The Democratic Party is the most racist organization in America | Opinion

Last winter I reached out to a friend in Democratic politics. “Life is weird sometimes,” she wrote back, telling me she was staying at Alexander Soros’ house in the Hamptons. I was joking about my visit to her; Growing up in a working-class Midwestern family, I always enjoyed getting a glimpse into the lives of the rich and powerful. “Sorry, it’s only for people with leaders of color,” she wrote back. “It would be strange if you were there.”

As a former Democratic fundraiser, you would think I would be numb to this kind of discrimination, but the truth continues to hurt me: the Democratic Partyonce the champions of civil rights in response to real injustice, is now the leading driver of racial division in America today. Lee Atwater’s southern strategy pales in comparison to the modern one D.N.C‘s approach. No organization is more systematically racist.

How did we get here?

The DemocratsThe long-term strategy is to stoke racial resentment to build their coalition and energize non-white voters. The rhetoric is designed to convince minorities that America is irredeemably and structurally racist, and that only Democrats will take care of them. The ideology of social justice, DEI, and wokeness are used in corporations, institutions, and schools to enforce democratic rule and used internally to enforce party discipline. Notice how the Democrats united an entire coalition around Kamala Harris. No one wanted to look racist for suggesting there might be a better option.

In the summer of 2020, I was a fundraiser for progressives and saw some crazy things. Campaigns began replacing consultants and campaign staff with BIPOC staffers to appear more inclusive. A prominent Democratic group announced that the funding would only go to organizations led by non-whites. Another campaign presented a donor-backed plan to take poor white people off Craigslist, pay them for an interview, and then trick them into making racially insensitive comments. The candidate could then expose his racism as a “white whisperer” who could change minds. The idea was crazy and was rejected by advisors who knew better, but still came disturbingly close to fruition.

At first I joined the Democratic crusade for racial division. I got yelled at for using yellow emojis in Slack, which are complicit in white supremacy, so I switched them to white. When I spoke to BIPOC counselors, I made sure white women were the worst so they knew I wasn’t racist. As I reviewed the resumes of potential hires, I tracked their race to ensure all people of color got interviews, and ignored most of the resumes from white men.

But deep down, this all started to feel wrong to me. It started to feel downright racist. Still, I was terrified to say anything.

My personal breaking point came when a BIPOC colleague accused me of being a white woman in need of “DEI training” after I disagreed with her on fundraising strategy. This was bizarre for me because I was born with a genetic disease that put enormous financial strain on my family. My parents never finished college and were married eleven times. I attended a dozen different schools during my childhood, including an inner-city school where, as a white person, I belonged to a small minority. We lived in apartments, houses, and sometimes a mobile home park. I paid for college with Pell Grants and outstanding loans. Contrary to DEI ideology, not all white Americans have privilege.

This person knew nothing about my background and tarnished my reputation based on snap judgments about my skin color. I tried to argue with other officers that it hurts the progressive movement when people weaponize their identities and delegitimize instances of actual bigotry. They would agree privately, but refuse to support me publicly.

Finally, my boss gave in and demanded that I take DEI training. Ultimately, I was demoted from the campaign by consultants.

People in Democratic politics would be terrified to publicly admit that this bullying happens on a regular basis, but they all know it’s true.

Unfortunately, many in the Democratic Party see nothing wrong with it. Oppression acts as a currency that can yield lucrative rewards, such as giving a candidate an edge in a crowded primary, helping someone become the leader of a powerful organization, or helping a consultant win a media contract for the campaign. Ultra-rich elite donors like the Soros family perpetuate this ideology because it poses no challenge to their wealth. Americans uniting along multiracial class lines scares them more than anything.

Today, Democrats are suppressing their urge to divide, while Harris downplays her identity and relies on color-blind messages similar to Obama’s. But people don’t forget. They are now losing the working class en masse, including the rank and file of the trade unions. Kamala couldn’t even earn a Teamsters endorsement.

It is clear that racial division no longer works as an electoral strategy. Fighting racism with more racism is very unpopular.

If Harris loses, prepare for a total meltdown of epic proportions. They will be furious at the racist deplorables who elected Trump again, and they will refuse to acknowledge racial change in support because it contradicts their ideology. They will blame misogyny on the black and Latino men who switched sides. You’ll hear terms like “white adjacent” and “internalized oppression” crop up to explain why people of color voted for Trump.

The Democrats have done so much damage. They infantilize black and brown people and treat them as victims without any agency. Telling whites never to correct a minority is textbook racism, which implies that they cannot handle criticism.

Unfortunately, individuals steeped in DEI will not easily change their minds, and those who use it for social power will never change. The only way Democrats will learn from this is by repeatedly losing elections as minority votes drain away. A racial alignment between parties could turn the page and open a more hopeful chapter in American politics.

Evan Barker is a former Democratic Party campaign worker and campaign finance reform advocate podcaster. You can follow her X @evanwch.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.