I’ll Only Vote for Democrats Who Are Actively Anti-Racist

We’ve all experienced injustice. We’ve all endured treatment that wasn’t charitable, kind, or fair. It’s not hard to find agreement that malicious behavior exists. What many people fail to understand is how marginalized groups are subjected to that kind of abuse as part of their daily existence.It’s inappropriate to say, “Ignore it.” Perhaps that seems reasonable for people who live in mansions with access to adequate healthcare. But we need a constant reminder that some people are forced to suffer abuses beyond what human beings should be expected to endure. Ignoring this reality is an act of cruelty, or worse.The time has passed when urging people to ignore injustice made sense. Perhaps there was a fleeting moment when injustice was not the norm—though I doubt it. It’s become appallingly clear that injustice has become an inescapable part of our reality. Anyone who retains such privilege that they can regularly expect to be treated with basic dignity must recall their own infrequent entanglements with injustice so they might cultivate empathy with the greater mass of humanity.We know what it feels like to have our work criticized while lesser achievements are showered with praise. Everybody knows that. We’ve all been passed over for promotions. We’ve all watched others receive compliments while we were treated to contemptuous silence. Our agony has gone untended while the slights against others were pampered.We all know that.Nobody likes this kind of abuse. Inconsiderate behavior is, at best, mean-spirited, and at worst it can be an example of deliberate malice.There is a difference between unfair criticism and constructive criticism. Bullies who spend their whole pitiful existence at the mercy of their own unconscious biases can’t help but disguise statements of unproductive cruelty under the guise of criticism.They can’t help themselves but to speak words of destruction, so they invent flaws where none exist.The Black community knows this better than anyone. A prominent example can be found in Barrack Obama. He is indisputably a brilliant orator and a highly capable and accomplished individual. So the racists, finding nothing tangible to criticize, berated the color of his suit.Meanwhile, a certain mediocre orange man who is clearly the puppet of nefarious shadow organizations is never subjected to a whisper of criticism even though he can’t speak two consecutive coherent syllables.The celebration of white mediocrity is one of the hallmarks of white supremacy. Racism manifests itself in layers, so buckle up because there’s a lot to talk about.Recently, Jasmine Crockett announced her Senate bid with a brilliant political ad in which she didn’t speak a single word. Instead, she plays a recording of a scared little man-child who is trying to act tough, but is clearly afraid of her.The ad landed and immediately generated much needed enthusiasm among the democrats. She’s been one of the most outspoken and effective opponents of fascism since this whole debacle began. Decent people should be lining up to support her.Instead, we get James Carville saying she shouldn’t talk about herself because that doesn’t win elections. His comments are unhelpful because:A. She never said a word about herself. She didn’t speak at all.B. The current stain on the Oval office got there by talking about himself, so that clearly constitutes an effective strategy.Carville is twice wrong.It’s time we openly denounced the various double standards that have no other explanation other than blatant bigotry.A common refrain of the last 10 years has been, “What if Obama had done that?” Frankly, I’m getting sick of people saying that. Yes, the Republicans would have found something to criticize no matter what Obama did. Let’s get in the habit of unapologetically calling out their racism.Again, we’ve all experienced this. We’ve all been the targets of bigotry. We all know what it feels like to have our work attacked while less effective work is celebrated. It’s an awful feeling. But let’s stop pretending it’s some sort surprise that Republicans allow the dumpster fire lives of mediocre white men to go unchallenged.That’s how white supremacy works. They nitpick their opponents. It’s death by a thousand cuts. It’s microaggressions and dog whistles and slurs that are passed off as unfunny jokes. The most basic trait of white supremacy is a complete lack of accountability.The democrats have to offer an alternative.Unfortunately, democrats are more inclined to behave the same way. In my opinion, Carville’s unhelpful attacks on Crockett are an example of racism. There’s nothing to criticize in her ad. She got her base fired up, and she’s currently leading in the polls.Leading in the polls is how you win elections.But immediately when I criticized Carville’s comments, I