Ta-Nehisi Coates Is An Optimist Now

A conversation about race and 2020.

- Eric Levitz

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.