Why are Democrats leaving Kamala Harris to stand alone?

[SidDithers]

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/10/27/1895398/-Why-are-Democrats-leaving-Kamala-Harris-to-stand-alone

If you are in any way active in Democratic politics, or even just on social media, you will probably have heard the phrases “Vote like black women” and “Listen to black women.” These refer to the power that black women have as a constituency within the party, the consistency with which they vote blue, and the potential that they have to sway elections. But yet, for a party who says those things, we far too often leave black women to fight and stand alone.

When Tulsi Gabbard lied about Kamala Harris’s record in the July debate, Kamala Harris was left to stand alone. The claims were debunked by independent fact-checkers, yet not one person in the Democratic field rushed to defend Harris’s integrity. In contrast, many of them did rush to Tulsi Gabbard’s defense when Hillary Clinton suggested that somebody in the primary was being groomed for a third party run. Many of them did rush to Joe Biden’s defense when Julián Castro jabbed at him in the September debate.

When Kamala Harris called for Donald Trump’s Twitter to be suspended because of the threats that it causes to people’s safety, particularly black people and people of color, she stood alone. Not one of her Democratic colleagues in the primary backed her up. Elizabeth Warren scoffed in her face when she brought it up at the debate, as if the notion was ridiculous to begin with. Primarily white pundits on social media ridiculed her. (When you’re sent a pipe bomb in the mail by someone inspired by Trump’s tweets, tell us again about how ridiculous it is.)

On Friday, when Kamala Harris said she would boycott the Criminal Justice -forum at Benedict College in protest of a sponsoring organization who gave Trump an award and prohibited Benedict students from attending the event, she stood alone. Her colleague Cory Booker, who often calls her his “sister”, went so far as to not-so-subtly call her out on Twitter for her protest, with little regard for what she was actually protesting. In his speech at the event, Booker praised Benedict College for ditching the sponsor, with no mention of Kamala Harris, whose protest was what caused the sponsor to be ditched.

Link to tweet

Sid

[beastie boy]

1. It's a damn shame.

Especially in light of the support Gabbard gets from the Democrats.

[Skya Rhen]

2. Because she can't break past 4% in the polls...

[namahage]

3. And Tulsi is polling at...? n/t

[Skya Rhen]

11. Precisely! That's why both of them are being left to stand alone - very poor showings in the polls.

[DemocracyMouse]

21. That's institutional thinking, not a sign of a conscience.

We can signal our favorites while simultaneously being supportive of all Democrats. I think African American candidates, given the crap they have to endure, are especially deserving of neighborly support.

[Skya Rhen]

24. As an AA woman, the point you're trying to make escapes me. What does the candidates' race have to

do with anything? What leads you to the conclusion that the African American candidates are getting any more crap than the other candidates?

[crickets]

25. +1

"We can signal our favorites while simultaneously being supportive of all Democrats."

[redqueen]

4. Maybe they're trying to look 'moderate' so they'll do better in the primaries. nt

[PunkinPi]

5. Thanks for posting, Sid. I forgot to x-post from Kamala group.

Adding last 2 paragraphs from article because I think it's important (bold mine for emphasis):

It’s a pattern we see far too often in media, too. People love to point out how much they value black women and their voices. Yet, when a qualified black woman dares to actually run for higher office, that notion of solidarity too often disappears. People love the idea of a black woman running for office, until she actually does it. The self-proclaimed allies often sit on their hands when that black woman is unfairly attacked. And as exemplified by Harris’s run, the concerns she lends her voice to are then deemed “trivial”, or dismissed as “political stunts” by commentators.

We have not seen an example of this on the national stage in a long time, because we haven’t seen many black women run for president. But the way Kamala Harris is being made to stand alone, and the way her candidacy is being erased in media, should not go unnoticed, or unchecked. If we truly are a party that values black women – not just in theory, but in practice – we will all have to do better.

K&R!

[yuiyoshida]

31. As a fan of Kamala Harris ...

This article makes me sad.

