What do “DEI bike lanes,” voter-roll controversies, and immigration politics have in common?
Far more than the political establishment wants to admit.
In this episode, we unpack the New Jersey voter registration error that resulted in roughly 6,600 non-citizens being mistakenly added to the voter rolls and fewer than 400 casting ballots, as well as the growing backlash against bike lanes, transit investments, and other forms of public infrastructure. On the surface, these seem like separate controversies. Underneath, they’re part of the same struggle over who public institutions serve and who gets to shape the future of our communities.
There are no nonpartisan politics. The same crew that said Democrats and Republicans were basically the same—that both parties embraced a neoliberal consensus built around privatization, deregulation, real estate speculation, and releasing democracy to the anti-human and the anti-nature weaponry of finance and technology. Are now confused that bike lanes are included in this? White men are not exempt from the working class. WE THOUGHT you got that, but you seem surprised. Surprised that bicycles are called partisan when they clearly redistribute space, mobility, or political voice toward ordinary people- yes, that is partisan, because what do you think partisan means? There are two sides: the workers and the wealthy, and we thought that was the class reductionist’s thesis…what is your thesis exactly, because if its not about power, then maybe YOU ARE the one distracted…we’ll explore that later….
So why is a bike lane considered ideological, but a highway isn’t? See above. Why is expanding democratic participation considered political, while Citizens United and just generally corporate influence in government is treated as normal? Who benefits when every public investment is framed as a culture-war issue?
At Auto Asphixation, we explore how the real political divide, hegemony against the rest of us: workers, renters, transit riders, immigrants, and everyday residents on one side; and entrenched interests in tech, finance, real estate development, and concentrated wealth on the other.
Who gets to define safe? What does a safe street look like? Who gets representation? Who gets public investment? Who is told to shut their damn mouth? And who is really distracted by cultural battles? I think most of us get it; there is a select group who seemed to have forgotten about class analysis.
Whether the argument is about bike lanes, ballots, housing, or immigration, the real question isn’t red versus blue. It’s whether democracy serves ordinary people or entrenched power.
