Ep. 67: The Gate-Keeping, Power-Serving Tautology of “Electability”
Added 2019-02-27 16:14:06 +0000 UTC“How to Choose the Most Electable Democrat in 2020,” advises Politico. “Amy Klobuchar's best argument for 2020: Electability,” CNN reports. “Is Electability The Only Thing That Democratic Voters Want?” WGBH, the Boston NPR affiliate, wonders. These articles, all from a one-week stretch this February, speak to a prevailing compulsion in our politics, boosted by our media.
Time and again we hear about the primacy of “electability,” a nebulous but self-evidently important criteria, when selecting a candidate. But what does “electability” mean exactly? How can someone have, in effect, been elected in our minds before an actual election takes place?
This week, we will drill down the origins of the term "electability": how it’s a concept embraced by brain-dead, horse-race-obsessed pundits, why it has inherently racist and sexist implications, and how it’s designed to draw voters away from candidates they actually agree with to ones more in line with the agenda of the corporate wing of the Democratic party party.
Our guest is Anoa Changa, host of the podcast The Way With Anoa.
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Guest
Anoa Changa is a lawyer, writer and host of The Way with Anoa, a weekly talk show and podcast focusing on politics, news, and community engagement. Anoa serves as Director of Political Advocacy and a Managing Editor of Progressive Army. Follow her @thewaywithanoa.
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Show Notes
In 2019, Let’s Finally Retire ‘Electability’
Matt Taibbi | January 2, 2019 | Rolling Stone
Seth Masket | January 15, 2018 | Pacific Standard
Democrats Should Distrust ‘Electability’ Arguments in 2020
Eric Levitz | July 18, 2018 | New York Magazine Intelligencer
Why Are Democrats Freaking Out About “Electability”?
Alex Shephard | January 24, 2019 | The New Republic
Forget electability. Focus on candidates you actually like.
Joel Mathis | January 23, 2019 | The Week
The Most "Electable" Democrat Is the One Who Supports Policies Americans Want
Luke Darby | February 4, 2019 | GQ
How to Choose the Most Electable Democrat in 2020
Bill Sher | February 12, 2019 | Politico
Amy Klobuchar's best argument for 2020: Electability
Harry Enten | February 8, 2019 | CNN
Is Electability The Only Thing That Democratic Voters Want?
Greater Boston | February 7, 2019 | WGBH
Poll: Dems want 'electable' challenger who can beat Trump. Values come second.
Alex Seitz-Wald | February 4, 2019 | NBC News
Elizabeth Warren and the Democrats’ Electability Dilemma
Ed Kilgore | December 31, 2018 | New York Magazine
Sherrod Brown, Amy Klobuchar Score High on Electability; Elizabeth Warren, Not So Much
Harry Enten | January 2, 2019 | CNN
AP Poll: Voters say Clinton is Most Electable
October 21, 2015 | Associated Press
We were told Corbyn was ‘unelectable’. Then came the surge
Gary Younge | June 6, 2017 | The Guardian
May 16, 2016 | In These Times
Robert Dreyfuss | December 19, 2001 | The American Prospect
The Nation: Mass Appeal; Mr. Likable vs. Mr. Electable
John Tierney | February 22, 2004 | The New York Times
Philip Gourevitch | February 9, 2004 | The New Yorker
Centrist Democrats Warn Party Not to Present Itself as 'Far Left'
Adam Nagourney | July 29, 2003 | The New York Times
THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: Democrats; Tsongas, Seeking Broader Base, Reaches Out to Blacks in Chicago
Richard L. Berke | March 12, 1992 | The New York Times
Bayh's Main Premise: That He's Electable
Charles Mohr | December 24, 1975 | The New York Times
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Transcript
A full transcript of this episode is available here.
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