America's Left-Right Mismatch

From a Jewish conservative (former lib) who has lived everywhere from rural Iowa to Paris, France

I started this Substack a few months ago to share observations about life in France. I have enjoyed many of the good faith, thoughtful exchanges here. One such exchange happened over the past 48 hours.

The Race Separatists?

Someone wrote a post about “race separatists” in “right-wing” America. I replied that, as someone working professionally in conservative/right-of-center policy, I have not met anyone advocating for policies or practices that divide people based on immutable traits. My colleagues would be horrified if they heard such a thing.

Nor, by the way, does anyone I’ve encountered harbor prejudice towards gay people, Muslims, or other communities. Now, I cannot read people's minds nor do I know what is in their hearts. If someone is an actual racist I don’t think they’d advertise it. But throughout my work in conservatism, I have not met real-life, honest-to-goodness, outspoken white supremacists.

The poster replied that I’m likely in a “bubble.” It was not a dig, but an observation that the "professional" conservative think tank and journalism world is often quite serious.

And, I think he was right. And, it creates a weird ideological mismatch.

In my experience, your average conservative think tank employee, journalist, or Hill staffer has a good faith belief in small government, individual liberties, free markets, and America’s Judeo-Christian founding. In other words, they are…nerds.

Are there people who have horrible ideas? Yes. Those people exist everywhere.

But here is the mismatch. The base does not always share that seriousness.

The conservative base is far more, ahem, MAGA than Washington. For progressives and liberals, it is the opposite. Their Washington leaders tend to be very progressive, and their base is more moderate.

The Left-Right Mismatch Illustrated In Two Personal Anecdotes

🐘On Twitter (I know) a 60something man from Iowa called me “woke” and “triggered” when I said that “Jew” is an ethnoreligious group and not a “race.”

Triggered? Maybe. I am a Jewish woman (adopted at birth) who has spent her career publishing about the intersection of left-wing ideology and antisemitism.

If I regularly encountered people like him, I’d hate conservatives too.

🫏A successful law firm partner based in a major city left hurtful comments on my Substack and said my politics are “garbage.”

I regularly encountered people like him in Chicago, NYC, and DC, and as such I, mostly stuck to my own crowd.

These are imperfect anecdotes, and the internet does not bring out the best in any of us. But, they help illustrate the problem.

I have lived most of my adult life in Chicago, DC, NYC, and now Paris, working in the policy/think tank world, and have been exposed to very progressive Democrats and rather sophisticated conservatives.

It bears being clear, as this is the internet…

• Most ideologies and political parties have thought diversity.

• The left and right have pockets of prejudice and hate.

• This is not a dunk on progressives or conservatives.

• This is NOT an elaborate breakdown of the media landscape, voting patterns, and socio-cultural differences.

• I’m sharing my personal experience and observations that I think illustrate a problem.

What I Am Saying Is…

• Conservative think tankers, journalists, leaders, lawyers tend to be more moderate than the GOP/conservative base.

• Progressive/liberal think tankers, journalists, leaders, lawyers tend to be more lefty than the Democratic/progressive base.

As such, if you are a “normie” outside of DC or New York (good for you, stay away from this business), you are likely to have encountered moderate Democrats and very right-wing conservatives.

If you are a “normie” in DC or New York you are likely to have encountered pretty progressive Democrats and, if you did encounter a conservative they probably kept their views pretty quiet.

What Can We Do?

First, those working professionally in advocacy have a responsibility to be clear that hate and prejudice have no home in our organizations.

Second, if you don’t work in advocacy/politics/policy, try asking people about themselves. Hobbies? What they read? Do for fun? Favorite restaurant?

You will learn about someone’s motivations, sincerely held beliefs, and maybe even their fears (after all, that is what motivates us).

I’ll start. I love long walks, cooking, and reading everything from French history to fashion journalism.

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash