Democratic 'death match' for 2020 colors the truth
Yes, this is a Latino thing. Ethnicity drives this showdown narrative. This media concoction of Julian vs. Beto is really just a contest to see who gets to avenge Donald Trump's anti-Latino racism.
Oops. I said the "r-word." Get over it.
Whether you're a cable news host or president of the United States, just wanting to secure the U.S.-Mexico border isn't, all by itself, racist. But wanting to secure it because you think what's on the other side of that border is inferior to what's on this side? Well, yeah, that fits the definition pretty well.
Back to the Democrats' death match. Why is the media so determined to pit Castro against O'Rourke? Why not set up either of them to battle Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker or any one of the other nearly two dozen Democrats who are likely to vie for their party's nomination?
A recent article floated the idea that Biden might consider O'Rourke as a running mate. But Castro and O'Rourke are automatically competitors?
Color me suspicious. For some white liberals, O'Rourke might be just Latino enough -- which is to say not at all. As a Latino politico recently told me, the failed Senate candidate is like that Mexican restaurant that white people gravitate to because the salsa isn't too spicy and the chimichangas are acceptable.
That's fine for some folks. You gotta eat. But I expect Latinos to know the real thing when they see it.
========
Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.
(c) 2018, The Washington Post Writers Group
