This is such a thought-provoking post with many complex issues raised, and one thing that struck me is that you frequently used the term "we" - this is not a criticism. It just reminds me that for years I used to identify with the "left", but over the past 10 to 15 years I've completely broken away from identity politics. This has given me a freedom to express a few non-leftist ideas and actually be friends with conservatives!
I'm slightly joking here, but I do see things very differently these days, and I think the whole left/right paradigm allows people to be manipulated. One example is the way that many Obama supporters overlooked the military atrocities that happened during his term and the police brutality, in their efforts to portray him in a good light. Yet simply by pointing out the flaws in his administration, I would be seen as a far right Trump supporter, which I am certainly not. I am from the UK, and if I was a US citizen I would probably not vote at all, or vote for a minority party. This polarisation of views is a kind of cognitive dissonance that has people doing mental gymnastics to justify their side of the argument while some of the causes they support are unsupported, or worse as a result.
In effect, it meant that during the Obama term, the "left" who would normally be out marching in the streets against atrocities like drone strikes on innocent people, were effectively silenced for eight years. The debate on many issues was silenced, as many "progressives" were concerned about appearing racist or ideologically unsound.