Some Final Reflections on the 2020 Presidential Election and the Politics of Race, Class, and Gender within the American Electorate

by Kofi Natambu
December 31, 2020
The Panopticon Review

Eight weeks ago on November 3, 2020 the national voting public of the United States—an alltime record of over 155 million citizens!—elected Democratic Party candidate Joseph R. Biden as the 46th president of the United States in what many observers and analysts have deemed the most important and consequential national election since 1860 on the cusp of the Civil War. The deeply alarming, even terrifying rise and emergence in just the past five years of ideologically malevolent forces both here and abroad and rapidly metastasizing in the form of the wildly chaotic and authoritarian neofascist regime of Donald J. Trump had sent the entire political system and much of U.S. civil society itself into widespread turmoil, conflict, and panic. This stark reality only greatly increased deep seated anxieties and fears throughout the Republic over centuries long structural, institutional, and systemic fears, dislocations, corruption, and demagoguery regarding addressing the foundational public categories of race, class, and gender in the American body politic at the levels of both political economy and cultural identity.

As a result what ultimately distinguished the 2020 election from its historical predecessors was a tsunami of bizarre and deeply disturbing behavior and actions involving openly public confrontations, endless disinformation campaigns and venomous rhetorical assaults by President Trump on not only his Democratic Party opponent and challenger Joseph Biden but an ongoing series of unrelenting attacks on virtually any and everyone the president thought, felt, or simply imagined were opposing, slighting, or otherwise dismissing him and his bluster. This included not only many Democratic Party politicians and stalwarts like Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer but also many others like progressive politician Alexandria Oscasio-Cortez and what was known as “the Squad” (fellow progressive Congressional representatives Ayanna Presley, Ilhan Omar, and Rashida Tlaib) all of whom happen to be both women and people of color, two of Trump’s favorite punching bags, but many members of his own subservient enabling Party as well on the vary rare occasions when they didn’t openly kiss his ass and sing his praises. The impact on the general election outside of these machinations and ID-fueled rages by the president and the ugly destructive fallout from it was complicated and made even more sinister and disruptive given the extensive racist police violence against African Americans throughout 2020 (e.g. George Floyd, Armaud Arbrey, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Jacob Blake etc.). Meanwhile a massive deadly global pandemic ravaged the entire country making it virtually impossible for the Democratic nominees (Biden and Kamala Harris) to campaign in any traditional or conventional manner which involved appealing to large crowds live in realtime. However even this clear and present danger of spreading the virus via live events which led inevitably to the direct transmission and eventual infection of thousands of supporters didn’t stop the wild antic “super-spreader”events in which thousands of Trump’s supporters endangered themselves and their family, friends, and neighbors.

Despite all the many distractions and the often patently cruel and simply braindead demonstrations of a national cult of fervent supporters of Trump’s despicable rightwing demagoguery and rank exploitation of not only the general public (most of whom were intensely opposed to the president on both a personal and political/ideological level) but of his most dedicated followers as well. Meanwhile the already very deep and persistent divisions of the country along racial. class, and gender lines and revealed once again (as they have for over 70 years now) just how dependent the two major political parties remain on the electoral and ideological domination of these divisions. Thus while Trump continued as he had in 2016 to garner a very substantial majority of white American voters (over 57% of all white voters—which collectively numbered over 100 million people this year!-- cast their ballot for Trump, with 58% of white males and an equally distressing 55% of all white female voters also voting for Trump’ despite his deeply white supremacist, corporate, and misogynist agenda. 

 
As a deeply determined counterweight to this huge national surge of white American “vote of confidence” in a clearly fascist regime and its raging sociopathic leader nearly 80% of a huge number of Black, Latino, Asian, and Native American voters voted against this same regime and leader with the national black vote as usual leading the way with 87% of its voters refusing a replay of the last four years despite widespread voter suppression. As a result, over 81 million American voters collectively voted for Biden while an astonishing 74 million still voted for Trump (a very ominous sign of just how "popular" FASCISM currently remains in American politics and culture). This gigantic turnout meant that the two candidates individually received the most votes of any two candidates in the history of the Republic. That the country is still reeling from an extremely deadly pandemic (over 350,000 Americans have died of the coronavirus as of this writing), a rapidly collapsing national economy, and a frankly maniacal and equally deadly national rightwing coalition led by the heinous Republican Party and the brazenly ruthless likes of Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell, as the rabidly criminal and fiercely antidemocratic antics of the now defeated president continues to assault the political system in general it’s clear that the 2020 election has merely delayed but is still nowhere close yet to firmly and decisively DEFEATING what is as of January 1, 2021 still a clear and present danger to not only this nation but the entire world. Stay tuned because the political, economic, cultural and ideological war that MUST be waged in this society and throughout the globe against the still gathering and rapidly expanding forces of fascism, whether we “win” an election or not and especially whether we “like it” or not is more imperative than ever …
 

