Race and Class among the Democratic Elites: The Pete Buttigieg Story

Two things are clear about Buttigieg.

1. He& #39;s a darling of Wall Street Democrats--folks liberal on social issues and largely satisfied with the economic status quo.

https://fortune.com/2019/10/24/pete-buttigieg-wall-street-business/

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2. Buttigieg& #39;s strategy is to tout his strength among white voters.

"I have the right experience to take on Donald Trump. In order to defeat this president, we need someone who actually comes from the kind of communities he& #39;s been appealing to."

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But how do these two features combine?

On one level, it suggests that those supporting Buttigieg don& #39;t concern themselves overly much with communities of color, beyond wanting our votes. They& #39;re not worried that Buttigieg offers so little regarding racial justice.

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Then, on a deeper level, it suggests powerful elements in the Democrat Party have adopted the GOP& #39;s basic strategy. The goal of protecting the economic status quo, they assume, can best be achieved by leaving Americans divided by race --

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If Buttigieg succeeds by combining an appeal to whites with big corporate money, he will do so at the expense of both people of color and the vast majority of whites as well. Almost all of us lose.

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Backing a candidate who plans a route to the White House mainly through appealing to white voters is a smart move for Wall Street.

But not for the rest of us, who get continued racial division and surging wealth inequality. Until the next explosion of social anger.

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