Will blacks and browns continue to defer to Jewish interests?
The majority of babies born in America today are non-white. The ascent of Donald Trump along with the far-left coalition in the Democratic Party can be seen as a rejection of the middle-of-the-road consensus that ruled Washington for decades. I argue that the coming supplantation of white Christians as a demographic majority is driving this polarization. Whites, perceiving their loss of cultural and political power, have moved towards populism, while blacks, Latinos, and Asians assert their newfound strength.
Throughout much of their history in this country, Jews have expressed solidarity with these non-white groups. Jews were prominent in founding the NAACP and were active in the civil rights movement, as well as other liberal causes such as socialism and labor. They generally support the Democratic Party through their votes and, crucially, donations. The rise of Jewish prominence in the universities has coincided with a profound leftward shift in politics at these institutions. All of this is old news to the dissident right.
The pressing question right now, which could have a serious impact on politics in the coming decades, is whether America’s Jews will remain aligned with a non-white majority who sees them like any other white rival. Witness the street violence against orthodox Jews on the streets of Crown Heights recently. Minority leaders such as Kamala Harris, Corey Booker, and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez have been very pragmatic in aligning with prominent Jewish Democrats, e.g. Chuck Schumer. But the attempting uprising by the POC in the House of Representatives to unseat Nancy Pelosi suggests that down the road, minorities will take a front seat in political leadership.
Could Jews abandon their progressive orientation and join the GOP? It is possible to consider their left-wing politics as a result of perceived discrimination by, and conflict with, what was a 90% white Christian country. Having an identity as a persecuted minority is deeply rooted in the Jewish religion and culture. What will happen when this perceived persecution is coming from blacks and Latinos?
On the other hand, these minorities have not shown a good track record in running and organizing highly complex operations, and will likely always need some very smart whites to keep our intricate society functioning, if only as grey eminences. Jews have played this sort of role in other countries and for wealthy families in Europe in the past, as Kevin McDonald has described. Perhaps they are ideally suited to join with the new majority in ruling over white Christians.
The even more important question is, will the white majority start voting along ethnic lines the way blacks and Jews do today? Some commentators have claimed that the Democrats’ “coalition of the fringes” is inherently fragile, and will start to turn on one another.
These are significant issues to watch in the coming years.