Quick, which Democratic Party standard-bearer brings the most recognition to mind: Joe Kennedy the third, or Maxine Waters?

If you're like most people, the Democrat with the higher profile is Maxine Waters, a Democrat so visible and well-known she has the affectionate nickname among Democrats of "Auntie Maxine." Kennedy is ... one of the Kennedys, gotta look up which one he is in his lineage, along with what kind of trouble he's been in with the law.

So it's weird stuff to see the noisy, flamboyant Waters being shunted off to the Black Entertainment Television network representing the Democrats in their response to President Trump's State of the Union address, while the bland, pedigreed Kennedy is being given the prime time slot for the wider-audience mainstream media response. It certainly looks like ghettoization. So much for the face of the Democratic Party.

A case could be made for racism, given that the Democratic Party has a rather notable history of racism from Woodrow Wilson on down to the Podesta emails.

But the other likely reason is that Democrats think Waters will embarass them, given her off-the-wall, slightly addled statements deriding President Trump and her tendency to run her mouth overtime. They figure Waters will cost them with the broad spectrum of voters watching the mainstream press. Worse still, in what could be argued is even more pointed racism, they think that Black voters won't mind.

Seriously, why would they shunt Maxine Waters off to the BET, which is a large niche market, instead of put her out there front and center? Joe Kennedy the third is apparently a bland young aristocrat of  hereditory pedigree and no run-ins with the law, who will probably respond blandly, as he has done representing Massachusetts. 

It's possible Democrats have been calculating that bland speakers seem to be the best choice, given that they have been winning special elections on the Democrat side. But to admit this is to also admit that Maxine Waters has been making a fool of herself with her wild statements and only black voters won't be turned off.

Says a lot about the Democrats, does it not?