Frankly, who will be “electable” in 18 months is rarely apparent to so-called experts, let alone voters. Based on the false sense of security of a white candidate, Democrats in the 2008 cycle would have told you that Barack Obama was less “electable” than Clinton.

The search for a white man stems in large part from the fear of not winning back the white male vote in the Rust Belt, something that Democrats have agonized over since November 2016. But anyone paying attention in 2018 saw that throughout the Upper Midwest and in suburban districts across the country, moderate women racked up victories. The congressional freshman class of 2019 is the most diverse ever.

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That’s not to say racism and sexism aren’t huge factors, but the same voters who are not going to vote for an African American were probably not going to vote for a Democrat under any circumstances. Voters who think we are being inundated by a horde of violent immigrants and feel that white men are victims are not persuadable voters.

Surely there are lots of ways to win states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio. Rallying African American voters, turning out young voters and pulling white women away from the GOP would work. It did work in 2018.

In short, the notion that Democrats must have a white man to dislodge Trump is based on not much other than fear. Democrats need a competent candidate who can turn out the base, not scare off moderate independents and disenchanted Democrats, and stand up to Trump. Right now, voters are saying that person is former vice president Joe Biden, who both is extremely well-liked and fits the unproved-but-ingrained hunch that only a white man can beat the white incumbent president.

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This week, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) reminded voters that there is more than one way to slice and dice a dishonest, arrogant white Republican man. She filleted Attorney General William P. Barr, showing she can plan out and carry off a rhetorical knockout. Hey, maybe she can stand up to Trump on that debate stage. Maybe she is the one to rally the African American vote and keep those women who crossed over to vote Democratic in 2018 in the Democrats’ corner in 2020.

Her performance reminded us that politics is as much, if not more, about performance than it is about finding a Goldilocks candidate (not too far left, not too mushy; not too aggressive, not too passive). Harris demonstrated that she has the ability to capture the moment, rise above the competition.

That, plus her fundraising network, her ability to turn out enthusiastic crowds and her selection of a few key policy initiatives (e.g. a $500-per-month tax credit for working families, a big federal subsidy for teachers) may be the right formula. Or not. (Maybe the white male search leads the party to Pete Buttigieg, whose performances of late have been stellar.)

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The argument here is not “Harris is the star, she’ll win!” but rather, “Lots of candidates can catch fire at the right time.” So, sure, Biden could be the safe candidate everyone thinks will take down the Republicans, but that’s what they said (twice) about Clinton. Maybe the answer is more basic: Whoever can connect in an emotional way with voters, make a solid case for how he/she will take down Trump and run an adept campaign may be the best bet, the person to fire up Democrats and oust Trump. That could be Biden or Harris or Buttigieg or …

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