The Donald is out of touch ...

At The New Republic, editor Michael Tomasky offers a barnburner of an exploration of why Donald Trump in 2023 is even more of a danger to this country than he was in 2016. Simply put, Trump has become the pure incarnation of white cultural despair. Defeat has scrubbed away any vestige of his carnival performer's charm, however phony it might always have been. 

Concurrently, Tomasky explores succinctly the demographic realities that are pulling the foundation from under Trump and his MAGA Republicans, leaving them so angry and confused. We no longer live in the America I was born into or even the world of my midlife in Reagan's time. Nor do a great many of us live in MAGA world. Another country is possible ... and largely already here. And therein lies the hope that should buoy a refashioned Democratic, pro-democracy, political party.

Yes, times have changed. Not in every way for the better. But in terms of broad cultural attitudes, Americans are far more open-minded today than they were in Reagan’s time. Gallup started asking people about same-sex marriage in 1996 (it didn’t even register as an issue in the ’80s). In 1996, respondents were opposed by 68 to 27 percent. By 2022, that had flipped almost precisely on its head, with 71 percent in favor and 28 percent opposed. The turning point came in 2011, and the number has basically climbed ever since. ...

The country is dramatically different. In 1985, the United States was 78 percent white (non-Hispanic white, that is, according to the Census Bureau), 12 percent Black, 7 percent Hispanic, and just under 3 percent Other (Asian Americans were still just “Others” then). In 2020, the country was 58 percent non-Hispanic white, 19 percent Hispanic, still 12 percent Black, 6 percent Asian, and about 3 percent Native American.

In 1985, 19 percent of Americans had completed four or more years of college. In 2021, that number was doubled—23.5 percent had four-year degrees and 14.4 percent had graduate degrees, for a total of nearly 38 percent.

In 1984, 76 percent of Americans lived in metropolitan areas; the share of those living in urban areas had nudged up to 80 percent in 2020.

In 1980, the share of the U.S. population that was foreign-born was around 6 percent; in 2021, it was 13.6 percent. Finally, in 1990, households headed by married couples made up 55 percent of all households; in 2022, that was down to 47 percent.

Now let’s turn to religion. According to Pew, throughout the 1980s, about 90 percent of Americans were Christian. The 1990s saw a fairly steep decline down to around 80 percent. This century, the erosion has been less sharp, but it’s been steady—the number who said they were Christian dropped to 63 percent in 2021. The number who said they were religious but named another religion has increased slightly from 1972, from 5 to 7 percent. And the number saying they were religiously unaffiliated has zoomed from 5 percent to 29 percent. Young people are abandoning religious belief at high rates. ...

I like this country better.  From where I sit, there are somewhat less people who want to erase my existence. And a lot more people who are exploring what it all means. We can confidently assert that Trump is out of touch with who most of us are.

Tomasky translates, very concretely, what all this happy change means to our politics. We can feel it; this essay gives words and structure to intuitions. Highly recommended.