[PunkinPi]

32. It makes me sad as a Kamala supporter and as a democrat. nt

[yuiyoshida]

33. Yup....

I don't know why she is not doing better...there was talk the Networks were not giving her
much access time...but she can certainly afford to do a bit of advertising.

[mcar]

35. The networks have give her next to no time

Candidates who are lower in the polls have gotten more.

[yuiyoshida]

39. It totally sucks

seriously.

[mcar]

41. I suspect I know why

but I'd like to hear them explain.

[yuiyoshida]

42. Could it be because she is a very smart and savvy

Black woman? I have heard this stated elsewhere.

[mcar]

44. That is my guess

[yuiyoshida]

45. Obama had it rough in the beginning

now its like, Lets Ignore Harris, maybe she will give up and go away... Uh, NO! I wanta see her do good!

[Turin_C3PO]

6. Good question.

I’d have liked them to make a statement in support of her.

[MrsCoffee]

7. K&R

[2naSalit]

8. She's in the top five on my list

of viable candidates and I am tired of just a few getting all the attention while she is as worthy of consideration as the top eight as far as I an tell.

It is starting to smell a little fishy.

[riversedge]

17. Kamala Harris has always been in the top 3 on my list

[2naSalit]

18. She's definitely

on my "short list". In the primaries, I am not in favor of voting for a white guy when there are better representations of what our nation really looks like. They all* seem to have similar values that represent those of most Democrats. I am thankful I have the luxury of having a late primary, I expect to have a narrower field from which to choose.

* Candidates I would seriously consider voting for.

[calimary]

27. Mine as well. And I'm suspicious as hell about Gabbard.

Hillary’s seldom wrong.

[2naSalit]

28. I was

quite sure that HRC was on point and I had already made such a conclusion myself on that.

But I am more concerned about how the media is seeming to shut out most of the candidates and only playing three or four of them. I mean, what about Klobuchar and Booker and Bullock and and and... Shoot, I can't remember all their names because a) there are so many and b) the media isn't making them known to the public. I need to know who they are too. To misquote Bernie, " [we're] sick and tired of the damn front runners sucking all the remaining air out of the room" after flaming imbecile's latest tantrum is fully covered.

[customerserviceguy]

9. My theory

is that Sen. Harris lost a lot of friends when she went after Joe Biden in the first debate. Yes, she said he was not a racist, but accused him of supporting a racist thing, a distinction without a difference.

[redqueen]

12. I had a similar thought

other candidates may still be hoping for a VP if Biden wins the nod. Maybe they perceive siding with Harris would lessen their chances?

[Chemisse]

14. I supported her through that first debate.

She needed to stand out and it worked.

And if she had moved on from that with other important issues I would have stuck with her. But when she brought it up again, playing Biden's sad little victim as a political device, I got turned off.

If she made a comeback with genuine issues, such as what she did the other day, I would consider supporting her again.

[mcar]

36. If that is the case, it is the most cynical of politics

Other candidates have "gone after" Joe Biden.

Shame on Cory Booker, who refers to Harris as "his sister," for not defending her against dotard's attacks and against Gabbard's lies.

They are more interested in defending someone who lied about Harris and about HRC, than they are in defending Kamala Harris? Because she challenged Biden in the first debate?

[abqtommy]

10. I admire and respect Kamala. If she's the Democratic nominee she'll have my vote. I'm cynical

enough to question the validity of the type of writing found in this op. Is it meant to divide? Are there any other negative attempts to make people question Democrats?

Thinking Democrats are a big family. We've got quite a membership and there's only going to be ONE
person who is our nominee. I'm more concerned about having a fair and secure election because I know that if that's the case then ANYONE who is appointed our nominee will wipe the floor with tRUMP and his Traitor Tots.

As far as I can see there's a lot of attempts to distract us from reality, and not all the distraction comes from tRUMP's side. Let's take care and be aware.

