Across America’s cities, voters are driving out progressives – The Post

None of this suggests that Republicans will inherit the cities. The demographic shifts in recent years have eroded the party s potential base of middle- and working-class white ethnic groups, who are being replaced by both minorities and millennials, both of whom vote heavily Democratic. 

The key here is a potential coalition of moderate Democrats with conservatives and family-oriented multi-racial groups. This is the formula that two decades ago helped elect reformist mayors from both parties across the country, ranging from Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg in New York, to Richard Riordan in Los Angeles, to Ed Rendell in Philadelphia. Their elections played a critical role in the reduction of crime and economic resurgence in all these cities.

Like now, progressive politics, lax law enforcement and stupefying regulations brought these cities close to bankruptcy and decay. But today, the problem is arguably worse: an influx of undocumented immigrants and soaring real estate prices have made the situation near untenable for Democratic leaders. 

The real struggle, however, will take place largely within the Democratic Party. This conflict has been intensified by shocks from the Israel-Palestine conflict, with cities tending to have both large Jewish and Muslim populations. Disruptions and violence have become commonplace in metropolises like New York, the world s second-largest Jewish city after Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles, the fifth-largest.

via unherd.com

Joel Kotkin thinks happy thoughts.