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

NOTE:  This post can also be found here at the Panopticon Review On Facebook page.

African American Voters Reject Billary, Inc.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-trice-24mar24,1,6032953,print.column

All,

I said back in early January that if the Clintons (Billary, Inc.) decided to race-bait Obama in any way they would pay dearly for that transgression and live to regret it. I knew that the masses of black people would never stand for it on any level whatsoever and that we would then do everything in our collective power to see to it that the offender(s) were seriously punished politically. After voting in whopping margins of 9-1 for Bill Clinton in both 1992 and 1996 and then openly defending and supporting him during the Lewinsky scandal and opposing the Republicans bid to impeach him the black voting bloc showed the Clintons tremendous loyalty, respect, and trust. Now to have that compassion and support thrown right back in our collective faces and have the Clintons turn on us-- their most loyal and supportive base of voters in the entire country-- by engaging in the most opportunist and sleazy race baiting imaginable is justly considered a major outrage by black voters nationally who historically are not only the most sophisticated and savvy ethnic voting bloc in this country but also the one with the longest (and strongest) memories. By "fronting" black folks off in public through a vulgar and demagogic display of condescension and indifference and by taking black votes for granted the Clintons have committed a monumental political gaffe that frankly they may never recover from. But there's no need for pity on anyone's part. Billary, Inc. EARNED and thus thoroughly DESERVES their comeuppance in this situation. So if black voters have anything to do with it (and trust me--we will!) Hillary Clinton will NOT be the second "black (minstrel) president" of these United States. We're looking for the REAL DEAL this time around...

Kofi


www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-trice-24mar24,1,2106298.column

Clintons lose luster with black voters
Dawn Turner Trice
Chicago Tribune

March 24, 2008


An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll taken this month found that former President Bill Clinton, the so-called first black president, is falling out of favor with African-Americans.

More of the poll's respondents view him negatively (45 percent) than positively (42 percent). Compare this to his ratings just last year—a positive of 48 percent compared with a negative of 35 percent—and it's a pretty big deal.

Beyond scientific polls, anecdotal evidence reveals that his wife also is losing support from the Democratic Party's most reliable constituency.

A lot of black people are furious at Sen. Hillary Clinton in part because of the actions or infractions of her surrogates. They're angry at Bill for the dust-up he created after the South Carolina contest comparing Sen. Barack Obama's win there to that of Rev. Jesse Jackson's when he ran for president. They're angry at Geraldine Ferraro for suggesting Obama is mostly an affirmative action candidate.

They blame the Clinton camp for circulating the picture of Obama in Somali garb, an attempt to incite anti-Muslim fears. Some even blame the Clintons for initiating the controversy over the inflammatory sermons made by Obama's former pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Nevermind whether these last two examples are true.

What's striking for me is the number of black voters who tell me they could never bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton, even if by some miracle, she became the Democratic presidential nominee.

Some have said they would sit out the general election, and risk a win by Republican Sen. John McCain. And these are people for whom not voting is anathema.

Indeed Clinton has her share of detractors. But, until recently, not too many blacks were counted among them. In fact, until South Carolina, a lot of black people felt heartsick about having to choose between Clinton and Obama.

Now folks' hearts are hardened and the resentment is visceral. Blacks didn't expect the Clintons to play the race card. You could argue that the Clinton strategy is just politics. It's not personal. It's not really racial. But this year voters of all stripes are rejecting the same old, same old.

Black people in particular (and others too) are rejecting this brand of politics that plays on voters' worst fears. If Republicans use race-baiting (think: footage of Mexicans scaling border fences) to stir the base, who is shocked by it? But it is shocking coming from someone who always has been considered an ally.

