I have been nominated for public office three times. As a candidate you learn much about yourself, and you really learn about what others think of you. There is never a shortage of people willing to tell you why you are awful. That is the nature of campaigning.
Everyone has the right to criticize those who seek to represent them. However, at the end of the day it is rarely criticism of a particular policy or position. Most often I am simply told, “you are just identity politics.” Identity? Is that a bad word? The dictionary defines identity as the fact of being who or what a person or thing is. Sounds to me that identity is closely related to people. I believe politics should be about people, so perhaps some identity is not such a bad thing after all.
The term identity politics is often hurled at the left by the right. Apparently, the logic is that standing up for minorities, the working poor, the elderly, the young, immigrants, the LGBTQ+ community, or really any community is somehow inherently wrong and “unamerican.” While at the same time attacking those groups is completely acceptable and in fact expected.
“We are tired of hearing about it,” says the right, “when are we going to talk about things that matter?”
That, my friends, is a really good question.
It certainly won’t be this legislative session. In a time when our public schools are crumbling, childcare is not accessible, property taxes continue to price homeowners out of their homes, and there continues to be a shortage of critical medical care what did our legislature decide to spend their time on? Two items that will never carry the force of law, that seek no purpose other then to remind people of “their place” and attack those who already feel vulnerable on so many levels. And, make no mistake, the resource wasting will continue as these items are printed, debated, and voted on.
Yet, somehow that is not identity politics. That is acceptable. I guess I keep forgetting that only the defense of individuals is wrong, not the attacking.
It is not only the right who is tired of hearing about it. We all are tired. We are tired of having to explain, defend, and conceal to protect ourselves daily. The solution is simple, if the right is tired of hearing about it,they should stop bringing it up and return a focus to things that will bring about positive growth for Idaho and our nation. Let people make their own personal choices and move on.
I don’t practice identity politics. Instead, I think of it more as people politics. I am not going to apologize for it.
We don’t have to play the game. Every legislative item that serves no purpose other than to harm should get a NO vote at every level. At the same time, we should absolutely turn our focus to legislation that has the potential for positive impact and put our focus there.
David Roth is a member of the Bonneville County Democratic Central Committee and Idaho’s national committeeman to the Democratic National Committee.