Politics is way more complicated than a left-right continuum.
There is a reason you felt bad about being pigeonholed on a left-right line. It didn't describe you. It didn't really fit.
It is more accurate to say there are political "tribes," each with a cluster of values and opinions.
Answer a few questions. See what tribe you are in.
The appeal of a single left-right liberal-to-conservative line is that it is simple and it is not totally wrong. It somewhat predicts whether a voter would vote for a Democrat or a Republican.
A better understanding of an American voter is to describe tribes, but those are complicated. Here is a map.
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| From the website: https://echeloninsights.com/tribes |
You would probably find yourself fitting pretty comfortably somewhere on this map.
I am an "American Institutionalist." That puts me in the political center, somewhat to the left on social issues like abortion and racial justice, and somewhat more inclined than most to regulate and tax businesses.
It won't surprise regular readers than I am not a member of the "Loyal Left" nor am I am nihilistic tear-it-all-down "Young and Disillusioned" cynic. If I were to run for office as a Democrat I might well face a primary challenge from the left, and I would likely lose.
I am probably distinguished from a similar tribe of pragmatic people who typically vote for Democrats, the "Electability Democrats," because I have belief that most people in America who "work hard and play by the rules," as both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama described it, can achieve life, liberty, and happiness in America. I recognize that the political and economic system both advantages and disadvantages some people, and there is a lot of luck and circumstance involved, but it is also set up to reward people who put in the effort to take advantage of opportunities. Success is a little bit about the zip code in which one is born, but it is also about personal behavior and effort. I believe upward mobility is possible, even likely, if one puts in the effort.
I suspect one of the reasons I am so offended by Trump's election-denial and the January 6 Capitol riot is that it breaks a rule of fair play. I am OK with competition and there being winners and losers. I don't want to give an "A" grade to everyone who takes a test. I like merit hiring. I dislike sore losers who claim "rigged" when there is no evidence of it.
I shared a political opinion with both U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Oregon Governor Tina Kotek, coincident when I had just told them I would happily donate money, and therefore when they were likely to think my political instincts were reasonable. I told them that I thought Democrats were screwing up on the trans-in-sports issue. I said I was absolutely OK with trans people attempting to live their best lives. Live and let live. But I said that women's leagues in sports are a good thing, and fairness is an important value. I said it is OK for Democratic politicians to value "fair competition" as a value over "inclusion." An athlete who goes through male puberty has an unfair advantage, I said, and a biological female who loses to a trans athlete who had that advantage has a legitimate gripe. The situation is similar to the use of steroids. We don't allow it ruin the competition. We need to preserve the sense of fair play and a level playing field.
I make the point -- persuasive, I hope, given that I had just told them that I would be happily contributing to their campaigns -- that I was speaking as a fellow Democrat, and that this opinion was a legitimate opinion from the Democratic tent, not a heresy infection from the political right, based on prejudice against trans people.
I was an American Institutionalist at work, trying to define Democratic policy in a way that wrests it toward fair play and away from the inclusion-in-every-case advocated by the partisans of the Loyal Left, who generally define Democratic positioning.
Readers will be intrigued by this website, which defines the attributes of the tribes. I urge readers to set aside 10 minutes, now or in the future, to take the on-line test of their opinions and to get a report back instantly on their likely tribe. There is no signing-up, no subscription, no commercialization, no strings. Just enter your opinions and get a read-out.https://echeloninsights.com/tribes
Here is a description of the various political tribes. On the left the chart shows what percentage of Americans are in your tribe. On the right, it shows the movement between 2024 and 2025 in opinion.
6 comments:
Put me in the Labor Party, Progressive, and American Institutionalists
The rest of you are wrong.
Moderate Right for me.
One or two of the questions didn't present helpful or practical alternatives, in my view, but overall it was pretty well done.
When I was raised, the notion that you can get ahead if you “work hard and play by the rules” was certainly true for most white males, but I’m not so sure it’s currently true for “most Americans.” Here’s what AI had to say about it:
Data suggests this traditional bargain is increasingly strained. While the belief that hard work leads to success is a cornerstone of the U.S., only about 49% of Americans feel satisfied with the opportunities to get ahead today, a significant drop from 76% in 2001.
The erosion of this promise is driven by factors like stagnant wages, automation, and skyrocketing costs for essentials like housing and healthcare. National polling from organizations like Pew Research shows deeply divided public sentiment regarding whether the American Dream is still achievable.
Electability Democrats/Progressive/Green Party
No surprise here.
In my youth, starting at the bottom, you could live decently while working your way toward a lifelong career. Jobs and communities were solid and dependable. Today, bottom-up jobs are rare. The only example I can think of where this is still mostly true for white guys is the military. It was true for all military personnel two years ago, but no longer within the Department of War, where only white male warriors are welcome.
I am Moderate Right/Populist. Probably no surprise there…
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