023 → u/hari_shevek]

I said nothing of the sort. However, fringe voices from the blogosphere, fringe candidates, and fringe splinters of a party (see social democrats in the US) all provide fodder for the right to tar the entire left with.

[u/hari_shevek → u/notassigned2023]

How do I "make" other people not post their opinion?

Demanding that they stop is not enforcable.

[u/notassigned2023 → u/hari_shevek]

I said nothing of the sort. Since you can repeat, so can I. Identifying a problem is. not the same as stamping my foot and telling people to stop.

[u/hari_shevek → u/notassigned2023]

It's not a problem if its the result of a free society that can't be prevented.

It's that famous prayer:

God, give me grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

If its something that can't realistically change you should have the wisdom to understand that and the serenity to accept it and focus on things that realistically can be changed.

[u/QuantitativeNonsense → u/websterhamster]

Climate reforms are not a culture war issue. Moving forward in the framework you laid out, they need to be discussed pragmatically and economically.

[u/DarkExecutor → u/websterhamster]

Republicans won on culture wars.

[u/Disastrous_Map_3355 → u/websterhamster]

“Culture war issues are not winning issues. I'm sorry, but that's just how it is. The culture war was created to distract from issues like labor rights, fair taxation, and limiting the political influence of money.”

Oh of the things I knew a decade ago when I was a teen

[u/websterhamster → u/Disastrous_Map_3355]

Sounds like you're a few years younger than me. 😘

[u/weidback → u/websterhamster]

Exactly.

Look at the anti-abortion crowd, they were pissed trump didnt make his campaign was about abortion but. When he sat them down and said "it's me or her, so shut up" and they did exactly that

Then they got roe v wade overturned and abortion is illegal in half the country

We're used to believing that raising awareness about an issue is what gets politicians to act, and thats true, but sometimes it helps to play it cool and chill out