[Celerity]

29. 'I'm cynical enough to question the validity of the type of writing found in this op. Is it meant to

divide?'

hmmm, ya think?

Elizabeth Warren scoffed in her face when she brought it up at the debate, as if the notion was ridiculous to begin with. Primarily white pundits on social media ridiculed her.

[mcar]

37. This is all true

Was Warren's response an attempt to divide? Everyone praised her for challenging another social media giant. Harris does similar and gets derided.

[Celerity]

43. I watched the debate, 'scoffed in her face' is an inaccurate and loaded descriptive

I am not a Warren supporter. I would very much prefer Harris over Warren, in fact Harris is my 2nd choice, after Pete. I was merely commenting on the nature of the biased (and IMHO divisive) writing in the OP's DK article.

[Andy823]

13. Thanks for posting this Sid. nt

[RainCaster]

15. IMO, she will make our country an excellent AG

I know her numbers aren't high enough, but she has great leadership skills, and the experience as head of DOJ will make her an even better candidate in 4 or 8 years.

[northoftheborder]

16. Kamala Harris has been one of my top favorites from the beginning...

...and she still is. Klobuchar, Bennet, Harris, Castro are all winners for me. But they have been ignored on the debate stage. It has irked me considerably for the top 3 to always be center stage, to always get way more time to speak than the others. Therefore, there has been less for the media to discuss about them. Therefore, they are still down in the polls. Not fair.

[FakeNoose]

19. I'd like to see Kamala remain in the race long enough to be chosen as a running mate

As a presidential candidate Kamala is very much a long shot. However she'd make a powerful running mate on the Party ticket, if she hasn't burned too many bridges in the meantime.

On the other hand Tulsi looks like she won't even qualify for the next round in the Dem Primary debate. I hope she drops out soon.

[Jarqui]

20. Kamala was right to protest the award to Trump and the lockout of the students

She was also right to complain about Trump's dangerous use of twitter

Right is right. The others shouldn't be sitting on their hands.

[msongs]

22. so far she is not convincing prospective voters that she is worth voting for nt

[rogue emissary]

23. I asked this question yesterday

Last edited Mon Oct 28, 2019, 01:45 PM - Edit history (1)

and haven't gotten a response.

I think it highlights how the media questions and centers white candidates as "us" and POC as "them".

When Biden was being smeared Kamala was one of the first to defend him because reporters asked her to respond to Donny's lies.

White candidates like Biden, Bernie, and Warren get that concern. The assumption that their fellow party members should stand up for them is a given.

Candidates of color like Kamala, Castro, and Booker don't get the same concern or expectation that their colleague would support them.

[mcar]

38. That's right

But no candidate will defend her, or even give her credit for standing up this weekend?

Shame on them!

[Gothmog]

26. I really like Senator Harris and agree that she was amazing at this event

[NCLefty]

30. Alt headline: "Kamala Harris is having trouble standing on her own."

Does she expect the other candidates to praise what she's trying to do to stand out? Or magically develop the same positions she stakes out--or they're abandoning her to the wolves? Are they supposed to go to her HBCU event to get her even more credit and spotlight? Is that how this works? :p

[mcar]

40. How about when she was one of the first to defend Biden

against Dotard's attacks? Should the headline have been "Joe Biden is having trouble standing on his own?"

How about when she campaigns for down ballot Dems, like she did in VA this weekend?Should the headline be "Virginia Democrats have trouble standing on their own?"

Kamala has been there for our candidates. It is a shame that they are not there for her.

[mcar]

34. I would like the candidates to be asked this question

Why did they flock to Gabbard's defense, even when her name wasn't mentioned, but do not defend Harris?

It is very disappointing. I expected better of them.

[Andy823]

46. Kick. nt

[maximusveritas]

47. You realize they are competing against her right?

If she was our presumptive nominee, then maybe we could entertain this question. I guess you could argue they could defend her since she is so low in the polls, but she could possibly get back in it until she drops out, so it would be stupid to lend her any help.