Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumKamala Harris isn't 'electable'?!? It could be code for not being a white man
Kamala Harris isnt electable? It could be code for not being a white man
by Joe Garofoli July 19, 2019
Sen. Kamala Harris supporters were thrilled by a poll out this week showing shes in a virtual dead heat with former Vice President Joe Biden in California, but the Quinnipiac University survey also contained a more troubling message for Harris.
Many California Democrats surveyed thought Biden had the best chance of defeating President Trump. They also thought he would be the best leader.
The not-so-subtle message in the poll brought up one of the most overused terms in politics: electability. Its a word that Harris advocates say is loaded with racial and gender stereotypes.
This (poll) shows that too many people are believing the fiction of electability, said Aimee Allison, an Oakland activist and founder of She the People, which focuses on issues affecting women of color. That because Joe Biden is a white guy, he will be able to stand up to another white guy like Donald Trump.
[snip]
Some voters think the message of 2016 was that to beat Donald Trump, you need someone who looks like Donald Trump and talks like Donald Trump and is a straight shooter that Middle America feels comfortable with, Lawless said.
But given studies that show that women and people of color win elections just as often as white men, Lawless said, I dont know if theres any evidence that is true.
Then again, Lawless doesnt mince words when it comes to the term electability:
I hate it, she said. I hate it because it means different things to different people. It means different things at different times.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/politics/article/Kamala-Harris-isn-t-electable-It-could-14106805.php
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
mcar
(42,372 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)that "women and people of color win elections just as often as white men." Certainly'd be a surprise if it were true. Last time I looked women weren't winning elections even "as often" as black men--not if they were running against each other. I didn't see an asterisk for possible caveats, such as if it's a low-level office or women running against other women instead of men, or....
But itm, raised eyebrows and a "Well, how about that" for this also.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
highplainsdem
(49,034 posts)electable, has Warren and Harris essentially tied with Sanders for second place, and Buttigieg far behind them.
If this were about race and gender, you'd have both Sanders and Buttigieg well ahead of Warren and Harris.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Skya Rhen
(2,701 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
FreeState
(10,580 posts)If anything homophobia is tied to misogyny.
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/american-psychological-association-links-masculinity-ideology-homophobia-misogyny-n956416
https://bust.com/feminism/9686-language-matters-the-underlying-misogyny-of-gay-slurs.html
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PETRUS
(3,678 posts)If you're interested, the piece is titled "Electability Is Whatever You Want It To Be," and it can be found here:
https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2019/5/14/electability-is-whatever-you-want-it-to-be
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
bluewater
(5,376 posts)Extremely informative. Worth bookmarking.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PETRUS
(3,678 posts)Glad you appreciated it. I found it interesting, and their findings dovetail somewhat with something that's bothered me for quite a while, which is how much second-guessing people do when it comes to politics (particularly on the left/liberal/Democratic end of things). I've lost track of the number of times I've had a conversations with people who say things like "of course I'm in favor of xyz, but I don't think it's politically feasible, so I'm going to support abc." (I see similar sentiments expressed here at DU quite often also.) Well, maybe xyz is politically feasible and maybe it isn't, but there's no chance at all if people don't at least try.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
bluewater
(5,376 posts)Thanks again for the link!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Demit
(11,238 posts)'Try as we might, we have not been able to imbue the term electability with meaning. Voters do not seem to draw much inspiration from the term, and in the minds of voters the term is as ill-defined and uninformative as it is on cable news. Perhaps there are better things to talk about.'
Thanks for posting!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
loyalsister
(13,390 posts)I hate the idea that we need a white male candidate because it is normal to have a white man as POTUS because it's based on a white supremacist presumption of inherent superiority of whiteness. Whether by explicit belief or reluctant acceptance of it I refuse to entertain or validate that position.
If we aren't going to reject white supremacy when we have a blatantly bigoted president, what will it take?
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Gothmog
(145,554 posts)She is near the top of my list of acceptable candidates
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kind of Blue
(8,709 posts)It found that 72 percent of the 488 likely Democratic primary voters surveyed nationwide were most interested in a candidate who best represents the values and priorities I want in a president, compared with 28 percent looking for someone who has the best chance of beating the opposition.
The poll also found that respondents prized candidates ability to hold their own in a debate and who have many well-thought-out policy proposals.
Going toe-to-toe with Joe Biden in the (first) Democratic debate is one reason why Kamala Harris is getting a bump in the polls, said Betsy Fischer Martin, executive director of the Women and Politics Institute. And having a lot of well-thought-out policy proposals is partially why Elizabeth Warren is doing well.
The conventional wisdom is that electability is the most important thing, but its only one factor of what people are thinking about, Fischer Martin said. And for female candidates, that is a good thing.
Thanks for posting.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
JI7
(89,264 posts)she has been too much on the defensive. but most of the recent news on her has been better and i think she can turn things in the right direction again.
i think a lot of people are also trying to decide between her and warren. and those numbers go back and forth.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
samir.g
(835 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
madville
(7,412 posts)A huge portion of Biden's support is from Black voters, 41% for Biden, only 16% for Harris.
75% of primary voters in the poll believe Biden can beat Trump versus 46% that think Harris can.
I think it all does come down to whether voters think they can beat Trump, Biden is the safe choice, Sanders performs next best and the rest are coin flips.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
KentuckyWoman
(6,692 posts)Why would anyone think she's not electable?
Goofy is as goofy does...
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
NNadir
(33,544 posts)..."electable."
But then, I thought that the orange mentally challenged racist wasn't "electable" too.
I note that the only African American President we have had thus far, and the only decent, intelligent and honest President in this century, was also perceived to not be "electable."
I'm personally sick of this crap.
I am very much pulling for a woman to stick it to this tub of rotting bacon in the White House. I'm for Ms. Warren, but Ms. Harris would be just fine with me.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden