Stacey Abrams: ‘Identity Politics Means That Yes, I Want Healthcare, But I Need You to Understand Why I’m Not Getting It’

EXCERPT:

ABRAMS: "So, I don't think they're missing the connection. I think part of the purpose of a primary is to introduce yourself to the populace, but also to get their take on what happens. And I want to push back on the identity politics narrative. Identity politics means that yes, I want health care, but I need you to understand why I'm not getting it. Am I not getting it because I live in a rural community where you don't invest in it? Or am I not getting it because I'm a black woman and maternal mortality is not at the top of the list, and that's why black women are most likely to die from giving birth. And so, identity is simply saying I see you and I see the obstacles to you getting the things that all of us want; health care, economic security, educational opportunity. What I look for in this Democratic primary are conversations that say we see all of you. Because if we want people to turn out and vote in November, they have to be seen long before that, because you don't win elections by convincing the same people to do the same thing. You win elections by getting new people to say I care, too. That's how we win and that's what I'm asking everyone to do, and that's why voter suppression is such a big part of what I talk about, because if you can't even have your voice heard, you're not going to participate in the election."