A front page story by dailykos staff says the 2020 democratic nominee will not be a white guy, because that’s not where the democratic party is going. That may be true, but I think the post misses a bigger point — that America is at a crossroads, where we have such extreme economic and racial injustice that people are sick and tired of it. Observers from other industrial countries are shocked at the extreme poverty within this rich, democratic country.
The sentiment that it is wrong to have so many people sleeping on the streets, to have families in housing that is falling apart, to not be able to afford healthy food, or provide for your children. On the west coast, we see our streets overflowing with people sleeping on the streets, with drug addictions and mental illnesses compounding the problems, seemingly spiraling out of control. In the industrial belt, we’ve seen the middle class fall apart, as economic opportunities vanish and rural poverty grinds down hope. And, on our borders, we see increasing racial and economic conflicts and no easy resolution.
For too long, the democratic party hasn’t taken on these issues head on. Some of the excitement around Bernie Sanders was that he called out the extreme “billionaire class,” and argued for far more just economic policies; While others rightly say he did not call out racial injustice very much, or have great solutions in this area.
The Trump campaign tried to drive a wedge between the racial and economic justice voters, and he was successful enough to just barely get elected. But, I think this illusion has fallen apart, as the industrial belt and the deep south appear to be moving the most away from Republicans.
As a lifelong progressive, I believe that racial injustice and economic injustice are the same struggle. It is a struggle against the power by a few to have power distributed more equally to the many. And, yes, I am a white guy, but I am someone who grew up in poverty, and have worked to promote racial justice.
Most white people have no sense of racial identity. They don’t even identify much as white — they identify through their job, or religion, or class. So, they can’t conceive of the injustice that people of color see every day through the framing of our media, individual interactions and cultural norms. Trump took that ignorance and poisoned our politics by demonizing immigrants, latinos, middle easterners and others.
I believe Barack Obama seized a moment in history to become the first black president by focusing on opportunity for all Americans, including African Americans, and on hope for a more equal future. I don’t think the country was ready for a president to call out the deep racial schism we have, and how white people are letting it continue through their inaction.
But, what does the next nominee need to do? I believe that nominee now needs to shout from the rooftops that the inequality and injustice we see across our neighborhoods is unacceptable. In a country as rich as ours, in a democracy as robust and long-lived as ours, in a country built by immigrants, in a superpower engaged in the world, this injustice cannot stand. We need a reform of our system that includes inclusive and fair immigration policies, tax structures aimed at economic justice, expansion of health and social services, and other policies aimed at boosting the vitality and power of the many.
The post on the front page argued that barely a third of white men voted democratic. That is true, but that doesn’t tell us who makes up democratic voters overall. Using the data in the same table, I calculated the democratic voters by race, and found them to be 60% white, 19% black, 14% latino, 4% Asian, and 3% other. Like it or not, democratic voters are still mostly white. I believe when we get closer to 50%, we will see an even more dramatic change in the democratic nominees. But, there are also many white allies in the democratic party that believe deeply in racial justice and support changes to the face of the party.
So, speaking as a white male, I hope we see a nominee that isn’t another white guy. I believe we can and should break new barriers in the democratic party. But, I also don’t think that should be our aim or message at all. What the country is yearning for is someone to speak with moral outrage at the injustice that Trump has forced on our country, and to provide an inclusive vision for how to address racial and economic justice to move the country forward. America’s greatest moments in history have come when a great figure provides words that speak to all our souls, and move us toward justice.
