Voting Against Demography
I hate call-in radio. The call-in radio waves are, of course, dominated by the great right-wing bloviators, but even on stations aimed at my own educated, east-coast liberal demographic, there’s no end to dumbasses. Educated, east-coast liberal dumbasses.
For no clear reason, given that she despises both the show and its host, Eileene turned Brian Lehrer on the radio this morning. I couldn’t listen very long before I stepped in and turned it off again. One listener called in to voice a complaint that Obama supporters are behind him strictly because of the color of his skin. Not just some minority of race-motivated ninnies, but all Obama supporters. I’ve seen similar accusations elsewhere that Clinton supporters are only interested in putting a woman in the White House, and that all Democrats are voting against one of the candidates out of racism or sexism.
Naturally, neither charge makes much sense; to a huge extent, those who would like to see a woman win (as opposed to seeing a black man lose) are the same liberal folks who would like to see a black man win, and vice versa, for essentially the same reasons, and with roughly equal intensity. I’m one of ‘em; I’m not voting for anyone because of their demographic pigeon hole, but I’d consider a disruption to an unbroken history of white males a small bonus. And, of course, there must be Democrats out there who don’t give a tinker’s damn about race or gender, but have to line up behind one—that’s all the choices there are, now.
For that matter, neither remaining Democratic candidate is running on demographic credentials; while they won’t turn their noses up at votes, no matter how shallowly motivated, they can’t afford to chase their own demographic visibly enough to alienate everyone else. It’s absurd to think that everyone in either camp is motivated entirely by those subtle (and occasionally less subtle) hints Clinton and Obama drop to the effect that “I’m one of you” when speaking to highly homogeneous crowds.
Still, absurdities happen in politics. Things that don’t make sense are nonetheless true in politics. I doubt the knicker-twisted caller would be much swayed in her belief by appeals to common sense. And, sadly, iron-clad proof is scarcer in politics than paupers in the Senate. Yet, on this rare occasion, we do have proof:
If Democratic voters were motivated for either candidate strictly by the candidate’s race, there would be no movement in the polls whatsoever. It was no great secret in the very earliest days of the primary season that Clinton was white and Obama black. Unsurprisingly, Clinton remains white and Obama black to this day. If race were the only determinant, no Democrat would have changed his mind. Yet—mirable dictu!—some Democrats have changed their minds since the opening of the primary season. Therefore, they are motivated by factors other than race. Q.E.D. A similar proof that Clinton supporters are motivated by more than gender is left as an exercise to the student.
I don’t suppose even iron-clad proof would move the idiot caller; working your way to blanket statements like that, and believing them with the fervor necessary to make angry calls to the radio station takes a commitment transcendent of demonstrable reality.