For years, blacks appreciated Hillary Clinton's work at Yale, tutoring black law students; her work at the Children's Defense Fund; her efforts on behalf of public education and health care. The list goes on and, frankly, her civil rights roots may run deeper than Obama's.

But in just a few months, the Clintons may have squandered a lot of goodwill capital. Black voters expected a spirited debate between the Clinton and Obama camps. But on the issues.

In New Hampshire, when Bill Clinton called Obama's Iraq war position a "fairy tale," that was in bounds. The Jesse Jackson comparison—out of bounds. Not because it wasn't true, but because Clinton was slyly playing the race card.

Of all Obama's moves, the most brilliant has been making unity and hope fundamental campaign themes. You look pretty mean-spirited slinging mud on a guy who is reluctant to get down and dirty. You also look profoundly clueless next to one who can deliver an eloquently nuanced speech on transcending racism.

At any other moment in history, Clinton would be the IT candidate for many black Democrats. But life is complicated. Race is complicated. So are feelings of betrayal.

If the Clinton strategy has been "win at any cost," it appears to have cost a lot.

dtrice@tribune.com

Copyright © 2008, Chicago Tribune

Should Obama Attend the State of the Black Union Forum?

Here's a link from Mingle City on whether Barack Obama should attend Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union forum on February 23. Also includes a letter from Obama.

Here is my response to this discussion:

I've often said and seen demonstrated publicly MANY times in my life that African American citizens in general are by far the most aware, sophisticated, and politically savvy voting bloc in this entire country. I'm not only PROUD to say it but it makes me feel truly HONORED to be a part of this electorate for precisely those reasons. Our historical consistency in supporting and voting for, and on behalf of, the most progressive candidates and issues available in mainstream American politics is from any objective perspective simply astonishing and often quite inspiring. As a people we very rarely EVER vote against our own self interest and are very careful not to discriminate against any single ethnic/"racial" group in the United States when making our choices (unlike the great majority of whites, for instance, we have consistently voted not only for progressive and liberal white candidates, but Black, Latino, and Asian American progressives and liberals as well).

THE EXTENSIVE EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OF THIS FACT IS IRREFUTABLE FOR ANYONE WHO SERIOUSLY STUDIES HISTORICAL VOTING PATTERNS IN THIS COUNTRY (as I have and do). Of the 19 presidential elections since 1932 the black vote has given 70-90% of their support to the following candidates: Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Adlai Stevenson, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale, Michael Dukakis, Bill Clinton, Al Gore, and John Kerry. This is NOT to say of course that all or even most of these individual (all white) politicians fulfilled most of our dreams, expectations, demands, and desires (they obviously didn't) or even that they always did the most progressive, liberal, responsible, or accountable thing once in office--on those fairly rare occasions when our favorite candidate got into office. Of the 13 presidential candidates listed here that we supported and voted for from the past 75 years only 6 were actually elected President). But it is to say (and I think this distinction is VERY important) that black people HAVE ALWAYS VOTED AGAINST THE MOST REACTIONARY AND RIGHTWING CANDIDATES AS WELL AS IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS in American politics.

Unlike far too many whites, Latinos, and Asians for example one never caught us voting in any substantial numbers for the horrific likes of Herbert Hoover or Thomas Dewey or Dwight D. Eisenhower or Richard Nixon or Gerald Ford or Ronald Reagan or George Bushwhacker the First or Bob Dole or George Bushwhacker the Second. NO, NOT US! And again I'M VERY PROUD OF THAT because let's be real here: MILLIONS OF "OTHER AMERICANS' DID--something I have always seen as the CENTRAL TRAGIC FLAW of U.S. "mainstream" politics in general--which is this: The great majority of voters in this country CONSISTENTLY vote against their own self interest!

EXHIBIT A: For contemporary evidence of all this we don't have to look back any further historically than 2004 when THE WORSE PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY RECEIVED 62 MILLION VOTES from (mostly) poor, working, and middleclass Whites, Latinos, and Asian Americans who actually went out and voted for an incompetent, arrogant, oppressive, and duplicitous moron who DESPISED THEM. Since 90% of African Americans voted for Kerry it sure as hell wasn't our fault. Amazingly however 45% of all Latinos and Asian Americans who voted in 2004 VOTED FOR THE BUSHWHACKER. WHY? WHO THE HELL KNOWS, except that it's crystal clear to me that MOST American voters for a myriad of reasons (among them ignorance, fear, hatred, self-loathing, and cynicism) don't have a CLUE who to vote for (that is, if their actual political objective is to IMPROVE THEIR OWN LIVES).

