When you’re watching election coverage tonight, pay special attention to Democrat Senate race in Maryland.
When Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski retired, Chris Van Hollen, part of the Democrats’ House leadership team, was considered a shoo-in. Until Congresswoman Donna Edwards entered the race. Now polls show a tight race.
This weekend, Ms. Edwards publicly blasted Democrats as racist. In an interview with Buzzfeed, she claimed that although Republicans use “dog whistles” as code for racial attitudes, Democrats use “a foghorn.” Edwards says she’s “dumbfounded” that Democrats accuse her of running a campaign based on identity politics.
This isn’t a first. When Atlanta’s first black mayor, Maynard Jackson, ran for DNC chairman against Terry McAuliffe in 2001, race became an issue. Especially after McAuliffe told an audience he didn’t think “colored people” ought to be arbitrarily stopped by police. When New York’s Carl McCall ran for governor of New York, he was treated so shabbily by Democrats that my audience raised money for him, because his fellow Democrats wouldn’t.
It’s inarguable that there is deep-seated racism in the Democrat party. But Donna Edward’s problems may be rooted elsewhere. Politico ran a story about the lack of support Ms. Edwards is getting from members of the Congressional Black Caucasians. Apparently, she’s hard to work with a lot of members just, don’t like her.
Sometimes in life, that’s really all it is. People just don’t like you? And maybe she’s just one of those people, people just don’t like?