Democrats talk a lot about their devotion to diversity, identity politics and political correctness. While it has been the Party’s mantra for generations, it has never been true. The Democrats’ historic and contemporary oppression of blacks wherever they govern is a huge example of the Party’s institutional hypocrisy. The claim to be the Party of minorities, women and gays, but their on-the-ground treatment of each of those groups tells quite a different story.
The Party of diversity is now in the process of selecting its presidential candidate for the 2020 election. Whether this is some ironic coincidence or an indication of a systemic hypocrisy can be debated – the facts are the facts.
Democrats started out with 26 eager-beaver candidates. They seemed to represent most of the major so-called interest groups. There were the traditional old white men, younger white men and even a new generation white guy. There were blacks – men and women. An openly gay guy. An Asian. A candidate with Indian blood and even one who at least claimed Native American ancestry. Though most were Christians, there were Jews in contention for the first time.
It really looked good in terms of looking like America – at least for that moment. But as the field began to winnow down, the real bedrock views – and maybe prejudices – of the average Democrat voter appear to have emerged.
While it is too early to know the outcomes, the recent polls suggest that three white guys are in first, second and third place – with former Vice President Joe Biden at around 3o percent, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders at 22 percent and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg at 18 percent – with Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren at 17 percent…
It is true that Warren and California Senator Kamala Harris momentarily entered the top three positions, but Warren has been relegated – at least temporarily — to a close fourth and Harris has been whack-a-moled completely out of the race.
The diversity candidates– such as New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Julian Castro, businessman Andrew Yang, Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar and a couple of others – are struggling to get out of low single digits.
The rules that Democrats established for their candidates do not seem to be treating the coveted people of color very well. Booker and Castro are already complaining about the lack of minority representation in the December debate – meaning they did not make the cut. Apparently – with Yang in the debate – they have disregarded the current Democrat racial philosophy that anyone who is NOT European white is a “person of color.” It is such a dubious categorization that it could include Arabs, Greeks, Italians and Hamilton – George, not Alexander.
If one was inclined to bet this early in the presidential season, the best odds suggest that the Democrats will nominate an old – very old — and rich white male as their presidential standard bearer regardless of what New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez thinks about it.
So, there ‘tis.