Kirsten Gillibrand and guns. Joe Biden and crime. Tulsi Gabbard and gay rights. What do all these things have in common? They’re issues that Democratic presidential candidates can’t run away from fast enough – especially now that their conservative views about them are unacceptable to the voters whose support they need.
In the ever-growing field of contenders, apologies have been an early hallmark of many campaigns. A headline from Politico called it “The 'I'm sorry' 2020 Democratic primary.”
To be sure, this phenomenon isn’t limited to the Democratic side. It has bedeviled GOP candidates too, whose moderate stances have recently been tested by conservative primary voters, particularly during the Obama years when Republicans were seething with the same anger that’s consuming Democrats today.
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But it has never been as pronounced as what we’ve seen so far in 2019. The new year has brought with it a new premium on ideological purity that’s driving the apology frenzy.
Among the “apologize first” crowd, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., has been the most brazen, earning mockery from even the leftist Daily Show. Gillibrand has declared that her past positions on guns and immigration “certainly weren’t empathetic and they were not kind.” She even called herself “callous.” If that’s how she views herself, imagine what her opponents will say.
Distancing oneself from one’s former self serves an important goal: It allows a politician to credibly say that the issue has been asked and answered. It’s the political equivalent of starving a fire of oxygen. Short of new revelations coming to light or more gas being poured on the flames, it’s difficult for the storyline to spread. There are only so many times the media can raise the same issue without it becoming stale.
But the apology approach has downsides – it’s exactly what voters have come to expect and hate about politicians. The quest for ideological purity robs from the mantle of authenticity.
When it comes to genuineness, the pack of White House hopefuls could learn a lesson from its current occupant. Time and time again during the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump faced existential crises that conventional wisdom said required apologies. A long history of donations to Democrats, having been a registered Democrat himself, policy positions diametrically opposed to GOP orthodoxy on guns and abortion, to name a few – all could have sunk a traditional candidate, but none slowed down Trump’s march to the nomination.
In late 2015, when the Republican primary field was still crowded, a New York Times/CBS poll found that 76 percent of GOP voters believed Trump “says what he believes,” rather than saying “what people want to hear.” That number was far higher for Trump than any other credible contender. People liked that Trump doubled down when most candidates would back down.
Distancing oneself from one’s former self serves an important goal: It allows a politician to credibly say that the issue has been asked and answered. It’s the political equivalent of starving a fire of oxygen.
Now the authenticity contest is playing out on the Democratic side. When discussing the rise of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Beto O’Rourke, Neera Tanden, a former top Hillary Clinton advisor and president of the left-wing Center for American Progress, told Axios: "Both of them understand that people are tired of traditional politics and looking for authenticity."
If Tanden is correct – and recent history suggests she is – that spells trouble for the “apologize first” crowd.
Not all would-be 2020ers are walking away from their past lives. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., hasn’t denounced her entire record as a prosecutor, although she has left herself wiggle room by blaming her staff for controversial decisions. Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg made headlines for defending the “stop and frisk” policy, which is viewed by many progressives as racist.
The rigors of a brutal campaign will test the different strategies. Remember, it’s still January. The first debates are months away. The reporters are just starting to write their stories. The opposition research will soon start flying. Each candidate will be challenged by voters, the media and each other.
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At stake will be two competing goals: authenticity and ideological purity. Which quality voters value more is still an open question, but it won’t be possible for every candidate to have them both.
One thing is becoming clear: If you’re a Democrat running for president, an apology is the ticket to the starting gate right now. Time will tell if it turns into a winner.
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