So it is in this social and political context that I state my absolute Joy in reading the accounts in the link above of hundreds of African American citizens publicly voicing their overwhelming disagreements with, and principled opposition to, Tavis Smiley's inane and asinine attempts to deter the black electorate from voting for Barack Obama in this Democratic Party nomination process. What is most striking to me about their eloquent and sharply analytical replies to Smiley's transparent attempts to oppose Obama's campaign in such an immature and destructive manner is that these voters have a very firm grasp and understanding of the real issues facing not only them/us in this election BUT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY. Notice how in nearly every single post the major concerns of these African Americans are rooted in a dignified and informed DEMAND FOR DEMOCRACY AND JUSTICE. Not only do black citizens fervently believe in these concepts but they recognize that any solutions to our collective problems as a nation MUST FOREGROUND AND FIERCELY ADVOCATE A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE IN HOW WE CONDUCT OUR POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC AFFAIRS. Their choice of Obama over Clinton has very little to nothing to do with what various boneheads still insist on calling "race." Instead their profound political maturity and VISION allows them to see and prosletyze for something far more real real, important, and concrete than that: OUR FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY AS CITIZENS. Granted we are ALL very far from fulfilling even a small fraction of our genuine promise and potential in these areas of our civic and political lives but our saving grace is that we are FULLY CONSCIOUS OF THE TRUE STAKES ARE AND OUR CRUCIAL, EVEN PIVOTAL ROLE IN FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMING THIS COUNTRY. As we used to sing back in '60s "We know the one thing we did right was the day we decided to fight--keep your eyes on the prize, Hold on." That bedrock consciousness is what makes us a Great People and allows us to understand in a profound and uncanny way what the "Obama movement" REALLY MEANS. Unlike far too many of our "intellectuals", "academics", "politicians", and "authority figures" the black masses really do GET IT. They know because of their extremely rich, complex, and perilous history that one can't rationally or realistically look for "messiahs" in one's leadership who can "deliver" and "save" them. Contrary to popular misinformed belief most black people know far better than that. The proof is in our mass dedication, courage, and discipline during the Civil War, Reconstruction, the devastating Post-Reconstruction era, through the Great Depression and two world Wars into the modern Civil Rights and Black Power eras and on through the present day.

What these citizens get is that they know WE are the people who must change society and they correctly see Obama as a potential CONDUIT for that change. But they also fully realize that ultimately ONLY THE MASSES OF PEOPLE CAN CHANGE ANYTHING. So they intelligently view this election and Obama's campaign as an OPPORTUNITY for them and the rest of us to create an opening where truly democratic attitudes, values, ideas, and POSSIBILITIES can assert themselves. After all the quality of our general leadership (especially on a national level) has often been quite high. In this respect I'm talking particularly about such major political and historical figures as Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Paul Robeson, Mary Bethune, Malcolm X, Ella Baker, and Martin Luther King, Jr. etc. who ALL provided us with many opportunities and "openings" to involve ourselves in mass democratic efforts that required not so much "strong leaders" as "strong people." As in our simultaneously glorious and deeply disturbing past every historical period issues similar demands and challenges that must be addressed, taken seriously, and acted upon. What our people clearly recognize is that this time is no different in that respect and that Barack Obama represents (as did Douglass, as did Baker, as did Malcolm as did DuBois as did Martin and others) a mass democratic opportunity to confront and deal with the massive crises before us. In this crucial context Obama is merely another instrument we must use to make our true mass democratic demands, desires, and agenda(s) known.

Despite the dull myopia of those self-ordained "leaders" like Tavis Smiley who are and remain stuck/mired in abstract and limited "categories of understanding" the great majority of our African American citizens who are involved in the political process (located both "inside" and "outside" the system) are moving forward in pursuit of a progressive and critical agenda that focuses on far more than just a ghettoized portion of the national and global debate. Barack Obama is and remains an integral part of that larger quest. That is what our support of his candidacy actually signifies and ultimately MEANS. Let the real struggle for Democracy in this country begin...