That was the rapper Cardi B, speaking with presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in an interview for the latest issue of Elle magazine. The two discussed a variety of issues: the coronavirus pandemic, health care, higher education, police brutality.
But what was perhaps most illuminating about the conversation was what it might have revealed: that Biden doesn't intend to rely purely on his running mate, California Sen. Kamala Harris, for the campaign's voter outreach efforts.
He may well be an active participant in that work.
The former vice president's team seems keenly aware that having Harris on the ticket matters not only because of her representational value but also because of the role she's ready to play in boosting voter turnout, specifically when it comes to Black voters.
Talking last week with The 19th, Harris made clear that she prioritizes voter access, which in recent years has been threatened anew thanks to gerrymandering, voter ID laws, chaotic polling places and the Supreme Court's 2013 decision that defanged the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
These hurdles disproportionately affect Black voters.
But if the Elle interview signaled anything, it was that we shouldn't expect to see Biden on the sidelines in the weeks and months ahead.
"The vote matters. That's why you keep talking to people about the need to vote. Your generation can own what happens in the next election. They can change things dramatically if they show up and vote," Biden said. "Tell me what your fans are most concerned about."
Tell me what your fans are most concerned about. Cardi B's thumping fan base, which skews young and diverse (and less likely to vote), probably won't hand Biden the election. But Biden's attention to the rapper and her followers still stood out because it demonstrated his ambition to improve turnout among the very voters he'll need -- and who are often overlooked.
What's more, unlike the Trump team, which tends to talk with White voters about what Black voters want, Biden is speaking directly with the communities in question.
It's unclear what, exactly, Biden's campaign strategy will look like in the homestretch of the general election. But it isn't a leap to assume that Black voters will take center stage.
"I want Black people to stop getting killed and no justice for it. I'm tired of it. I'm sick of it," Cardi B told Biden when he asked her about her main interests in the 2020 contest.
The rapper also had some terse words for President Donald Trump.
"I have a whole list of things that I want our next president to do for us. But first, I just want Trump out," Cardi B said, echoing a sentiment shared by the majority of Black Americans. "His mouth gets us in trouble so much. I don't want to be lied to -- we're dealing with a pandemic right now, and I just want answers."
"about" - Google News
August 18, 2020 at 05:39AM
https://ift.tt/2E1wSqd
What Cardi B's interview with Joe Biden tells us about Joe Biden - CNN
"about" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2MjBJUT
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "What Cardi B's interview with Joe Biden tells us about Joe Biden - CNN"
Post a Comment