At The Nation Aaron Coleman is skeptical that black voters will rally ’round Kamala Harris as they did for Barack Obama:
In spite of his cultural competency, Obama’s tenure oversaw an economic recovery that left many black families behind, and a proliferation of highly visible police brutality. Today, after both a long honeymoon and hangover with a charismatic black candidate, the code-switching playbook may be played out.
When Kamala Harris held her first presidential press conference at the her alma mater, Howard University, she hugged black students sporting black-and-gold Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity jackets and pink-and-green Alpha Kappa Alpha sweatshirts. She posed for pictures with beaming black women in their box braids and Afro-puffs. She shook hands with little curly-haired kids in Bison hoodies. Standing behind a placard modeled after Shirley Chisholm’s presidential design and in front of a plaque bearing Howard’s logo, Kamala conjured the imagery and legacy of the historically black University—a lineage that includes Toni Morrison, Thurgood Marshall, Zora Neale Hurston, Donny Hathaway, and more.
Yet all the pageantry doesn’t seem to be enough to distract from her policy record.
I think that black voters expected President Obama to “bring home the bacon” and when he did not do that they were disappointed. I suspect they will not be as easily misled by another black presidential candidate.
I have a larger question. Which are the most atypical states in the Union? As should surprise no one, Hawaii is the least typical, followed by Alaska. California is the third least typical state.
Within California Northern California is very different from Southern or Central California and within the San Francisco area Oakland is extremely atypical—demographically it’s a lot like Chicago.
About 30% of present day Americans are either immigrants or their children. In other words that’s atypical, too.
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with having a background or experience different from those of most Americans. Indeed, I like it. But I do think that it affects your understanding of Americans. Your instincts are understandably skewed.
I think it’s about time that we had a president whose life experience was more like that of most Americans than our last several and by that I don’t mean white. I mean not plutocrats, not aristocrats, and with more typical life experiences. I would vote for Cory Booker before I’d vote for Kamala Harris. IMO he’s more likely to understand typical Americans than Kamala Harris is.
If there’s one thing we learned (or should have learned) from Clinton’s loss in 2016, it’s that identity politics only go so far – at least in the general election. Primaries are much different as they’re heavily tilted toward activists.
“it’s that identity politics only go so far – at least in the general election.”
I disagree. Trump’s election was very much about identity politics, just a version that was more successful.
Back to Dave’s point, I very much agree with the idea of electing someone, at this time, who is more likely to actually understand most Americans. Wonder how many candidate actually meet that description? (Dont have the energy or desire to start looking at people this early.)
Steve
The issue that Harris faces is that she won’t be the only African-American in the race, and she won’t be the only candidate who can potentially appeal to African-American voter base in the Democratic field.
Cory Booker is also running, and as someone with roots in New Jersey and family still located there I would recommend that people not ignore his potential as more of an Obama-like candidate than Harris. Additionally, if Joe Biden gets in the race he potentially could benefit from his association with President Obama when it comes to the African-American demographic. Additionally, it seems likely that other candidates in the field will not repeat the mistake that Bernie Sanders did for much of the time he was running against Clinton for the nomination. As many may recall, notwithstanding the fact that Sanders could point to a long history of support for civil rights (including, I believe, having participated in the March on Washington when he was a younger man) he failed to do any real outreach with African-American voters and, especially in states like South Carolina, essentially ceded that demographic to Hillary. I doubt other candidates in the field will be doing that this time.
Cory made a strong impression in this general area when he was a mayor. Newark is a tough town and he has been out in it, not sitting back in the office. However, as a senator I have not been quite so impressed.
Steve
As the “next Obama” Cory Booker may be past his “sell by date”. Nearly fifty, jowly and bald, he doesn’t have the boyish, youthful, dreamily handsome good looks of Barrack Obama. His chances of reaching the “rock star status” Obama bore since the 2004 Democratic convention keynote address are slim. He’s Black, true, but so is Al Sharpton