Former first lady Michelle Obama says America is not ready for a female president. In a series of recent interviews promoting her new book, Michelle Obama points to the losses of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton as evidence of what she regards as sexism.

Recall that similar things were once said about John F. Kennedy, that America was not ready for a Catholic president. More recently some said America wasn’t ready for a Black president. And yet in 2008, 43 percent of white voters voted for Barack Obama. In 2012, it was 39 percent.

Michelle Obama’s comments continue the focus on identity politics, rather than the substance of one’s ideas and policies. What difference does it make about one’s race or gender? Harris lost not because she is a woman, but because some thought she could not articulate what she believed in a language they could understand. Clinton lost because some found her “unlikeable.”

Michelle Obama is from a middle-class background anyone might find admirable, even enviable. She grew up in a two-parent home.

One might think with such a resume she would be praising a nation that gave her the opportunity to rise to such a high level. Instead, recall her comment after her husband was elected president: “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction.”

How sad is that — for her, not for her country? She seems to have chips on both shoulders.Women hold more political offices in America than ever before. Some are strong and competent conservatives. Others are drowning in the sewer of identity politics. A Wall Street Journal editorial quotes Seattle mayor-elect Katie Wilson: “I will appoint a cabinet of exceptional leaders whose lived experiences reflect the diversity of Seattle’s Black, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx/Hispanic, and People of Color communities as well as that of women, immigrants and refugees, 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, people with disabilities, people of all faith traditions, and residents from every socio-economic background.”

Notice the absence of any reference to capabilities or policies. This is the dead end of identity politics.

This isn’t really about gender and race. When a Black or female Republican is running for office against a woman who is white, female and a Democrat, liberal, Black and female Democrats mostly vote for the white women.

A New York Post letter writer said this about Harris: “We are not ready to vote for a candidate who did not win one presidential primary. We are not ready to vote for an individual who was selected for the vice presidency based on identity, not qualifications. We are not ready to vote for a candidate appointed by former President Joe Biden.”

A female presidential candidate with the policies of the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would likely get support from most conservative Republicans. I would be among them.