White men asked if they can lead a diverse Democratic Party

The 2020 Democratic field is the most diverse in history and for the first time, white male candidates are being asked about the optics of running as, well, white men. "I don't think it's ever even occurred to us to question the narrative or the relevance of a white man running for office, that's the norm," said Lauren Leader, co-founder and CEO of women's political leadership non-profit All-In-Together. Whether Beto O'Rourke acknowledging his privilege, Bernie Sanders suggesting identity shouldn't matter, or Pete Buttigieg telling a story about his former naiveté, the candidates' varied answers are one of many ways to prove they understand the barriers facing different communities.

For more ThinkProgress:

[clashfan]

I'm all for diversity but I'm not going to vote for someone just because they are a woman or a person of color. I didn't vote for Obama because he was black I voted for him because I thought he was the best candidate. It's a diverse field of candidates right now and we'll see how it shapes up so far for me the only one I've been impressed with has been Pete Buttigieg not because he's white and not because he's gay but because his values and ideas match mine.

[politikaldiskourse]

I couldn't care less about the gender or race of these candidates. I don't even have to see or hear them. Honestly! Just show me the words they are saying and show me their policies, because THAT is what I'm voting for. It's not about them representing MY race or gender. It's about them being able to represent me and *EVERYONE* as human beings. People tend to gravitate towards tribalism and we should be making an effort to change that. #PolicyOverIdentityPolitics ✌️

[johnfriend]

I'm proud that the Democratic Party is as diverse as our country. Our nominee shouldn't be judged by the color of their skin or their gender but by "the content of their character" and they're ability to move America forward.

[akaashnidhiss]

I don't think conservatives understand that everything in politics is about identity. A lot of middle class white rural americans voted for Trump because they felt that he best represented their identity or that he seemed to be the opposite of urban richer LA democrats. A lot of conservatives support the NRA because they feel that that coincides with their own identity. So it's not just a left wing thing, it's just politics.


You might feel this is a left wing thing because this might be the first time, you've seen minorities act on their own bias about their identity.

[MrMountain]

Only 3900 subscribers hahahahahahahaha

[frecklefingers]

The left-wing obsession with identity politics has reached the point of lunacy.