A simple Prism to the see local Democrats' internal rivalries

ILLUSTRATED: There is an internecine rivalry within the Democratic Party between those concerned with the inputs to the government process, and those concerned with the substance of the output.

"Education, followed by trade, and maybe coal."  That’s the answer to the question what the main issue is dividing the Democratic Party in the mid 2010s.  At all levels of government, especially the local level, I see most issues in this civil war as being along a fault line of Inputs vs. Outputs.

Ask an unreconstructed liberal what is means to be a Democrat, and they will talk about adherence to processes like supporting traditional public school systems and unionized civil servants.  They will talk about robust funding and authority for the 2% who run our public institutions (Reaganites believe in cutting taxes and accountability in the 2% who control capital).  Currently, New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio is the totem politician for this wing.

The other wing of the Democratic party, again this manifests itself mostly at the local level, is what Edward Luce called “McKinsey Democrats.”  These are data driven, wonks who are focused on the substance of public policy outcomes.  In a profile of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, (perhaps the best article on urban politics I have ever read) Luce described how the mayor works with private entities to fund and effect municipal goals.

De Blasio is criticized by “reformers,” and Emanuel is criticized by a lot of traditional Democratic constituencies like union households.  Just a guess, but as more civic data analytics comes online and public knowledge, the leverage will shift to the  Emanuels of the party.