Even in 2016, plenty of people who fancy themselves to be enlightened beings generally think that The Real Racists are, on balance, all those people whining about racism. Sure we all condemn people in actual hoods carrying lynching ropes, but isn't the hoodie really more scary?
Part of the DC bubble is people who think that they're liberal even though they really aren't very liberal. Sure the the elitist coastal enclaves are more Democratic and on average more liberal, but that doesn't mean most of the people are actually especially liberal. Really woke of you to have gay friends, but that's not all that it's about.