In the 1950s, cramming as many people as you could into a phone booth was all the rage on college campuses. It made no difference who the people were. The sole concern was plugging every available space with a warm body. According to Ripley’s the record set by students at St. Mary’s College.
Today, Democrats have their own version of phone both stuffing. It’s called “diversity.” Joe Biden is looking to set a new record by wedging as many ethnicities as he can into his cabinet. As with the pop culture craze of the ’50s, how effective the people he selects are at governance is of little consequence. All that matters is their skin color. At present I think Biden is still short a Pacific Islander, though I could be mistaken.
The problem with identity politics is that it can lead to jealousy and in-fighting among the different protected classes. An example of this is playing out in California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on Tuesday that he had chosen the state’s secretary of state, Alex Padilla, to fill the Senate seat being vacated by Kamala Harris.
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As NBC News, a supporter of diversity, proudly underscores, “Padilla will be the first Latino senator to represent the state.”
The article records the reaction of Harris and two other prominent Democratic women from California — Nancy Pelosi and Dianne Feinstein — all of whom are delighted with the pick.
But not all female Golden Staters in high office share their enthusiasm. San Francisco Mayor London Breed called the selection of Padilla “a real blow to the African American community, to African American women, to women in general,” according to ABC News.
It’s really challenging to put it into words, but it was definitely a surprise. And it’s an unfortunate situation as we are trying to move this country forward, and making sure that Black Lives truly matter and that African Americans have a seat at the table — especially African American women.
Three African American women — Rep. Karen Bass, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Breed herself — were considered as Harris’s replacement.
Breed’s complaint over Padilla’s appointment generated a response from Christian Arana, policy director of the Latino Community Foundation, who was sympathetic — if only up to a point. He said:
We understand that there will be no Black women in the United States senate and that is a big problem and that’s a big problem not just for us but it should be a big problem for California and the rest of the country.
But then he added, “I hope we have greater conversations about what it’s really going to take to make sure communities of color will have a seat at the table, cause quite frankly we shouldn’t be fighting over crumbs like a United States senate seat.”
