Race as a Political Proxy

The latest controversy on the Biden front was a parting statement at the end of a confrontational interview with black radio host Charlamagne Tha God where Biden says:

"If you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or Trump then you ain't black"

The Trump campaign moved quickly and put #YouAintBlack on a t-shirt.

Of course, Biden is now walking back the statement and apologizing, but it seems like the sentiment he expressed is not necessarily widely condemned. I won't highlight specific examples, but there were plenty of prominent journalists who more or less said that Biden wasn't exactly wrong. The most prominent example tried to distinguish between "racially black" and "politically black". When pressed to explain what that means, the rejoinder was the classic "It's not my job to educate you".

I bring this up to highlight a dynamic I've seen within left-wing spaces about black politics. There appears to be an implicit policy that black people are expected to be democrats, and a deviation from that is grounds for retribution. Justice Clarence Thomas for example was put on a front cover of a magazine as a caricature under the headline "Uncle Tom" and "Lawn Jockey". Coleman Hughes for example was called a "coon" for testifying in Congress against slavery reparations. There are plenty of other examples. White Republicans never receive these types of attacks, it seems to be reserved for Black Republicans only because their position is seen as a great betrayal.

From my end, it comes off as plainly patronizing in the worst possible way but that sentiment does not appear widely shared. I would also posit this is the dictionary definition of racism, where people are punished for not ascribing to the proper stereotype specifically because of their race. I've experienced similar pressure as an Arab with heterodox views living among blue-tribers where there is great initial enthusiasm to give me a platform which dissipates when I don't parrot the expected politics.

To be clear, I don't categorically reject the idea that ethnicity will necessarily form the basis for some political opinions. If someone like Richard Spencer ran on a platform of bringing back chattel slavery but only for African descendants obviously that's not going to get the black vote. And yes, I know that at least on a superficial optics level, the GOP does not seem friendly to black voters. I don't deny that either.

What bothers me is how much of that is unmoored from actual policy differences. It's very obvious with Muslim-Americans in that they are mostly Democrats (~65%) and I think it's primarily for the superficial reason that Democrats are "nicer" to them. Because if you consider their policy preferences on abortion, marriage, gender roles, etc. they're basically evangelical Christians.

I know that tribalism drives this whole train. I just don't like that the enforcement mechanisms for ensuring conformity as so often tied to racial stereotyping. I'm not sure what to make of this issue; where it comes from, why it persists, and whether it's sustainable.