It's the 1960's and 70's all over again. And we know how well that turned out....

[Armstead]

An entrenched power structure that refused to yield and behaved badly. An apathetic majority who were just as happy to allow racial, economic and social inequality and injustice to continue, as long as they got their share of the booty.

A segment of idealistic activists who were willing to put themselves on the line to bring about positive change.
A protest movement that brought issues to the fore, and led to pressures that made some improvements.

But those pushing for change were segmented into hard core ideologues and those who shared their goals but not tactics. A lack of understanding among many activists that you need to talk to people on their terms to get them on your side. A lot of circular firing squads that made them all ultimately ineffectual.

A reaction from the more boneheaded segment of the apathetic majority to the excesses of the protest movement.

A conservative/corporate movement and GOP that was willing to exploit these problems. A sharp group of GOP operatives who knew how to talk to the "Silent Majority" -- and misdirect their anger to a believe that those "hippies/angry negroes/athiests/welfare queens/hedonists/queers/intellectuals/Big Liberal Government" were the reason that their paychecks were starting to shrink, their taxes were too high and things were going downhill economically

The combination of circular firing squads on the "left," expert manipulation by the right-wing corporate crowd, misplaced anger among the middle and working classes and hopelessness among the poor.....the inevitable result: Nixon, Reagan, a GOP dominance, an abandonment of Liberalism by the Democratic Party.......etc.

......and on to today. When the results have placed the majority of Americans in a slowly boiling pot of water. But on the bright side, at least a recognition by more of those in the cooking pot that they are in trouble and things need to change.

But instead of learning from the past, we are repeating it.

[Kurska]

1. Identity politics are destroying us

It is ripping the left apart right now. If we don't get our heads out of our arses and start acting with unity we'll be witnessing a demoralized and unenthusiastic core electorate.

[HFRN]

2. intelligent point

[bigtree]

3. I remember that the left was blamed for political ground lost

...I also remember that the political establishment acquiesced in pushing activists away from the core of political influence by forming 'moderate' coalitions which compromised on many of the demands of the left to the point where they lost much of the activists' support.

[Armstead]

4. So do I

One of the circular firing squads along the way.

My point in the OP was that we have an abundance of lessons and mistakes from recent history to learn from. Rather than repeating them, perhaps we might all take off out respective blinders, discuss things honestly but respectfully, and try and learn and apply what we learn.

That means all of us, BTW.

[bigtree]

5. that's going to be more of a bumpy ride than folks might want to accept

...there are a lot of preconceptions among our Democratic fold that our generation is sufficiently enlightened and solid enough in our beliefs that, maybe, extreme protest and uncompromising revolution is unnecessary to effect the changes we want. Just elect Bernie (or Hillary, or Martin), for example and we'll usher in a new age of progressive change. If we're truly enlightened by the experiences of our past, we will realize that power doesn't concede willingly, and societal change requires both a hammer and a lever. That's not the most efficient process, but demolition and reconstruction never has been or will be.

[Ken Burch]

6. Bernie's supporters have never argued that electing him was enough.

Unlike all the other campaigns, the Sanders campaign is a full-fledged social movement.

[Armstead]

7. Ulimately politics is just one part of it

A lot of aspects are involved. Including a lot of "chicken and egg" dilemmas.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. No, it's the 1920s and 30s again.

The question: will we be the US, or Germany?

[Armstead]

11. On another level, that too

[mmonk]

9. Not really. Strides were made.

The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare, the war on poverty even if it was mismanaged later, etc..

[Armstead]

10. The, er, mismanagement is part of the bigger problem

yes strides were made on many levels.

But the bigger slide backward slide is outweighing them...