A conversation about race and 2020.
What do you know about American politics today that you didn’t know on the day Donald Trump was inaugurated?
I think I underestimated the left’s response to Trump. I definitely underestimated the Democratic Party’s response. I get this rap for being pessimistic, but it’s inspiring to see. It’s really inspiring to see.
You can certainly see that movement in how mainstream Democrats talk about race and approach questions of criminal justice. That said, right now Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are two of the leading contenders for the party’s 2020 nomination—both politicians who embraced some version of “tough-on-crime liberalism” earlier in their careers. Is it possible for them to earn the votes of those who value racial justice?
Let me start by stipulating that I’m always gonna be the guy that did not think we would have a black president in my lifetime. You need to take that into consideration when you hear any sort of prognostication from me.
That said, Biden and Kamala are different. Biden is really popular right now among black voters, but it’s worth remembering that Hillary Clinton was really popular among black voters early in ’08, too. And I think Biden has more than just criminal justice baggage when it comes to race.
I do think the implicit point you made about there being a separation between African-American voters and African- American activists is a real thing. I was very concerned about how Obama addressed black audiences during his time as president. But I don’t think it ever hurt him in any sort of demonstrable way. And I think there’s a similar thing with Kamala: The idea of threatening mothers of kids who miss school with jail, under the notion that you ultimately want to help them? That’s really, really chilling.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 18, 2019 من New York magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 18, 2019 من New York magazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Unmasking Diddy
The rap mogul shook off decades of rumored bad behavior with wholesome PR revamps. Now the allegations against him are his legacy.
Staging Sufjan
How playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury turned a classic indie-rock album into a Justin Peck-choreographed dance piece that's now Broadway bound.
Justin Kuritzkes Serves an Ace
With his first movie script for the erotic tennis drama Challengers, he has gone from struggling playwright to in-demand screenwriter.
To Brooklyn, by Way of Paris and Rome
A whirlwind week with Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri as she stages the brand's first New York runway show in a decade.
A Burlesque Family at Home
Showbiz couple Angie Pontani and Brian Newman’s high-spirited Marine Park house.
A Bistro With Shish Barak
Huda impressively balances its many influences.
THE 'DEBATE ME BRO
Mehdi Hasan's aggressive interviewing style landed him a Sunday show on MSNBC. Until he started talking about Palestine.
THE MAN WHO GOSSIPED TOO MUCH
For almost two decades, JOHN NELSON anonymously published blind items skewering the Hollywood elite on the blog CRAZY DAYS AND NIGHTS. Then his identity was revealed in the midst of a messy affair.
TODD BLANCHE IS A SURPRISINGLY COMPETENT LAWYER. AND HE'S ON TRACK TO KEEP HIS CLIENT OUT OF JAIL UNTIL THE ELECTION. IN DEFENSE OF TRUMP
TODD BLANCHE WAS looking for his man. Or it could be a woman, but probably not.
Self: Emma Alpern
In Outer Space Why do so many women believe their bodies are controlled by the moon?