Since President Bill Clinton’s famous “mend it, don’t end it” advice on affirmative action, the Democrats have faced challenges regarding its place within the party. While the party has been vocal about their support for abortion rights and expanding financial aid for higher education, affirmative action has remained unpopular among much of the public. However, the recent Supreme Court ruling against race-conscious college admissions has presented an opportunity for Democrats to shift the discussion from race to class. With the court’s decision, Democrats can now focus on outreach to working-class voters who have felt alienated by the party’s elitism.
The question now is whether the party will capitalize on this opportunity. Ruy Teixeira, author of the upcoming book “Where Have All the Democrats Gone?”, believes that the Democrats should seize this chance to shift away from identity-based issues. He suggests that it’s time for the class to take center stage in the party’s agenda.
In recent years, conservative voters have been more energized by the composition of the Supreme Court than liberals. However, since the court’s conservative transformation under Donald J. Trump, the dynamic has shifted. Democrats have gained momentum and secured victories in critical elections. The court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in 2022, in particular, has mobilized Democratic voters and dealt blows to Republicans.
Ironically, the success of Republicans before the new court may have deprived them of strong issues to rally voters for the upcoming 2024 elections. Several Republican presidential candidates had centered their campaigns around opposing affirmative action. However, with the court’s recent religious exemptions for those opposed to gay marriage and last year’s Dobbs decision, some social issues may lose their potency for conservatives.
In a way, the conservative-dominated Supreme Court is unintentionally doing the political work that benefits Democrats. The court’s decisions on abortion rights, affirmative action, and student debt relief have angered progressive Democrats. However, the rulings may also help Democrats who support financial aid, such as expanded Pell grants and scholarships, which reduce the burden of student loans. Democrats have long advocated for these grant programs and loan forgiveness for graduates pursuing public service. The recent court decisions may give a boost to these efforts.
While the Supreme Court’s decision to deem race-based college admissions unconstitutional has sparked outrage among key Democratic groups, such as Black, Hispanic, and Asian American communities, Democrats acknowledge that it will be difficult to revive affirmative action, student loan forgiveness, and abortion rights in the near future. The 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court makes it a constitutional challenge.
Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist, believes that the party should seize this moment to broaden its outreach to the working class. He suggests that incorporating class consciousness alongside racial and ethnic awareness aligns with President Biden’s vision of benefiting workers through legislative achievements. The investments in infrastructure, electric vehicles, broadband, and semiconductor manufacturing that create jobs, especially union jobs, may help Democrats appeal to voters across red and blue states.
However, Democrats cannot disregard issues of bigotry, discrimination, and civil rights due to the anger within their party base. The Supreme Court’s decision to side with a web designer who refused to provide services for same-sex marriages based on First Amendment rights cannot be separated from decisions on affirmative action, student loans, and abortion. Democrats must navigate these issues while also focusing on class.
Ruy Teixeira believes that while pivoting from racial and ethnic identity to class is an obvious solution to the party’s underlying problems, there will be tremendous pressure in the short term to resist this shift. The initial Democratic response to the Supreme Court’s actions did not prioritize economic hardship in college admissions. Instead, Democrats focused on dismantling other privileges, such as legacy admissions for the children and grandchildren of alumni from elite institutions. They argue that equal opportunity should be the goal.
Republicans see an opportunity to attack Democrats based on their response to the court’s decision. Affirmative action has long been a political advantage for Republicans, and they are eager to exploit Democratic outrage. However, the Supreme Court’s decisions also offer Democrats a way forward by emphasizing class. While the affluent may still have access to abortions and elite education, those facing economic struggles, regardless of race, are now at a disadvantage. This presents an opportunity for Democrats to shift their focus and campaign on opening opportunities for all, including alternative forms of education like union training programs, apprenticeships, trade schools, and community colleges.
Democratic representatives Marilyn Strickland and Bobby Scott support this recalibration away from elite institutions and toward more inclusive opportunities. Strickland emphasizes the importance of respecting all types of education, while Scott acknowledges that this shift may create some challenges but believes it’s necessary in order to campaign on opening opportunities for everyone.
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