Ever wonder why the Democratic presidential candidates are working so hard to whip up divisive issues such as "reparations" for Americans whose ancestors endured slavery 150 years ago? Ordinary black people aren't even asking for that, but Democrats are dangling in out as a novel means of shoveling pork. So now we see Democratic candidate after Democratic candidate falling over themselves to make these extravagant and unsolicited offers as a means of winning black votes. Bernie Sanders, Beto O'Rourke, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, Kamala Harris, Cory Booker, Julian Castro, Tulsi Gabbard, they're all in. Joe Biden, meanwhile, has taken flak from his rivals for explicitly opposing reparations back in 1975. He seems to be holding his tongue about it for now. He doesn't want to say anything.

Axios has some insight as to why this is strange specter is happening, citing the Washington Post:

In the initial phase of the Dems' 2020 race, "two straight white men [Bernie Sanders and Beto O'Rourke] have emerged as the fastest fundraisers, and another [Joe Biden] has jumped to a lead in recent polls, before even announcing his candidacy," the WashPost's Sean Sullivan and Dave Weigel write.

Why it matters: Their rise "in a field with historic diversity has caused dismay among some Democrats, particularly African Americans and women hoping for a mold-breaking nominee."

What's new: "That has led the current white male candidates ... to seek out black voters with some urgency," per The Post.

So they're doing it to win black votes, and their top candidates, not just on fundraising, but in the Democratic polls - Bernie, Beto and Biden - are all whites.

Identity politics are hard to promote when you can't get the color right. And Democrats are all about winning elections based on identity politics. They do have a few black and female candidates, but they aren't breaking the double-digit numbers the Democrats want them to break. Their top three are white.

And this is the doing of Democratic voters, who are all in for Bernie, Beto and Biden, not the multi-colored candidates they're putting out there for them, which in Democratic operatives' minds, is sub-optimal for winning black votes. They claim to champion Blacks but all they offer now are whites, and in Bernie's case, an old, socialist, white, the former two classification which is a proven turnoff for voters. They cynically think they can motivate the black voters, then, by offering to shovel pork as compensation. If I were a black voter, I'd be doubly turned off by that one.

Left unsaid by either the Post or Axios is something that probably worries Democrats even more: Black voters are defecting to Trump. The Kanye West incident clearly freaked Democrats out. The Washington Examiner reported that Black approval of Trump has been rising and Black Republican groups are confident Trump will win more Black voters than he did in 2016, which even then was a higher number than most Republicans typically get. CNN reported that Trump has gained Black voters, too.

Trump won't win over every black voter, but he's winning enough to cost Democrats the margin of victory they are counting on, and Trump's support is strengthening. Trump created a good economy in the U.S. which benefits Black voters the same as whites. It's also notable that that good economy has drawn in Latino voters, who approve of him by at least 50% and probably more. 

So now we see Democratic candidates offering pork as a substitute. Black voters are now being called on to weigh the prospect of a good economy and a job of their choice .. against government pork which has a way of disappointing anyway. Quite a few are going to take that as an insulting choice and go for Trump.

In the meantime, Democrats are squirming. They're hoisted on the own petard of identity politics as the Democratic slate looks increasingly like 'Democrats so white.'