When you live by identity politics you die by identity politics. If you patronize one group another will be mad you didn’t patronize them
We heard Spanish on debate stage in Miami, but where’s love for Caribbean-American voters?
When several Democratic presidential candidates answered questions in Spanish during the debates in Miami on Wednesday and Thursday, it was a clear overture to the Latino voting bloc — a message of inclusiveness from a party that needs strong turnout to win the White House in 2020.
But for some in the growing Caribbean-American community of South Florida, it came across as a snub.
“They never mention black immigrants,†said Francesca Menes, a 34-year-old of Haitian descent who in December resigned from her post as treasurer for the Florida Democratic Party.
“They make us feel invisible,†Menes said of the Democratic hopefuls.
Not one of the 20 candidates on stage in Miami uttered a word in Creole, which would have connected with South Florida’s Haitian population of more than 330,000 — the majority of whom were born here or are naturalized citizens. Nor did any of the candidates directly address the impact of immigration policy on Caribbean-Americans and their families.
Once you start playing the Identity Politics game, you have to make sure you play it for every single voter group you’ve created boxes for. Because that’s the way Democrats think of voters: according to the label on their box, instead of as individuals.
“The party keeps playing from the same playbook, and doesn’t understand that the black community is not monolithic — especially in a state like Florida,” Menes said. “You have to come from all of the different angles and you have to meet people where they’re at.”
She saw missed opportunities to reach Haitian-Americans and other voters of Caribbean descent via ads on radio stations and other media platforms when she worked with the Democrats during Andrew Gillum’s campaign for governor.
How will Democrats pander to voters in Detroit, seeing as how the next debate will be there in July? Perhaps a little causal gun play in the streets? Will they start quoting rap songs? Perhaps they’ll talk about how they love keeping abortion unfettered in 79% Black Detroit, since Democrats do not seem to actually like Black people that much.
