The 2020 Democratic field is finally narrowing. Candidates once championed by the mainstream media, like Kamala Harris and Beto O’Rourke, are no longer in the race. While, O’Rourke’s exit was dismissed quickly, it appears the media and vocal leftists are devastated over the loss of Harris. Not because her candidacy was of any value to the Democratic party, but solely because Harris is black.
In January of 2019, the Democratic field was the most diverse in American history. Now, with the loss of Harris and the DNC’s growing threshold to qualify for upcoming debates, the December debate stage will be comprised of all white candidates.
2020 Democratic hopeful Julián Castro called out the December debate stage’s lack of diversity.
“What we’re staring at is a DNC debates stage with no people of color on it. That does not reflect the diversity of our party or our country. We need to do better than that,” Castro said.
With @KamalaHarris out, the debate stage is now all white. @JulianCastro responds:
“What we’re staring at is a DNC debate stage with no people of color on it. That does not reflect the diversity of our party or our country. We need to do better than that.” pic.twitter.com/W73Nw3WI14
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) December 3, 2019
The December debate stage, thus far, includes the following candidates:
- Joe Biden
- Pete Buttigieg
- Amy Klobuchar
- Bernie Sanders
- Tom Steyer
- Elizabeth Warren
While technically the stage is all white, the stage is also comprised of two women, a Jewish man, and a gay man as well as Biden, who has the highest support among black voters. Many of these candidates come from backgrounds that the left deem “marginalized groups.” But, it seems a candidates skin color predates actual minority status.
By this standard, the 2015 Republican December Debates were more diverse than the 2019 Democratic Debates. Given, Ben Carson and Marco Rubio, a black man and Cuban man respectively, were on the 2015 Republican debate stage.
One journalist on MSNBC lamented that Harris wasn’t able to raise enough money because donors had concerns about candidates who are women and people of color, an especially odd claim considering the last president of the United States as an African American.
ICYMI: Commenting on Kamala Harris’ decision to end her 2020 run today, @KimberlyEAtkins says we can’t ignore the factors “that were major impediments” for her in the race #MTPDaily
“She dropped out because of money. Why was she not getting people to open up their pocket books?” pic.twitter.com/2CuREXLJ23
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 4, 2019
The hypocrisy is highlighted by activists and journalists alike. They are infuriated by both Harris’s dropout and the “lack of diversity” on the debate stage.
Lauren Duca, a freelance feminist journalist, blamed white supremacy for Harris’ downfall.
Tom Steyer making the debate while Kamala Harris is pushed to end her campaign only makes sense in a white supremacist oligarchy 🙃
— Lauren Duca (@laurenduca) December 3, 2019
Leah Greenberg, co-executive director of progressive political organization, said the all-white debate stage will be “catastrophic.”
No matter your candidate, you have to recognize that going from the most diverse field ever in January to a potentially all-white debate stage in December is catastrophic.
The implicit racism and sexism of "electability" is deeply damaging to democracy.
— Leah Greenberg (@Leahgreenb) December 3, 2019
For context, here’s what the 2015 Democratic debate stage looked like:
Samuel Sinyangwe a “black activist,” called the political campaign donations a “racist tax.”
A system where people of color – who are half of all Democratic voters – have to donate hard-earned money to make sure there’s a candidate that represents them on the stage while an endless parade of white guys just buy their way into the debates is basically a racist tax.
— Samuel Sinyangwe (@samswey) December 4, 2019
These examples highlight the true hypocrisy of leftists and media who claim to value “diversity.”
Diversity can in fact come from a white gay man, a white Jewish man, and two white women. Gay people have been marginalized, Jewish people have been marginalized, women have been marginalized. In fact, we have had an African-American President and we have never had a gay, Jewish, or female president. Diversity does not just come from the color of an individual’s skin.
The other wonderful aspect of this debate is, now, the mainstream media is forced to admit Warren is a white woman and not a Native American. That is simply the cherry on top of this diversity debate.
The argument that America is a racist country unable of seeing past white, heterosexual males can be destroyed by one simple name: Barack Hussein Obama. The argument that black people are suppressed without having a black candidate is false. Truth be told, Black people weren’t supporting Harris when she was a viable contender. To suppose Democratic voters or American voters at large are at a loss because the field is white, is both a hypocritical and hyperbolic supposition to make about the 2020 Democratic field.
