Rick Gell, writing at Alternet.Org argues that Democrats should commit NOW to an all-female Democratic ticket for 2020. Is he right?
A large part of me wants to say, “Yes.” I WANT a female POTUS. I want a progressive ticket that does even more than reversing the Trump damage. I think Elizabeth Warren could’ve beat Trump last year. I think Kamala Harris could beat anyone the GOPers throw at her. Dems have a deep bench of great women.
But I also think that decisions about running mates must be left to nominees. Committing to an all-female ticket now hampers whomever is the eventual nominee. Further, it means that no Democratic males should run. That seems wrong. I agree with Gell that Bernie and Franken shouldn't run (for different reasons), but it no qualified Democratic men run, it’ll let the GOPers argue that our party “let” the women have it. They’ll claim that our nominee didn’t beat the best in the field, that she had an easier rode to the nomination than she would’ve otherwise. And they’ll argue against an “affirmative action” ticket as “political correctness.” Would this weaken an otherwise powerhouse female ticket?
I honestly don’t know. After last year’s sexism at the polls, and with the majority of white women still voting GOP, (not to mention the overwhelming majority of white men voting GOP), I really don’t know if, even in 2020, an all-female ticket, no matter how strong, could get elected. Last year, I thought it to be a no-brainer that such a ticket could win (I wanted HRC to pick Warren as her running mate). But after last November, even the wins in VA, etc. have not restored my confidence.
So, I want to bring this article to the DKos community and ask for honest feedback. Is Gell on the right track? Why or why not?