Pete Buttigieg’s rise in the polls in key early-voting states could make history if it leads to his securing the Democratic nomination, not just because he is gay, but also because he polls terribly with black voters. Unfortunately, this fact that went ignored by all of the candidates during last night’s MSNBC presidential debate, leaving the South Bend, Indiana, mayor unscathed. Admittedly, it’s highly unlikely he will actually secure the nomination without the support of black voters. But nonetheless, the debate’s failure to address this issue with his candidacy underscores the fact that, once again, black voters are being ignored so far in the 2020 campaign.
Buttigieg routinely falls flat with black voters, and it’s easy to see why.
He desperately tried to appeal to the black community with his “Douglass plan” for racial justice, but rightfully caught flack for using a stock photo of a Kenyan woman and child in his proposal. During last night’s debate, he tried (and failed) to relate to black people by comparing his status as a gay American to the horrific treatment of black Americans during the Jim Crow era, during which blacks were lynched and castrated for simply walking down the street, or looking white men such as Buttigieg in the eye. Plus, Buttigieg has consistently and openly disregarded black voters in his own district, so why should they believe that would change in the Oval Office? We don’t, and clearly, the polls reflect this fact.
Perhaps the mayor’s lack of support among the black community is rooted in his own words to his black constituents in South Bend, Indiana, as he told them during a police brutality protest, “I am not asking for your vote.” A black woman rightfully responded, “You won’t get it either.”
This woman’s words might prove true for all the Democrats if these presidential candidates do not start to directly connect with black voters and share detailed policies — not soliloquies about the Civil Rights movement — about their explicit plans and proposals to improve black communities and protect black lives.
It has been frustrating to sit in front of my television during these two-hour debates waiting for moderators to specifically address issues affecting the black community, only for them to cram a few questions in on the matter during the last 30 minutes. And even when they do bring it up, it’s often not in a satisfactory way. Last night, I counted three questions on the topic that offered no real insight into any of the candidates’ black agenda and just allowed them to provide more cookie-cutter, hand-wavy answers about race.
In routine fashion, the first question asked about race relations in America focused on white supremacy. White supremacy is certainly a serious problem in America, but it didn’t start when President Trump was elected, it was only exposed. As former President Barack Obama has noted, Trump is not the cause; he’s only the symptom.
White nationalists and their horrific crimes against black people and other marginalized groups present a grave issue indeed, but not enough time has been allotted during these debates to discuss what will be done about policies rooted in white supremacy that led and continue to lead to discriminatory and racist practices in housing, education, employment, and criminal justice.
The Democrats’ road to the White House travels through the black community, and while many of these candidates may think that road stops at a black church or on The Breakfast Club, it does not. Black voters are changing, and they are becoming more aware of the democratic talking points and “hot sauce in my bag” propaganda and calling it out. We want real and raw answers; we want aggressive and unapologetic demands for change and justice in our communities, not reminders of where we have been, but more about where we are going, and how these candidates plan to get us there.
Allowing candidates such as Buttigieg to stand on stage and not be held accountable for their insensitive remarks and poor record with black voters was a missed opportunity to expose his inability to lead locally, and ultimately, nationally.
Rochelle Ritchie is a former congressional press secretary for the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee and political commentator featured on Fox News and MSNBC.
