The Democrats are about to break their backbone

Progressives who want Gavin Newsom to replace an aging president and an uninspiring vice president at the top of their 2024 ticket are in danger of throwing their “backbone” out of alignment.

Democrats can’t afford to alienate black women, their most loyal voter base. The party’s official X account recently tweeted, “Black women are the backbone of the Democratic Party.” That’s why picking Newsom over Kamala Harris would be a slap in the face to the women who cried tears of joy and danced in the streets when “Uncle Joe” won the White House.

The prospect of unhappy black women sitting out the 2024 election isn’t the only cause for concern.

No one in the party wants to spend the next nine months reading op-eds from the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Atlantic with the following theme: “Kamala Harris lost her job to a less qualified white man. Many black women can relate.”

The reason this is even a possibility is that whispers from Washington insiders about moving on from the current president are likely to become much louder following a lengthy investigation into the president’s handling of classified documents.

Special counsel Robert Hur found that Joe Biden willfully retained classified information but recommended that he not face criminal charges. I’m sure the president is relieved from a legal standpoint, but the report served as chum in the waters of Washington politics.

At one point in his report, Hur described the current commander in chief as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The short press conference Biden held Thursday night to address the special counsel’s findings led to more questions about his mental fitness, especially after he confused the presidents of Egypt and Mexico.

Who succeeds Biden?

Concerns about Biden’s cognitive decline are not new. The much more interesting question is whether his party will replace him on the Democratic ticket and, if so, with whom.

If Democrats decide to ditch Biden, the most logical choice to replace him is Vice President Kamala Harris. She is already celebrated by the left as the first African-American and woman to hold that position. The chance to elect the first female president seems like a dream scenario for the identitarian left.

Democrats, however, don’t seem interested in a ticket led by Harris. That’s one reason California Governor Gavin Newsom is the name consistently floated as Biden’s replacement. Newsom may look the part and poll well, but the party of diversity, equity, and inclusion can’t afford to be seen kicking a black woman to the curb for its ultimate boogeyman: another straight, white male.

The women who have been pumping themselves up as the saviors of democracy would pitch a fit if the current vice president were leapfrogged by the current governor of California.

The only person who has the experience, name recognition, cultural capital, and complexion for protection needed to send Kamala Harris to the bench is Michelle Obama. A few Harris supporters and surrogates would cry foul, but the party and the black community would quickly move on.

Unfortunately for the left, the prospect of unhappy black women sitting out the 2024 election isn’t the only cause for concern.

Losing the hip-hop vote

Rumors of “MAGA-mentum” growing among black men may be overblown, but polls and political pundits seem to show the Democrats are struggling to connect with their second-most loyal voter base. It’s also clear that progressives are having a hard time keeping some of their reliable allies in line.

For years, Democrats have relied on athletes and entertainers to encourage black voters to support their candidates and policy priorities. LeBron James campaigned with Hillary Clinton in 2016. The dating app BLK partnered with Cash Money rapper Juvenile to turn the popular song “Back That Thang Up” into a Fauci-approved call to “Vax That Thang Up.” For context, BLK is the same company that partnered with Michelle Obama’s voting initiative to put out the “No Voting, No Vucking” ad featuring an overweight transvestite and aging Miami rapper using sex to lure black men to the polls.

Put simply, Democrats depend on black entertainers to help reach black voters. I have been very public with my criticism of the violence and hypersexuality in hip-hop, but I must admit enjoying the progressive weeping and gnashing of teeth that ensue every time a rapper goes rogue.

Sexyy Red and Snoop Dogg expressed their admiration and support for Donald Trump. Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill tweeted his intention to watch Tucker Carlson’s interview with Vladimir Putin and said he listens to Candace Owens. 50 Cent criticized Mayor Eric Adams about New York City’s plan to give illegal aliens debit cards. Atlanta rapper Killer Mike upset progressives in 2022 when he didn’t endorse Stacey Abrams for governor. He caused a similar stir recently by refusing to endorse Joe Biden.

These are all signs of serious trouble for Democrats. They are losing control of their political narratives and their most loyal voters.

Many are tired of the shameless pandering from politicians, whether they are kneeling in kente cloth in the U.S. Capitol or talking about how they keep hot sauce in their pocketbooks. It’s one thing for black men to vote for Trump in significant numbers, but it’s another altogether if the party’s backbone starts to bend in the wrong direction.