Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via AP

The New York Times essentially wrote a eulogy for wokeism on Saturday, noting that the far left’s “polarizing” identity politics faltered in 2024 while Vice Pres. Kamala Harris publicly boasted of owning weapons.

Times reporter Jeremy Peters noted that the moods and behaviors that were prevalent just four years ago—when Harris ran an unsuccessful campaign for president—have changed dramatically.

Peters’ play it reads like a postmortem on cancellation culture, accusations of cultural appropriation, pushes for inclusion in entertainment, the politicization of academia, and terms like “Latinx.”

He wrote:

If some Americans thought the left’s code of conduct went too far, most were unwilling to say so. Polls in 2020 showed that large majorities of people — including Democrats and self-described liberals — said they did not always speak freely about their beliefs for fear of retaliation.

Today, in this presidential election between Vice President Harris and former President Donald J. Trump, politics are still burning and voters are just as deeply divided. But the country is also in a very different place than it was four years ago. Case in point: Ms. Harris brags about protecting her home with a Glock, proclaims her patriotism, and campaigns with Republicans like Liz Cheney.

Peters added that since the 2020 Democratic primary, candidates in that race “have done poorly in many high-profile races” in areas that are heavily Democratic — including Seattle, where a Republican won the city attorney race after the summer protests and riots. before.

In congressional races, discontent with progressive candidates was evident even before the defeats this summer of Reps. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — two members of “the team” whose 2020 victories seemed to signal the rise of politics progressives.

In Oregon, the left-leaning favorite to win the fifth district, Jamie McLeod-Skinner, was handily defeated this spring by the party’s establishment candidate; In the 3rd District, an endorsement from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wasn’t enough for Susheela Jayapal, sister of Pramila Jayapal, a member of the team and chair of the Progressive Caucus.

Former Barack Obama administrative councilor and mayor of Chicago Rahm Emanuel he told him Times“The whole party is overshadowed by what happened in 2020, and now they’re trying to overcome that shadow.”

Meanwhile, veteran Democratic strategist Mark Mellman told Peters that he expects the progressive left to play slow to bring back a culture of extreme sensitivity and awareness of cultural issues.

“It’s clear now that they have failed to take over the Democratic Party,” Mellman said. “They thought this would be a much quicker process … But I think they’re in it for the long haul. The battle will continue.”

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