With Kamala Harris out, many Democrats dread a loss of diversity. But will Black voters care? – The Philadelphia Tribune

After Sen. Kamala Harris abruptly dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, the famously inclusive party wasnt looking very inclusive anymore.

Without being too cheeky, you might say that the party that highlights diversity and equality is suffering from an embarrassment of wealthy white men.

Or, as Sen. Cory Booker described the irony, when only six people, all white, had met the partys new threshold to qualify for the debate in Los Angeles, the stage on Dec. 19 is likely to have more billionaires than Black people.

What message is that sending that we heralded the most diverse field in our history, Booker told a morning crowd in Des Moines, and now were seeing people like her dropping out of this campaign?

Yes, political correctness cuts both ways. As much as the party can boast of having more women and people of color than ever in the House after last years midterm elections, and in their lineup of presidential candidates, its another big challenge to hold onto that diversity.

Among top-tier candidates of color, businessman Andrew Yang qualified for the debate, just days before the deadline, joining six other candidates on the stage. Booker and former Housing Secretary Julian Castro have met the partys donor threshold, but neither has scored high enough in a single qualifying poll to make the debate, according to The New York Times debate tracker.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii scored enough in polling and fundraising to be listed as on the cusp as of Tuesday. Former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts also appears to have entered the race too late to make the stage.

But things can change. With Harris departure, Bookers blunt blast about billionaires appears to have given a boost to his own fundraising. He raised more than $1 million within three days of Harris dropping out on Dec. 3. The day after Harris dropped out was his best online fundraising day, his campaign announced, and more than half of the surge came from first-time donors.

Of course, I already can see moans and groans in social networks about identity politics, as if that were a new thing in politics. In fact, women and people of color have seen identity politics played against them for so long that one can hardly blame them for using it to push back, especially in a campaign to unseat President Donald Trump, who often has fashioned a tribe based on conservative grievances.

Thats legitimate, in my humble opinion, but it doesnt substitute for a clear theme and purpose to ones campaign. Harris lost momentum on both counts. After her strong performance in the first debate with her takedown of front-runner and former Vice President Joe Bidens early voting record, she seemed to peak quickly, unprepared for criticism of her own record as a prosecutor.

Her campaign struggled with reported fundraising and organizational problems. But mainly she lacked what the late George H.W. Bush once called the vision thing.

Those questions matter as Democrats try to restore the multiracial, multiethnic coalition that carried President Barack Obama to two victories. About 4.4 million voters who cast ballots for Obama in 2012 stayed home in 2016, according to exit polls by Edison Media Research. More than a third were Black.

So, as much as candidates should never make too much of race or gender politics, which can invite a backlash, they cant take women or people of color for granted either.

The politically awkward possibility of an all-white Democratic debate stage shows, among other new realities, that symbolism isnt as powerful as it used to be with potential voters.

It annoys some liberals when electability questions are raised about Sen. Elizabeth Warren, for example. But, for all the milestones that have been made by progressives such as Warren and Sen. Bernie Sanders, Black Democrats in particular have been showing a persistent and resilient pull toward the familiar presence of Obamas former vice president, Biden.

Thats important, even as South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg has gained top-tier status in Iowa polling and Warren is looking strong in New Hampshire, next door to her home state of Massachusetts.

Biden continues to lead in South Carolina, where most of the Democratic primary voters are Black and where Buttigieg recently scored a 0% of Black voters. The mayor will do better, Im sure, especially since he has nowhere to go in that poll but up.

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With Kamala Harris out, many Democrats dread a loss of diversity. But will Black voters care? - The Philadelphia Tribune