Identity Politics

I've been thinking about identity politics. It's an inelegant term, but one that does contain some meaning (which puts it one up on many other political cliches). If I understand correctly it applies to how who we are plays in the political sphere. It's why starting an African-American studies program in a local college is a political issue. It's also how being both an church-going member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the Mormons) and being a moderate liberal Democrat creates a certain amount of conflict.

For those who don't know, Mormons tend to be conservative and Republican. Utah and Idaho, our two states with the highest percentage of Mormon Population, went overwhelmingly for President Bush in the last election. And of course the perception of liberal Democrats is that we aren't religious.

So there is a perceived conflict in my life. And there are dozens of conservative pundits who want to widen this perceived gap for political gain. The President and Karl Rove have also played off this gap as well. Conservatives would love it if we would all just accept that being a liberal Democrat automatically divorces one his or her religious beliefs.

To be fair there are Democrats who do the same thing from the other side (To be a real liberal you can't be a believer), but they are far fewer in number and are not taken nearly as seriously.

This "divorce" makes me furious, on a number of levels. Suffice to say that I am both a liberal Democrat and a church-going Mormon and I see no great conflict between the two. And anybody who wants to suggest such a conflict should exist or does exist can kiss an unpleasant part of my anatomy. I haven't decided which one yet--possibly my elbow, I rarely wash it as well as I should.