Who Keeps Questioning Kamala Harris' Race?
Not Donald Trump
With all the corporate media hoopla about Kamala Harris’ racial identification, and their inability to decide if she is Indian-American, Black, Brown, or Lord knows what color, we should stop to note the one person who is not questioning Kamala Harris’ racial identification.
That would be her opponent, Donald Trump.
When you look at the ads Donald Trump has released recently, they all share one thing in common: They all attack Kamala Harris on her record.
They attack her for her radically “progressive” positions. Calling her out over policy and position is not an attack based on race—by definition.
They attack her for covering up Joe Biden’s advancing dementia (this, we should note, in any other political climate would be absolutely an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor by any Vice President). Accusing her (with reason and evidence) of appalling fraud and deception is not an attack based on race—by definition.
They attack her support of the Minnesota Freedom Fund in 2020, which was used to bail out people who were subsequently charged with new violent crimes while out on bail. Connecting Kamala Harris to a demonstrable public safety concern is not an attack based on race—by definition
They remind voters of the colossal national security and law enforcement failure that the southern border has been under the Biden-Harris Administration (while Kamala Harris was border czar). Calling Kamala Harris to account for the humanitarian, national security, and law enforcement crisis that is the southern border under the Biden-Harris Administration is not an attack based on race—by definition
They remind voters that hyperinflation occurred under the Biden-Harris Administration, that prices have gone up significantly while real disposable incomes have gone down significantly under Biden-Harris’ economic stewardship. Challenging the economic record of the Biden-Harris Administration is not an attack based on race—by definition
Meanwhile, corporate media is still hyperventilating over Donald Trump actually daring to answer a question posed to him by a reporter when he accepted an invitation to appear at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention.
Each of those headlines is about Donald Trump’s response to a question posed by Rachel Scott at the NABJC.
SCOTT: I just defined it, sir. Do you believe that Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she is a black woman?
TRUMP: Well, I can say I think it’s maybe a little bit different. So, I’ve known her for a long time. Indirectly. Not directly, very much. And she was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. And now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?
SCOTT: She has always identified as a Black woman —
TRUMP: I respect either one, but she obviously doesn’t because she was Indian all the way. And then all of a sudden she made a turn and she became a Black person.
Keep in mind that Rachel Scott was not accurate in her assessment of how Kamala Harris has presented herself over the years. It was Rachel Scott who chose to ignore Kamala Harris’ Indian heritage. It has been the corporate media that chose to alternately present Kamala Harris as Indian-American or Black, and only begrudgingly as having both lineages—and it was corporate media that debated on live television whether or not Kamala Harris was “black”.
It is corporate media that is continuing to inject race into this political campaign. It is corporate media, with or without Kamala Harris’ cooperation or instigation, that is determined to reduce Kamala Harris to a racial caricature.
Corporate media is doing this. Not Donald Trump. Not Donald Trump’s “MAGA” supporters. Not the Republican Party. Corporate media—no friend to Donald Trump—is doing all of this.
Donald Trump is going after Kamala Harris on her record. As I have written previously, there’s much about that record for which she needs to answer.
Kamala Harris should account for the entirety of the Biden-Harris Administration’s record on the economy, on the southern border, on Israel’s war with Hamas, on Ukraine, on energy policy, just to name a few things.
Kamala Harris should account for her time as California Attorney General and the abuses of power laid at her feet then.
Kamala Harris should account for her political record and her political resume.
Donald Trump should account for his political record and his political resume.
That’s the political debate this country should have during a Presidential election. That’s the political debate this country needs during a Presidential election.
That’s the political debate this country is once again not getting during this Presidential election.
Donald Trump has released political ad after political ad going after Kamala Harris’ record and her political resume. Corporate media is still focusing on Kamala Harris’ race.
Corporate media is still ignoring both Kamala Harris’ and Donald Trump’s political record and political resume.
Ask yourself why that is.
This is why I am compelled to come off the fence and get on the Trump Train 2024. With corporate media ignoring economic issues, national security issues, immigration issues, public safety issues, and the record and political resume of both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump while gaslighting the public on Donald Trump’s non-existent “focus” on Kamala Harris racial/ethnic identification, a contrarian narrative inevitably becomes a pro-Trump narrative. With corporate media misrepresenting their own cynical manipulation of Kamala Harris’ racial/ethnic identification—something which should not even be an issue in a 21st-century political contest—a contrarian narrative inevitably becomes a pro-Trump narrative. With corporate media this wedded to a toxic yet unabashedly pro-Harris narrative of identity politics, an independent perspective is no longer feasible.
Corporate media should be doing as Donald Trump is doing, and focusing on Kamala Harris’ record, not her race. Race is irrelevant to political discourse, while record is extremely relevant. Corporate media—and this includes the journalists at the NABJC—should be focusing on Donald Trump’s record, and not asking “gotcha” questions regarding Kamala Harris’ race.
Neither candidate is immune from criticism—and even condemnation—for policy choices they have made in the past. Neither candidate has a record that is beyond reproach.
I will repeat the suggestion I made previously to corporate media and to Kamala Harris: if you do not want race to be a topic in the political debates of 2024, quit making race a topic in the political debates of 2024. I don’t want to talk about anyone’s race, and I don’t want to care about anyone’s race. I am not at all pleased that Kamala Harris and corporate media demand I care about her race when I want very much to care about her track record instead.
Look at the ads being released by each candidate. Look at the promotional materials being circulated by each candidate. Look at which one is targeting the other’s stance on issues and which one isn’t.
Look at which candidate wants to talk about their record and the issues, and which one does not.
Look at where corporate media is shining their spotlight—and where they are not.
Interrogate both candidates on the facts of their policies and their records. Be assured I shall be doing likewise on this Substack.
Get the facts. Get all the facts. Educate others on the facts. Then vote accordingly, using your very best judgment.
I’m not at all concerned with how Harris presents…black, Indian…it doesn’t matter to me. She flips. She flops (a LOT), a d most people know this. What does concern me is the capitalization of the WORD black in this piece. Would you capitalize the word white? Or brown? Black is an adjective. We don’t capitalize adjectives in the English language 🤦♀️. Can we please please please put the subtle virtue signaling aside and focus on facts and substance? For this, I would be most grateful.
Respectfully to all, Kamala Harris class characteristics are not relevant to consider her lack of ability and derogatory policy choices. In addition, I believe all the bigotry based poppycock needs to be ended. The Democrats are guttersnipes enough based on their policies and attitudes, as well as their adherence to the foreign and domestic enemies of the Constitution of the United States