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Congratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
Can't we normalize female and non-white candidates?
Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) is on a roll climbing in the polls, raising doubts about the front-runners electability (take that, newspaper meme creators!) and finding her voice by mixing personal experiences and policy. Instead of the fuzzy Kamala for the people, she now has We must right that wrong
write a new chapter in Americas story. Shes taken her performance up a notch, although a Howard University classmate tells me that weve yet to see all that she can offer.
When she sat down for an interview with the Associated Press, however, we were back to electability questions. (For goodness sake, does Sen. Bernie Sanders or Beto ORourke ever get asked about this?) Questions about policy details werent in the published interview, and neither were any questions about the census. (It would have been interesting to hear a lawyer from a state that would be adversely affected by inclusion of a citizenship question talk about one of the top issues of the day.) Questions about her uniqueness and Americans willingness to embrace a black woman remain the obsession of much of the coverage:
This is akin to what Hillary Clinton went through, when her status as a woman transfixed the press. Its often that way for a first as the media and to some extent the public fixate on the attributes of the candidates otherness rather than on the basics of the campaign. And yes, its harder for women and for African Americans to treated without regard to their race and gender. (Does anyone ask Julián Castro if a Hispanic man is electable? They ask about his immigration plans.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/08/two-women-two-interviews-two-sets-expectations/?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.5666f5996998
When she sat down for an interview with the Associated Press, however, we were back to electability questions. (For goodness sake, does Sen. Bernie Sanders or Beto ORourke ever get asked about this?) Questions about policy details werent in the published interview, and neither were any questions about the census. (It would have been interesting to hear a lawyer from a state that would be adversely affected by inclusion of a citizenship question talk about one of the top issues of the day.) Questions about her uniqueness and Americans willingness to embrace a black woman remain the obsession of much of the coverage:
Jill Louis, a Dallas attorney who was Harris sorority sister at Howard University, said questions about her electability say more about voters than Harris as a candidate.
When women and people of color are ready to represent themselves, all they have to do is vote and it happens, Louis said. People are holding themselves back. The obstacle is peoples own disbelief in their own power.
This is akin to what Hillary Clinton went through, when her status as a woman transfixed the press. Its often that way for a first as the media and to some extent the public fixate on the attributes of the candidates otherness rather than on the basics of the campaign. And yes, its harder for women and for African Americans to treated without regard to their race and gender. (Does anyone ask Julián Castro if a Hispanic man is electable? They ask about his immigration plans.)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/07/08/two-women-two-interviews-two-sets-expectations/?tid=ss_tw&utm_term=.5666f5996998
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
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Can't we normalize female and non-white candidates? (Original Post)
demmiblue
Jul 2019
OP
Warren seems to be marching to the beat of her own drummer, isn't holding back,...
SouthernProgressive
Jul 2019
#2
But the questions about his electability have nothing to do with his race or gender
StarfishSaver
Jul 2019
#5
Those questions directed towards Sanders being a statistical aberration or standard?
LanternWaste
Jul 2019
#7
saidsimplesimon
(7,888 posts)1. Je deteste
repeating reichwing headlines, even if the intent is to destroy the premise. I'm feeling grumpy today, not my usual tolerant self.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
SouthernProgressive
(1,810 posts)2. Warren seems to be marching to the beat of her own drummer, isn't holding back,...
and is doing solid in the polls. From what I am seeing she is being given a very solid look by people.
I really don't see any articles blaming others for her position. Nevertheless, she persists.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
unc70
(6,115 posts)3. Yes, Bernie does get asked that
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
StarfishSaver
(18,486 posts)5. But the questions about his electability have nothing to do with his race or gender
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
unc70
(6,115 posts)6. Some did have to do with religion
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)7. Those questions directed towards Sanders being a statistical aberration or standard?
That too, is directly relevant vis-a-vis the overall context.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to demmiblue (Original post)
StarfishSaver This message was self-deleted by its author.
Celerity
(43,416 posts)8. Amy Klobuchar has a great quote
Meanwhile, on Meet the Press, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) was spared the electability inquisition and allowed to make a critical point about many of her and Bidens opponents:
When it comes to how we move our country forward on health care, you know I want a public option. And Im very concerned about some of these plans that would kick half of America off of their insurance. I dont agree with that. And I think that we should make college much more affordable. But we want to make sure that that money is going to the people that need it, and not to a bunch of rich kids. And I have made that very clear. But what I do know is that we are much more unified against Donald Trump. And we have things that we disagree on. But in the end, we will come together. And the Republican Party, by the way, they basically are saying right now to Donald Trump, How far can we jump? How high can we jump to be just like you? Im glad we have some differences. Thats why we have the debates. But the most important thing is that we put a candidate on top of that ticket thats going to be able to unify us and win and beat Donald Trump.
She continued to make the case for more centrist policies. Therere a lot of people making promises. And Im not going to make promises just to get elected, she said of her opponents. I am not running for chair of the Democratic National Committee. I am running for president of the United States. And that means you bring people together. And you find that common ground in our own party.
She ticked through her bold plans: I want to double the Pell Grant. Thatll help so many kids when you go up to $12,000 a year, double the eligibility up to $100,000 a family, where you can actually get those grants. I want to move forward with a public option and finally take on the pharmaceutical companies that are boosting up the cost of insulin so regular people cant even afford it. She underscored that whats most important to the people of America is we actually get those things done. In other words, if youre to the left of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, how do you win the presidency? That might be a good question to start asking the progressive candidates about their elaborate plans.
That shows promise an interview in which a female candidate is treated as a candidate without a modifier (female, black, gay, etc.), not like a unicorn in a herd of stallions.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden