The Absurdity Of Identity Politics

Local blogger and history prof, Art Pitz, has a post up called Hillary v. Obama: Historical Reflections on the Upcoming Iowa Caucuses.

Until the end, this is a fine overview of how both blacks and women got the right to vote. Pitz says it wasn’t until 1964/l965 that “black men and all women would finally achieve equality.”

I certainly have no quibble with that. But unfortunately, the good professor wades into treacherous “progressive” identity politics with his final quote:

Political progressives face a choice this coming year similar to the one their forebears struggled with in 1870. Whose time is it? Is there any way it could be both?

A few observations here:

1. Does the Good Professor mean to say that “progressives” have struggled with the uterus v. melanin question for 130 years, and still haven’t figured it out?

2. Concerning the question: “Is there any way it could be both?”, the answer would be Condi Rice, but she isn’t exactly the darling of the “progressives”, is she?

3. If it’s true that “progressives” are faced with the choice between body parts and skin pigment, rather than actual policy positions, doesn’t that say something damning about “progressives”?