had people crawl out of the woodwork to say, “Hey now, don’t act like we’re not allowed to criticize Crockett. Don’t act like any constructive criticism is a statement of racism.”Except, I didn’t say “any.” I had a very specific example and I had the receipts.This is where you see the divide between people of privilege and people who are subjected to constant abuse. There are two sets of rules. To a person of privilege, they can brush off an unprovoked and discourteous attack. They can do this because they aren’t getting a thousand of them every minute of the day. They can act like “it’s no big deal” because it’s no big deal to them.We can’t forget that voters observe!Having exemplary work passed over in favor of the celebration of mediocre whiteness is not perceived as “no big deal” to the Black community. It’s time for the Democratic party to stand for decorum. Refusing to do so drives voters away.Are you hearing me James Carville? Your statements cost democrats elections.We need to stop the circular firing squad, but that will require a change of philosophy at the top. People tell me I shouldn’t speak and divide democrats. Why don’t they notice that the only time I speak up is when prominent democrats are doing exactly that?Why are they exempt from “constructive criticism?” When was the last time Carville won anything?Another issue is this ludicrous argument that we shouldn’t presume a statement is racist. At this point, I’m no longer inclined to give anyone in the United States, and certainly not anyone in politics the benefit of the doubt. I demand candidates that don’t just talk the talk. They have to walk the walk.It’s not enough to say you’re anti-racist. You have to prove it with action.This brings me to James Talarico. He’s currently Jasmine Crockett’s competition for the Texas senate seat. Naturally the “old guard” of the democratic party is going to try to put their finger on the scales of the primary.We saw from the Mamdani primary that the self-righteous democratic establishment is quite willing to risk elections in little petulant temper tantrums. Disrespecting voters in such a way does not cultivate momentum. Let’s make that our rallying cry.It doesn’t matter to the establishment that Talarico doesn’t have the experience of Crockett. He’s a young, white, Presbyterian seminarian. So of course, “old guard” consultants are going to heap unprovoked attacks on Crockett and sing Talarico’s praises.That’s immoral in my opinion, and I feel Talarico has an obligation to denounce that behavior. Perhaps he could turn Carville’s words against him. “Let’s stop talking about the candidates, and instead start talking about the people.”I’ve posed this argument in several places, and a lot of comments have suggested that this is not Talarico’s responsibility. But I think that argument comes out of the same political conditioning that allowed fascism to take root in our country. We can’t afford to have a “win at all costs” mentality. We have to pivot to a cooperative mentality, one that relies on decorum and a plea for a better future.Even if the result is that you lose a primary.Let’s establish a commitment to building each other up rather than tearing each other down. Otherwise the democrats aren’t offering anything different.A candidate who stays silent when his opponent has been besmirched by racist attacks takes a stain upon his own image. Everybody notices even if nobody says anything. We know.We are not going to defeat fascism unless we are unapologetically anti-fascist. We aren’t going to defeat racism until we’re unapologetically anti-racist.Talarico has an opportunity to demonstrate how important morals are to him. This is an opportunity to get a win that goes beyond this primary. We have to change the political direction of this country, and it starts today. Let’s put decency on the pedestal instead of power.Carville’s comments were offensive, and there needs to be pushback from voters and other prominent members of the party. This is the democrats’ “shut up, piggy” moment, and they have to circle the wagons and defend their own. There’s no room for racists in the big tent.We’ve had enough of candidates that are only in it for themselves. We need to demand candidates that are champions of decency.We’re past the era of “hold your nose and vote” or “the lesser of two evils.” Subjecting us to a choice between two fascists is no choice at all. Call your representatives. Let them know that politics as usual isn’t going to cut it anymore.Let’s stop tolerating the racists. Let’s stop denying that white supremacists often attempt to disguise their bigotry under the camouflage of criticism.Instead, let’s be active champions of integrity. That’s the only way to guarantee a win.You all make this newsletter happen! Thanks for your sponsorship! 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