Every election is important in its own right. But, arguably, the single most important election of yesterday\’s midterm was Republican Larry Hogan winning the gubernatorial race over Democrat Anthony Brown.
The reason? Because in the latter part of the campaign, when Brown\’s months-long comfortable lead started to disappear, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton all came to Maryland and campaigned for him. And when that didn\’t stop Hogan\’s surge, literature was handed out on Brown\’s behalf which overtly played the race card (Mr. Brown is Black).
The fact that none of this worked; that, in a usually deep-blue state, Anthony Brown, who was an attractive, well-qualified candidate, wound up losing by a near-landslide 54% – 45% margin – means that, aside from the Obamas (who will be gone in 2016), neither Hillary Clinton\’s presence nor a race-based appeal moved voters to his side.
What does this tell you about Hillary Clinton\’s potential as the Democrats\’ 2016 standard-bearer? It tells you that now, as in 2008, despite the self-assurance and despite the media adoration, she is a lousy candidate – which should warm the cockles of Republican hearts all over the country.
And what does it tell you about motivating Black voters based on an overtly racial appeal? The fact that, although it has worked in the past, it didn\’t work here, could mean that more and more Black voters have had it with being pigeonholed by their skin color, and are looking to be spoken to as just individual human beings rather than as nothing more than components of a racial voting bloc.
If so, that is wonderful news. Because that is what Black people are; individual human beings, just like everyone else. And treating them as some mindless blob of Black skinned voting opportunity is an insult – which, if this election is any indication, became obvious to many Black voters.
Do yesterday\’s results mean that Democrats will shun Hillary in 2016? Probably not – which should make a lot of Republicans very happy.
Do yesterday\’s results mean Democrats will not resort to the race card again in 2016? Let\’s hope, for everyone\’s sake, the answer is yes. Enough is enough.
