While I've been hesitant to join in some of the more heated conversations about these topics of late, I have read with interest a few diaries and comment threads related to them. Forgive me for overgeneralizing, but I've found a common, even if minority, opinion among the left that identity politics are somehow secondary to the real issues that Americans face, and that identity politics somehow distracts us from that.
From where I stand this should be obviously and blatantly false, but I suppose I forget that if one is a member of the default American brand, it would be easy (although incredibly lazy) to view it through that prism. The fact is that identity politics and income inequality are, and always have been, inextricably linked.
Let's do the jump and discuss this topic with some clarity.