Election 2020: Focus on racism to defeat Trump

To win an election where the issue of race is front and center, anti-racists must make it clear to voters that when they cast their ballots they are making a moral choice about the kind of people they want to be, and the kind of nation in which they want to live.

Nationally known anti-racism educator Tim Wise has a lot to say on the subject.

Democrats shouldn’t try to underscore or challenge President Trump’s current racial messaging. That would play into his hands. Instead, point out his past racism and other character issues, such as not disclosing his taxes, ignoring the emoluments clause, avoiding military service and failure to serve in Vietnam.

Democrats must make the 2020 election about the threat of Trumpism, which is racist at its core. That doesn’t mean policy ideas aren’t important, but first and foremost, it’s about making it clear to voters what the stakes are.

No issue — climate, jobs, health coverage — overrides the importance of getting a bigot with authoritarian tendencies out of office. Focusing on look-how-much-I’ve-thought-about-this stuff might make for good primary debate theater, but it’s not going to move the needle in 2020.

This story was originally published August 22, 2019 at 4:01 PM.