Losing an election is a an opportunity for reflection. Its also an opportunity for airing pet peeves. Unfortunately, as the Democrats post-election conversation proves, the two are often one and the same, especially when it comes to identity. Donald Trumps victory has unleashed a flood of complaints that Democrats are too wrapped up in identity politics. Column after column, and story after story pin at least some of the blame on Democrats defeat on spending too much time on identity politics. Related Donald Trumps Cabinet picks are a prelude to his consolidating power in his hands alone As bad as the choices are, what really matters is how Trump is already acting like a dictator. Of course, its easy to make that accusation in retrospect. Its also wrong. Dive deeper every day Join our newsletter for thought-provoking commentary that goes beyond the surface of LGBTQ+ issues Subscribe to our Newsletter today For one thing, Kamala Harris never went all in on identity politics. If anything, she underplayed the issue. The critics blame the left, a large, faceless group, for taking control of the party and pushing it into unfriendly territory. Then there is the phrase itself, which is insulting. It diminishes the quest for equal rights by characterizing it as a fringe issue. For another, its applied solely to women, non-white groups, and the LGBTQ+ community. No one is talking about college-graduate identity politics. Indeed, many of the people arguing against identity politics are actually arguing for a different form of identity politics. For example, consider the column that Harry J. Holzer, a professor of public policy at Georgetown and a senior fellow at Brookings, wrote for The Hill,I strongly believe Democrats must tone down their very heavy focus on race and gender issues which are divisive and appeal primarily to the college-educated, while turning off most men and the working class. So womens issues are identity politics. Mens concerns are not, and white peoples arent. Whats silly about Holzers comments is that the reason why Democrats played so heavily to womens concerns this time out is because the support of women was a big reason why they succeeded beyond their expectations in 2022. If Democrats had won this time out, there would have been as many articles praising the success of identity politics as there are articles now condemning it.Nowhere is the sniping worse than when it comes to trans issues. Democrats who think they hold the key to understanding the electoral loss insist that trans issues played a big role in Harris defeat. The Democrats have to stop pandering to the far left, Rep. Tom Suozzi said after he won his election in suburban New York. I dont want to discriminate against anybody, but I dont think biological boys should be playing in girls sports. Rep. Seth Moulton expressed a similar sentiment. So wheres the evidence that trans issues affected the outcome of the election? There isnt any. Republicans spent a fortune on anti-trans ads, but that doesnt mean they were effective. That hasnt stopped political reporters from presenting the issue as if it were true, as opposed to just speculation. Moulton, a one-time presidential candidate, was given a big feature in The New York Times as the Democrat picking a fight with his party over transgender rights. (Moulton, who has a pro-trans voting record, said the story focused on trans issues despite being part of a long conversation about the problems of Democrats and how we cant relate to people in America.) Of course, no one talks about Republican identity politics. Being a white evangelical is as much an identity as being Black or trans. Indeed, after Mitt Romneys loss in 2012, the GOP actually undertook a post mortem that concluded that the party was too narrowly focused and needed to expand its outreach to voters, including gay voters, by being more compassionate. With Trump, the party moved in the opposite direction.The simplest explanation for Harris loss is that people werent happy with the economy. Joe Biden hanging on as long as he did hurt Democrats as well. The Democrats didnt have a compelling message about the price of eggs and paid the price for it. Immediately jumping to the conclusion that Democrats are in dire straits as a result is quite the leap. Frankly, nothing was likely to overcome peoples heartburn over the lingering effects of inflation. There are other complicating factors. Certainly one thing that the pundits arent taking into account is the environment of disinformation that social media has enabled, making it harder for reason to puncture lies. The other issue that people seem to forget is that Trump didnt win by a landslide. He didnt win a majority of voters, and his margin of victory was a slender 1.6% (and shrinking as vote counts are finalized.) Trump has proclaimed this a powerful mandate, when in fact its anything but. Hes abetted in his hyperbole by the media, which make his win sound like Ronald Reagans 1984 blowout. Perhaps the best comment on post-election debate comes from Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI). Schatz told New York Magazine that he doesnt know what went wrong. But what he does know that he doesnt buy the armchair analyses that the media love.I happen to be wary of anybody who thinks this result vindicates their particular policy worldview, whether people think we were too far to the left, or not populist enough, or not pro-Israel enough, or not pro-Palestinian enough, he said. I am deeply suspicious of anybody who uses this result just to advocate for what they wanted all along.Subscribe to theLGBTQ Nation newsletterand be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.