Bob Lord So, shortly before the New Hampshire primary, I said Jeb! actually had a chance at a comeback. Then, after his decent showing in NH, I predicted he would come back and win. Believe it or not, I actually was substance free when I made that prediction. I wish that weren’t true. It would be the … Read more
We’re almost two weeks out from the Gloria Steinem/Madeleine Albright moment, when women under 30 who weren’t supporting Hillary were labeled as sex-crazed dimwits headed for a special place in hell.
Even though Albright herself issued a grudging apology in a NY Times op-ed, she still has her defenders, I learned. Check out this conversation on Facebook between two women with opposing views on the subject, who I’ve renamed Bernadette and Chelsea.
I wrote this on Facebook earlier today:
So, the pundit class is all agog over how Trump went where no Republican has gone before by going after W for Iraq and the WMD lies. Is it really that shocking? Wasn’t that a high hanging curve waiting to be whacked over the left field wall, and Trump had the brains to do it?
Upon reflection, however, I think there’s more going on than meets the eye.
Trump doesn’t need to go after Jeb! like this. He’s already eviscerated him. I had developed a contrarian view on this, but the polls in South Carolina prove me wrong.
So, what was Trump’s purpose? If he moved a few more of Bush’s voters (not many left, mind you) he’d likely be moving them to Rubio or Kasich. Hardly seems worth it.
Trump, it seems, is playing a long game. He knows that winning the nomination and losing the general wold be a pretty ignominious fate.
A couple up front disclaimers:
First, I try my very best not to whitesplain. I doubt I’m perfect in that endeavor, but my point here is to ask questions, not to answer them. I have benefitted from white privilege and have precious few black friends, none of whom are among my “closest” friends (you know, as in “I’m not racist, some of my closest friends…”). I have neither the knowledge base, nor the experience, nor the perspective to answer questions on this subject.
Second, I recognize that blacks are not monolithic, such that they should be expected to think, act, or vote in unison. As a demographic group, however, I hope it’s fair to say that black Americans have different priorities than do Americans at large, such that it’s logical to expect their collective vote to be different from other demographic groups.
Subject to those disclaimers, consider the power Black America collectively holds in the Democratic nominating process. It’s sort of the opposite of the 2008 nomination process. In 2008, Black America overwhelmingly favored Obama. The swing votes in 2008 were in the hands of White and Latino voters.
This time, it’s the other way around.
By Bob Lord and Mellie MacEachern
I’ve been fascinated by the age divide in the Democratic base. So I invited a Facebook friend of mine, Mellie MacEachern to have an online conversation on the subject. Mellie is a 2011 Michigan grad and aspiring writer who’s worked for various nonprofits and other organizations for the past five years.
Lord: Mellie, one of the most stunning poll numbers I’ve ever seen was from Iowa, where a poll had Sanders ahead of Clinton by 70 points, 84-14, among voters under 30. I’ll be 60 this year, so I’m clueless. What’s going on here.