When did a Democratic candidate make a special interest social issue the center of their agenda?
We passed the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act in 1964 and 1965, respectively. Were we a less racist country then? Or did liberals become too scared of speaking affirmatively in support of civil rights? Would we be better off right now if Manchin and Sinema had voted for the new Civil Rights Act in 2022, or was their concern about appearing too focused on social issues to support it correct?
In 2016, North Carolina passed an anti-trans bathroom bill. At the time it was so controversial that the NCAA pulled the NCAA Tournament out of the state, the NBA moved the all star game, and numerous major companies withdrew business from the state. What changed between then and now? Did the Democrats become vocally more pro-trans rights? Did any Democrats center trans issues in their campaigns? Or did many of them begin acknowledging that Republican messages on trans rights were correct, in an attempt to defuse it as an effective political issue?
There is no running from social issues to focus on material issues. Democrats have to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time.