Will Progressive Racism Hurt Democrats in 2020?
Democrats and the Big Media have a serious problem called progressive racism. The Big Media’s obsession with former Vice President Joe Biden’s (D-Delaware) miniscule presidential prospects exemplifies Progressive Racism.
Tellingly, the professional odds makers do not share the media’s faith in Biden. For example, the OddsShark website gave three theoretical Democratic presidential contenders better odds of reaching the nomination.
In detail, OddsShark gave Biden 1400 to one odds to win the Presidential election.However, Oddshark gave U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-California), former Congressman Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas), and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders(I-Vermont) better odds than Biden. For example, Oddshark gave Harris and O’Rourke odds of 1,000 to one, while Sanders received odds of 1,400 in the OddsShark prediction market.
Nor is it just, OddsShark, O’Rourke was leading the polling for 2020 Democratic nominee at the PredictIt probability market on 9 December2018. In detail, PredictIt‘s results show Sanders and Harris tied at second place. Notably, PredictIt ranks Biden number four behind O’Rourke,Sanders, and Harris.
Is the Big Media Motivated by Progressive Racism?
Despite the oddsmakers’ conclusions, the media is full of Biden presidential speculation. For instance, many news outlets are covering Biden’s bizarre remarks about beating up Donald J. Trump.
I think progressive racism, sexism, and religious prejudice are motivating this coverage; because Biden is a “white man” and a Roman Catholic Christian. Meanwhile, Harris is half-Indian and half African-American, and Sanders is a non-religious Jew. On the other hand, O’Rourke is white, but many people think he is Hispanic because he uses the Mexican nickname “Beto.”
Consequently,the Biden stories tell us more about the prejudices in America’s newsrooms than anybody’s presidential odds. To clarify, I think a lot of the educated white progressive journalists refuse to believe a woman of color, a Mexican-American, or a Jew can be president.
The Progressive Media’s Obsession with a Great White Presidential Hope
I have to wonder where these people have been for the past 20 years. I seem to remember a brown-skinned President named Barrack Hussein Obama (D-Illinois).
Nor is it just the national media who are obsessed with finding a great white presidential hope. Denver-area media, in particular, are obsessed with the tiny presidential prospects of Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper (D-Denver).
Notably,I could not find Hickenlooper’s name on any of the prediction markets.Importantly, like Biden, Hickenlooper is a white man. Thus the media will ignore candidates of color and Jewish Americans with serious chances in favor of white long shots.
Is it Progressive Racism or Lazy Journalism?
To be fair, laziness is probably as big a motivator for journalists here as racism. To explain, most Americans do not know who Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke are.In addition, non-political junkies could be unfamiliar with Sanders.
However,most readers and viewers will be familiar with Biden. Instead of explaining who Bernie, Kamala, and Beto are journalists run with the name readers will recognize.
Notably,this keeps with the classic journalism school lesson of writing everything fora person with an eighth grade education. My suspicion is that the average American eighth grader might recognize Biden; but does not understand who Sanders, Harris, and O’Rourke are. Moreover, almost everybody in Colorado knows who Hickenlooper is.
Democrats Need to Move beyond Progressive Racism to win
The Democrats need to worry about such progressive racism because it can cost them elections.
For example,in 2008 and 2012, the African-American Obama easily beat white Republicans. Yet in 2016, Donald J. Trump (R-New York) spectacularly defeated the Democrats’ all-white ticket of Hillary Clinton (D-New York) and U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia).
Notably, the number of African-Americans voting fell by 4.7% between 2012 and 2017, The Washington Post claims. I have to wonder how many blacks stayed home; or voted for Trump because of Clinton and Kaine’s skin color.
How Progressive Racism makes Voter Suppression worse
Obviously, voter suppression played a role in the decline.However, I do not believe Republicans can suppress enough African-American votes to affect a presidential election.
On the other hand, progressive racism can magnify the effects of voter suppression in two ways. First, narrow-minded white Democrats ignore the importance of voters of color.
For instance, Democrats and journalists ignored blatant and well-organized voter suppression efforts in several states until after the Trump victory. In fact,some Republicans were publicly bragging about the success of their voter suppression and “journalists” did not notice.
Second,Democratic strategists and candidates only target white voters and ignore everybody else. For example, the former Democratic Chairperson Donna Brazile notes Hillary refused to campaign on African American media in 2016 in her book Hacks.
Political strategist Steve Phillips goes even farther in his fascinating book Brown is the New White.Prophetically, Phillips accused Democrats of being “Blinded by the White” in a book written before the 2016 election.
How Progressive Racism helped Trump
Phillips charges a small cadre of white campaign professionals dominates the Democratic Party.
Additionally,those professionals only care about white swing voters (mostly suburban soccer moms) and ignore everybody else, Phillips alleges. Hence, Democratic strategists ignore rural whites, white men, people of color, and working people.
Thus the Democrats knew of the dangers of Progressive Racism: and related bigotries, before the2016 election and ignored the warning. Donald J. Trump, on the other hand, seems to have paid attention.
To explain, Trump understood he could win by doubling down on racist rhetoric; because Democrats were not mobilizing people of color. Additionally, Trump knew he could count on both overt and covert sympathy within America’s newsrooms and executive suites.
Can the Democrats Overcome Progressive Racism?
Therefore, overcoming Progressive Racism could be the Democrats’ key to victory in 2020.
Unfortunately, there are still many examples of Progressive Racism in the Democratic leadership. For example, only one woman of color; U.S. Representative Barbara Lee (D-California) is among the incoming Democratic House leadership.
Reavlingly, the Democrats had to create a special “role” for Lee to put a woman of color in the class photos of their “leadership team,” Vox charges. Hence, Progressive Racism is alive and well on Capitol Hill. However, the Democrats know of the problem and are trying to deal with it.
Why Progressive Racism will die in 2020
I think Democrats will overcome Progressive Racism because they want to win elections.
If the only way Democrats can win is with candidates of color, they will run candidates of color. However, there will be progressive racist pundits, strategists, policy wonks, intellectuals, and journalists who will do everything in their power to block those candidates.
The progressive racists will fail because politics; like sports, is ultimately about results. Notably, professional sports only overcame its historic racism when coaches and owners realized they needed nonwhite players to win.
Democratic leaders, contributors, and strategists will reluctantly support candidates of color because they want to win. Moreover, like the NFL and the NBA the Democrats will give racists the boot if they threaten the prospects of victory.
Thus,most of the progressive racists in the newsrooms and the Democratic Party will vote and campaign for Kamala Harris in 2020. Notably, I think many of them will learn to keep their mouths shut to protect their jobs.
I predict 2020 will be the year progressive racism dies in the Democratic Party. Thus, 2020 could be year many progressive racists switch to the Republicans. If Republicans are smart, they will say no to progressive racism because such bigotry is a surefire prescription for defeat in modern America.
Why Progressive Racists will Back Trump in 2020
One final thought, if an African American; or Beto O’Rourke, is the Democratic nominee in 2020. I expect to see a few prominent progressive white intellectuals come out of the closet and campaign for the Republican.
Pathetically, those individuals will justify their switch by claiming they are “standing up for working-class whites.” In addition many of them will say “I am not a racist because I voted for Obama.”
In particular, I predict that some major leftist thought leaders will disgrace themselves by campaigning for Donald J. Trump (R-New York); if he runs in 2020. This betrayal will shock the “woke” intelligentsia but I believe it will happen.
Progressive racism runs deep in America and no amount of political correctness will rectify it. Only a refusal to tolerate bigotry and its practitioners will end progressive racism.