December 4, 2019
After three years of Trump, we have grown accustomed to experiencing the news as a series of body blows, so it was only a slight aberration to absorb not one, but two, major news stories that broke within hours of each other yesterday. First, Senator Kamala Harris announced that she was suspending her presidential bid. With low poll numbers hindering her ability to raise enough money to field a competitive race, Harris confessed that she didn’t see a viable path forward (Source: “Kamala Harris Says She’s Still ‘in This Fight,’ but Out of the 2020 Race,” by Astead W. Herndon, Shane Goldmacher and Jonathan Martin, The New York Times, 12/3/19). While it is legitimate to criticize Senator Harris for failing to articulate a clear rationale for her candidacy, the role of the media in shaping the narrative cannot be discounted.
Her exit comes days after a series of hit pieces in Politico, The Washington Post and The New York Times detailing the “turmoil” in her campaign. These pieces come on the heels of the virtual media blackout she suffered after her attack on Joe Biden’s opposition to busing in the June presidential debate, (Source: “Did Legacy Media Kill Kamala’s Campaign?” by Maya Contreras, Damemagazine.com, 12/4/19). It is a stark reminder of the pressure on women candidates to be “flawless” and the opprobrium awaiting candidates of color with the temerity to challenge white male Establishment candidates.
Meanwhile, the white men in the race can be blatantly unethical, like Tom Steyer, whose staffer stole Kamala Harris’ proprietary voter research, and emerge unscathed, (Source: “Tom Steyer staffer accused of stealing Harris voter file data resigns,” by Rebecca Falconer, Axios.com, 11/5/19). Their truly troubling record on issues such as police brutality and gentrification as mayor of their Midwestern college town can escape scrutiny. Instead, they receive rhapsodic press coverage for platitudes and parlor tricks, like speaking Norwegian to a reporter or playing the piano with Ben Folds Five.
While some commentators will point to Biden’s enduring support with Black voters as a key reason that Kamala Harris’ candidacy was doomed, I would argue that they are misinterpreting the data. Black people don’t support Joe Biden because they are too homophobic to embrace Mayor Pete, or because they are too moderate to embrace Medicare for All. After all, Black voters are twice as likely as white Americans to be uninsured, (Source: “Profile: Black/African Americans,” Office of Minority Health, www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov, 8/22/19). Black people support Biden because they have a deep understanding of the fecklessness of white voters. We know that many white people will look at the value of their stock portfolio, or at the parade of unqualified ideologues being installed on the federal bench and decide that kids in cages or a massive rollback in LGBTQ rights is not too high a price to pay.
If we have any doubt, we need look no further than the enduring support that Trump retains from 44% of the country, despite the mountain of evidence that has emerged in the House Intelligence Committee’s impeachment inquiry. Perhaps the Committee’s Report, which told a straightforward, yet damning, story of abuse of power, extortion and obstruction of justice will move the needle, but I’m not holding my breath, (Source: “The Trump -Ukraine Impeachment Inquiry Report,” by The United States House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, 12/3/19). After all, if multiple stories of Trump profiteering off of the presidency didn’t dent his poll numbers, why would the news that he manipulated foreign policy for a “domestic political errand” make a difference? If he could turn his back on the Kurds who helped us defeat ISIS without incident, will the fact that he exposed the Ukrainians to grave physical harm in their hot war with Russia by withholding aid alienate any of his supporters?
As you watch law professors plead with Congress to uphold the Constitution in Judiciary Committee hearings, or watch the homogeneous Democratic debate stage in two weeks, reflect on the end of Kamala Harris’ campaign and stop to think about just who in this country gets a pass… and who doesn’t.