They'd rather talk about someone else's latrine than my employment.

How should the DPJ change in the future?

We should convey respect to plumbers, hairdressers, carpenters, roofers, tile workers, eh field workers, and others who work with their hands dirty. We should recognize the value of hard labor and the work of workers who shower (sweat it out after, not before) their jobs. They take pride in their own work. But I don't see any respect in the attitude of the Democrats. 'You can't eat at a job where you have to use both hands anymore. You have to go through an educational program, get a degree. You have to work with computers." I'm sick and tired of that kind of language. The Democrats have told workers that they are the "party of the worker and the common man," but all the Democrats and anti-Trumps seem to do is argue in the media about whether sexual minorities should use the men's or women's bathroom. I heard the complaint during the campaign that "the Democrats are more interested in talking about someone else's (sexual minorities') bathroom than my employment."

But the Democratic Party has championed minority rights, as symbolized by the civil rights movement since the 1960s. Isn't that a credit to U.S. liberalism? Exactly. We stand on the side of the disaffected, the oppressed (by prejudice and discrimination). That is the raison d'etre of the Democratic Party. But not in the wrong order. Labor issues such as employment and wages are the greatest concern for all. This should be at the center. Imagine a dinner table. Abortion, sexual minority rights advocacy, the "Black Lives Matter" movement, and other issues that liberals focus on today are all important, but they are side dishes, not main courses in an election. The center of the table should always be meat or fish and the economic issue of jobs and wages for workers. When Trump is touting, "Tonight's main dish is a big, juicy steak," the Democrats sound like they are saying, "The main dish is broccoli. It sounds like he's saying, "The main course is broccoli, and it's healthy."

Ryuichi Kananari

Reporto Trump Kingdom 2: The Rust Belt Revisited

---