By Andrea Shorter–
You might still be nursing a post-Super Tuesday Democratic Primary party hangover or heartache. If you were rooting for former VP Joe Biden to resuscitate back into national front-runner status following an anticipated and resounding South Carolina primary boost, then you’re still buzzing from a party-hardy hangover.
If you were banking on Senator Bernie Sanders to take California, as predicted, you might also still be enjoying a bit of a Super Tuesday.
If you were hoping against hope that maybe, just maybe, one of the two remaining female contenders, or a young gay man from Indiana, would have garnered competitive, delegate sweepstakes in the 2020 contest for party nominee, then, well, you’re not alone in your heartache and heartburn.
After nearly two years of boasting the most gender, racial, age, and LGBTQ diverse roster of big tent party candidates ever in American history, there will be no Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, Marianne Williamson, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Buttigieg, Corey Booker, Julian Castro, or Andrew Yang Democratic party nominee in July, let alone, president-elect come November 3, 2020. Even with the record-breaking premium votes cast by African Americans, suburban white women, and a growing Hispanic electorate, the primary and caucus numbers just didn’t add up to propel either candidate into the rarified stratosphere of nominees and president-elects dominated by centuries of white men.
In this dangerous post-Obama outwardly misogynist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, and authoritarian Trump-era, perhaps the hardest question of all is—even with some of the most competent, qualified, skilled candidates of color, of women, and openly gay ever presented—was it ever going to happen in 2020? Were we kidding ourselves that this particularly extremely high stakes big race would eventually dwindle down to a knock-out, drag down bloody fight between two, septuagenarian white men?
In particular, even with a wildly universally unpopular impeached-incumbent president former reality show host, corrupt, self-interested real estate magnate (at least on paper), and pathological liar, was there really any chance of electing a woman amongst purported overwhelming bi-partisan voter readiness for a woman president? Of course, there was. Of course.
It just didn’t happen for the candidates who included a sitting U.S. senator, former state attorney general, former Harvard Law professor, member of Congress, former mayor of a rust-belt city, and former U.S. Secretary of HUD. Were they and particularly the women candidates not adequately or exceptionally ready or worthy, financed, or organized enough to take on the most disastrous president in U.S. history? Is that what we are to believe? I certainly don’t. More importantly, I will not believe that; once we do, then hope is lost.
Nevertheless, here we are, again: two very old white guys. Correction: not just two old white guys, but three old white guys. There is a third party in the room.
No, I didn’t forget late to the party Michael Bloomberg in the aforementioned lineup of diverse candidates. Well, he isn’t necessarily diverse. But he is exceptionally extremely wealthy. Before his $500 million spending spree on TV ad blitz, Warren’s knock-out punch on the debate stage, during a very short-lived candidacy, before dropping out of the race (he did get the lion’s share of American Samoa’s delegates), he promised to avail his considerable resources to the Democratic nominee to help defeat Trump. This made Bloomberg the one for the money. In respect, to his promise, Mike has already won this race. He and his billions will be a (bene)factor.
For the literal “two for the show”? In one corner, the Democratic nominee very likely the former vice president to the first Black POTUS, and, in the other corner, well, we know who he is, mostly of an orangish hue, but undeniably white nationalist.
There’s still room to grow the delegate count in the remaining primaries and caucuses yet to vote, but if somehow by July, if it is not the former VP, then it will be Noam Chomsky stand-in, leader of the American socialist revolution (wait for it, wait for it—oh, the revolution is coming!) versus a brazen symbol of wayward capitalism if there ever was one.
Somewhere between a life-long Democrat, and an Independent/Democratic Socialist, with the promised turbo boost of a Democrat turned Republican turned Democrat, Trump will be defeated.
Now, we wait for the highly honorable anointing of a running mate, which usually serves as both consolation prize, and tactical practicality to help shore up, assure, or console whatever electorate needs to be brought along for the solid team win. This sounds cynical, yet hopeful. I’m placing my bets on the obvious and mostly speculated Stacey Abrams or Kamala Harris for the Veep. With the cards she is still holding close to her vest, I bet Elizabeth Warren will have something good to say about at least making that happen. We’ll soon see.
It’s something of a heartache, but meanwhile, as per usual, it’s one for money, two for the show, three to get ready—now, go, men, go.
Andrea Shorter is a Commissioner and the former President of the historic San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She is a longtime advocate for criminal and juvenile justice reform, voter rights and marriage equality. A Co-Founder of the Bayard Rustin LGBT Coalition, she was a 2009 David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Published on March 12, 2020
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