The Democratic Primary was super-charged as Super Tuesday defied expectations and delivered shocking results in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden, and slammed the door, again, on Senator Bernie Sanders and his socialism/leftist/populist – revolution.
Following lackluster results in tiny Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden began his comeback by over-performing in Nevada before a breakout and game-changing performance in South Carolina.
Correction: Biden was only doing poorly according to the young white males who populate mainstream cable and social media. That group leans heavily toward Senator Sanders so the framing around Biden was not only biased, but also racist, as the media crowned Senator Sanders before the most loyal base of democratic voters had cast any significant votes: Black voters.
The chorus from Black voters after the South Carolina shellacking Biden handed Sanders was loud and clear: Do not underestimate or ignore us. We will have a say in who the democratic nominee will be.
The media continued to largely ignore black voters until they were forced to recognize what has been true for generations: Black voters crown the democratic nominee. Period. Particularly Black women.
South Carolina started the wave with a resounding blowout win for Biden – he won every county in the state, and thus the signs were obvious heading into Super Tuesday: Sanders would be in trouble; Biden could expect to party.
Though Sanders has had five years to bolster his credentials among Black voters after being shellacked by Hilary Clinton in 2016, his message didn’t change, his approach remained abrasive, and his followers became even more toxic and racist online and in real life, routinely attacking and insulting Black voters in a weird attempt to gain Black support for Sanders. As the kids say, “Make it make sense.”
But most of all, Sanders continued to prioritize class while minimizing race. And his followers and mouthpieces in the media continued to ignore and insult Black voters, labeling us “low information voters” “ignorant” “slave mentality” brainwashed” “establishment” and on and on and on.
The very voters whose family members and ancestors marched, fought, was beaten, jailed, and killed while fighting for the right to vote, were being denigrated by younger, mostly white, and mostly privileged, voters who lack understanding of Black history, Black people, and Black voters. But their platforms allowed them the space to spew their ignorance while helping to shape the (incorrect) narrative that Sanders was the soon to be crowned Democratic nominee.
Biden isn’t a perfect candidate. And here’s a surprise: there’s never been a perfect candidate for president and there’s never been a perfect candidate for president for Black people. We have held our noses and voted pragmatically for a long line of white male democratic candidates who have lost badly, from McGovern, Mondale Dukkakis, Gore, and Kerry. And Black voters – women and men – supported Hilary in greater percentages than white women and men.
And though Hilary beat Sanders four-million votes, and then Trump by over three-million votes, the male pundits still disregarded the her – and the democrats – core voters – Black voters.
And that brings us to Trump. Black voters want him removed. Jailed, kicked out, thrown out. It doesn’t matter he has to go.
And the best person to go against and beat Trump, according to Black voters, is Joe Biden. Black voters are smart, pragmatic, and follow no polls, or media personalities. Black voters study the issues, study the plans and positions, and then make the decision that is best for America -history proves Black voters not only uphold American ideals they also push the nation forward and leftward, albeit slowly and methodically.
You will not see, hear, or read the media talk about the intelligence of Black voters, or how the entire democratic primary changed as soon as Southern Black voters had a chance to vote, because detailed analysis of the “Why’s” behind Black voter habits remain anathema to the mainstream media that, again, is dominated by white, male, conservative/leftist talking heads.
The race is now between Biden and Sanders, and Sanders is fading fast but he is an entitled millionaire who believes he has a right to be the nominee even when he loses. We’ve seen Trump’s problematic behavior mirrored by Sanders and we have rejected Trump, and as the democratic primary is now showing, Black voters look poised to kick Sanders to the curb as well.
I must also mention the disappointing results for Senator Elizabeth Warren who seemed to have presidential momentum over the past two years. But a series of glaring campaign mistakes – aligning with Sanders, not aligning or supporting Kamala Harris, and then copying various plans of Harris after Harris dropped out; wishy-washy insufficient answers on her cos-playing as a Native American woman; and setting up a Super Pac after criticizing other candidates for doing the same.
But perhaps Warren’s most fatal flaw was her refusal to cease criticizing Hilary Clinton.
Clinton received record numbers of votes and despite more than twenty years of right-wing attacks, remains one of the most popular women in America (and the world) and has tens of millions of loyal democratic followers who are also voters. Warren’s dissing of Clinton, combined with her prior attacks on former President Obama, placed her campaign squarely in the “This ain’t gonna happen” category. In fact, she lost her own State to Joe Biden, perhaps sealing her fate. Warren will be heard from before the process is over – whether as a kingmaker with a cache of delegates, or as one who helps shape the eventual democratic platform, or – and this is a long-shot – leading a contested convention and siding with Sanders to try to wrestle the nomination away from Sanders.
Should Warren and Sanders take that divisive tactic – which I do not think she, or they will – we will perhaps see President Obama called in to settle and mediate a successful resolution so that the party isn’t destroyed by its left flank.
The road to November is long, hard, expensive, and will undoubtedly involve mudslinging and more intra-campaign fighting and deal-making – there’s a lot of Bloomberg money headed to team Biden so he will have the resources to push back towards any coordinated attack from Sanders, Sanders + Warren, and Trump + GOP.
We can be certain of one thing: Joe Biden’s No Malarkey tour is the one leading the way and the one to beat after a resounding Super Tuesday that reshaped the Democratic Primary.
Copyright 2020 Myron J. Clifton. All Rights Reserved.
Dear Dean 