| James Carville goes off on 'wokeness'  James Carville changed the face of Democratic politics when he spearheaded the election of Bill Clinton in 1992.
Gone were the New Deal echoes. In their place was Third Way-ism -- the idea that liberalism had run its course in the country and the way for Democrats to win was to find a new, more moderate path in between the two traditional parties.
All of which is a long-winded way of saying that Carville was far ahead of his time -- and managed to set a course for Democrats to win the popular vote in seven of the last eight presidential contests -- dating back to 1992.
So when Carville speaks about the state of the Democratic Party, he's very much worth listening to. Carville did just that -- speak -- in an interview with Vox's Sean Illing this week. And he went OFF on the PC culture of "wokeness" coursing through his party.
"Wokeness is a problem and everyone knows it. It's hard to talk to anybody today — and I talk to lots of people in the Democratic Party — who doesn't say this. But they don't want to say it out loud."
Asked by Illing why not, Carville responded succinctly: "Because they'll get clobbered or canceled."
Whether you agree with Carville or not, there's documented proof that he is right. The rise of former President Donald Trump was built on the idea that Democrats and the media were trying to tell you what you should think and feel. And if what you actually thought or felt was outside of that prescribed view, that you were out-of-step or intolerant or even a bigot.
In NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll conducted shortly after the 2018 midterm elections, a clear majority of people (52%) said they were "against the country becoming more politically correct and upset that there are too many things people can't say anymore." Just 36% said that they were "in favor of the United States becoming more politically correct and like when people are being more sensitive in their comments about others."
All of this has happened as the base of the Democratic Party has grown more liberal on virtually every issue, while the base of the Republican Party has grown even more conservative.
That latter trend is why Trump has now taken to blasting the enforcement of fair elections as "WOKE CANCEL CULTURE." He's using the term as a sort of umbrella description of anything he doesn't like, which, of course, is not the same thing as "wokeness" or "cancel culture."
But don't let Trump's ridiculousness distract you. Carville is tapping into a very real sentiment in the electorate, and one that goes well beyond just Republican base voters.
The Point: With the Democratic House and Senate majorities very much up for grabs next November, look for Republican candidates and leaders to try to make the midterm elections a referendum on "wokeness."
-- Chris QUOTE OF THE DAY "The bottom line is clear, if you're vaccinated, you can do more things, more safely, both outdoors as well as indoors." -- President Joe Biden, pushing new CDC mask guidance for vaccinated people as a reason why all Americans should get vaccinated. A WAGE BUMP FOR SOME  The Biden administration is getting its $15 an hour minimum wage -- kinda.
The President is expected to issue an executive order on Tuesday that increases federal contract workers' hourly minimum wage to $15 in early 2022, up from the current $10.95. It eliminates the tipped minimum wage, now $7.65 an hour, by 2024 and ensures that federal contract workers with disabilities also receive a minimum of $15 an hour.
Who exactly is a federal contract worker? They include cleaning professionals and maintenance workers, nursing assistants who care for veterans, cafeteria and other food service workers and laborers who build and repair federal infrastructure.
This all comes after Democrats' hopes for a nationwide $15 minimum wage were scuttled by the Senate parliamentarian earlier this year amid efforts to bundle the measure in the Covid-19 relief package.
CHRIS' GOOD READS The Census announcement of which states gained -- and lost -- congressional districts is my Super Bowl. I wrote some takeaways about what the new numbers tell us. But you should also read WaPo's Aaron Blake's take -- Blake's Take! -- on the numbers.
And if you've got time -- and money (since it's behind a subscriber wall) -- read the definitive state-by-state analysis by the Cook Political Report's David Wasserman.
This NPR look at the numbers surrounding Joe Biden's first 100 days is a nice refresher course in advance of his big speech tomorrow night. And take time to read this one by CNN's John Harwood on what Biden hopes to accomplish with the speech.
As the media world grapples with how much to focus on page views, subscriptions and other metrics, this DigiDay piece on the extremes Insider has gone to with its reporters is illuminating (and a little scary).
I've thought of moving to a deserted island before. But only one with terrific Wifi.
💬TUESDAY'S MUST-SEE TWEETS  1. Donald Trump had some thoughts about the Oscars Academy Awards 2. One map to rule them all 3. Is Tony Blair Doc Brown? Or LBJ? Or just "well-rested?" 4. How Crocs will save all of us
MUSICAL INTERLUDE Spiritiualized is re-issuing its first album -- from 1992 -- which was called "Lazer Guided Melodies." It was amazing then. It's just as amazing now.  Today's episode: America's emerging political power centers. SCOTT RISING?  Republican Sen. Tim Scott has walked between the Trump and establishment wings of the GOP better than just about anyone else.
In this latest episode of The Point, Chris explains why Scott could end up being the Republican frontrunner in 2024.  ONE BIG NATION 331 million The US population as of April 2020, according to the latest Census count. Over the last decade, the US population total increased by 7.35%. That's the slowest population growth since 1930-1940, the decade of the Great Depression. You are receiving this message because you subscribed to CNN's The Point with Chris Cillizza newsletter. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up now to get The Point in your inbox.
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