"The alt-right is such a loosely defined entity that trying to discuss them or their ideology is almost futile"

Loosely defined ... like fascism. Which is what it is. If you haven't seen the anti-globalist (read: jews)/nationalist-protectionist streak, you just haven't been paying attention because that's one of the more readily identifiable aspects.

Anyway, it's been so long since I've even thought about how annoying libertarians are because of this whole alt-right thing that I almost forgot. Almost.

I thought it was just a bunch of trolls who because of misconceptions about anonymity think it's edgy to worship Hitler. And that the right-wing protesters in Charlottesville were just rednecks.

"Want to defeat the alt right? Do what Bernie Sanders and others suggest, move away from a focus on identity politics to concrete issues like job creation, and actually win the next election."

Defeat the alt-right by giving them what they want.

This country has ALWAYS practiced "identity politics", specifically in support of white male Christians. De-emphasizing the "identity politics" of other groups is indistinguishable from putting straight white Christian males first.

... from a recent article:

https://www.theatlantic.com/amp/article/537909/

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Trump’s white support was not determined by income. According to Edison Research, Trump won whites making less than $50,000 by 20 points, whites making $50,000 to $99,999 by 28 points, and whites making $100,000 or more by 14 points. This shows that Trump assembled a broad white coalition that ran the gamut from Joe the Dishwasher to Joe the Plumber to Joe the Banker. So when white pundits cast the elevation of Trump as the handiwork of an inscrutable white working class, they are being too modest, declining to claim credit for their own economic class. Trump’s dominance among whites across class lines is of a piece with his larger dominance across nearly every white demographic. Trump won white women (+9) and white men (+31). He won white people with college degrees (+3) and white people without them (+37). He won whites ages 18–29 (+4), 30–44 (+17), 45–64 (+28), and 65 and older (+19). Trump won whites in midwestern Illinois (+11), whites in mid-Atlantic New Jersey (+12), and whites in the Sun Belt’s New Mexico (+5). In no state that Edison polled did Trump’s white support dip below 40 percent.

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Trump won by appealing to whiteness, even among the incorruptible 18-29 demographic. And even 12% of Bernie voters went on to vote for Trump. We're not going to beat the appeal to whiteness with free tuition or whatever promises we're unlikely to keep. We win by turning out to vote, in numbers, every single time.

Why revisit identity politics when new Democratic candidates come along constantly to remind us all that Clinton fans will never, ever, stop running over victims with their politics bus while there are Deathrace 2020 points to be scored. They will never stop exonerating Obama for his bullshit, even though it makes them look like Reaganite Republicans. Obama should be disappointed that his biggest proponents are purists who think either he was Perfect Jesus Voltron or people are lying. It's possible he was dogshit to some people and good to others, like every president.

The left has a serious image problem, whenever a lefty speaks it's now a campaign ad for Republicans. The lack of any signs of moving on beyond Manichean tribalism does not bode well for the Party. We're still beating the Republicans at their own game, the game of costing yourself elections.

Voting third party isn't the problem any more than jumping out the tower windows to choose a falling death over a burning death was the problem on 9-11.

Partisans never have a bigger picture beyond Thunderdome, and what makes them angriest is the refusal to play.

ha ha, wow. I got the stupid chills just from copying and pasting that.

It seems like everybody misses the point of star trek. Even the Ferengi were really big on regulated business, all be it self-regulated.

Because libertarianism is at its heart the worldview of a self-centered teenager. It's really fucking easy for that to morph into whatever is convenient to maintain "the best system just happens to favor me the most".