Even as many modern leftists portray themselves as champions of America’s supposedly downtrodden persons of color, it is clear that many of these activists and pundits only believe minorities who ascribe to the prevailing progressive dogma deserve such consideration.
This has been particularly evident in response to the campaign of 2024 GOP presidential primary candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. The Indian-American entrepreneur has been applauded by supporters for his eloquent defense of traditional values, but his opposition to identity politics and other leftist sacred cows has resulted in constant backlash from political foes.
Some of the criticism has come in response to Ramaswamy’s denunciation of prior comments by Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), who proclaimed in 2019 that her party does not “need any more brown faces that don’t want to be a brown voice.”
“The remedy to past discrimination is present discrimination.” -Ibram Kendi
“We don’t want any more brown faces that don’t want to be a brown voice.” -Ayanna Pressley
It’s racist. It’d make the Grand Wizard of the KKK proud. It’s driving reactionary attacks. It needs to end. pic.twitter.com/k9E3GWPOUg
— Vivek Ramaswamy (@VivekGRamaswamy) August 27, 2023
After condemning her apparent belief that all minorities should think, act, and speak in lockstep with the Democratic Party, Ramaswamy was soon inundated by attacks by individuals like Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who even accused him of being a White supremacist pawn.
“Keep Black women’s name out of your mouth, first of all,” Bowman said. “That’s number one. Number two, keep Black people name [sic] out of your mouth. And instead of spewing hateful, disgusting ignorant, dumba— rhetoric, how about you pay homage to the Black people in this country that have fought and died for the freedoms you exercise today? How about you pay homage to the Black people historically that have continued to save the soul of America and move America forward? How about that? Instead of fitting it nicely into the pocket of the White supremacists that you are.”
Of course, Ramaswamy is just the latest example of a conservative whose status as a minority has been discounted by modern Democrats due to his or her political views.
When President Joe Biden was campaigning ahead of the 2020 election, he infamously declared that anyone who dared consider voting for then-President Donald Trump “ain’t Black.”
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), who is also campaigning for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas received similar scrutiny from “The View” co-host Joy Behar earlier this year.
“He’s one of these guys who, you know, he’s like Clarence Thomas,” she said. “Black Republican who believes in pulling yourself by your bootstraps, rather than, to me, understanding the systemic racism that African Americans face in this country, and other minorities. He doesn’t get it. Neither does Clarence. And that’s why they’re Republicans.”
