Posted on 07/24/2020 4:17:11 AM PDT by Kaslin
During the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump directly appealed to African American voters for their vote, asking them, "What do you have to lose?"
Trump should have received more credit for this. Republicans have often been criticized for not wooing African Americans from Democrats, who crucially depend on African Americans' overwhelming support yet take their votes for granted.
Trump's message was that blacks had entrusted their improvement exclusively to the Democratic Party, but the party had failed to produce. He highlighted two critical areas in which Democrats had let them down: education and poverty.
He said that blacks "are living in poverty" and their "schools are no good." He pledged to do better by them, unlike Democrats, who offered nothing but empty promises.
The Democrats have never bothered to show how their policies are superior to the Republicans' because they can't. Instead, they've cynically cast Republicans as uncompassionate and, in many cases, racist. I've always assumed their scheme worked, because I can find no other explanation for the Democrats' electoral vice grip on African Americans than the latter's distrust of Republicans. Nothing else makes sense.
It's no coincidence that Democrats have played the race card with even greater intensity in response to President Trump's undeniable policy successes for African Americans and other minorities. Under Trump, African American unemployment was at a record low, and their wages were greatly improving prior to the virus-induced downturn.
Democrats always cite the same phony examples to make their case, such as claiming that Trump is an immigration hawk because he doesn't like Mexicans and other non-Americans. It's all bogus, but it works, and it sure beats having to explain away their own policy failures and Trump's policy successes. It is despicable and destructive.
Falsely accusing people of racism is a particularly egregious sin, not just because there are few smears more harmful to one's reputation, but also because it damages race relations, especially when the slander, like the sin of racism itself, is applied with a broad brush to an entire group of people -- in this case, the Republican Party.
But why fool ourselves? The Democratic Party isn't going to change anytime soon on this score, as evidenced by Joe Biden's ghastly remark that those African Americans not supporting him aren't black. As such, a good friend of mine suggested to me that President Trump must follow up on his 2016 challenge to African American voters.
Normally, I'm reluctant for Republicans to target African Americans or other specific voter groups because it smacks of race consciousness and identity politics and could be seen as patronizing and pandering, none of which has ever stopped Democrats. But as sensitive as the race issue has become, and as much as Democrats have painted Trump and Republicans as racist, it's time this is addressed head-on.
Now he has a concrete record to tout, but he needs to sharpen his message to demonstrate how his policies were actually lifting African Americans out of poverty, and how the Democrats' active neglect of black children in inferior inner-city schools has doomed many of them to lives of poverty, violence and crime.
Trump is particularly suited to this task because he has fulfilled his campaign promises to African Americans and he speaks from the heart, avoiding the doublespeak used by many politicians.
President Trump must accentuate the economic and education issues on which he campaigned, but he should also point to the civil unrest, crime, lawlessness and anarchy that dominates our cities today and tailor his law and order agenda to black families who crave domestic tranquility as much as anyone else does.
Cities are imploding throughout the nation under mostly Democratic leadership, and they are inflamed with violence. Trump should turn the tables on Democratic politicians, making them answer for their abject policy failures and explain why they turn a blind eye to black lives lost to inner-city violence. Black families living in these troubled neighborhoods surely want law and order and peace and liberty as much as anyone else, despite the activists' exclusive focus on instances of police misconduct. As for these rogue cops, which are a very small minority, it's time that Democrats explain their unwavering support for the police unions that protect them. African Americans understand that defunding the cops would be disastrous, yet the Democrats' answer is less law enforcement rather than more, which guarantees more arson, looting and death.
Trump should demand that Democrats give an answer for why they aggressively oppose charter schools, school choice and other initiatives aimed at improving the quality of education for all people. Here again, are the Democrats working for African Americans or teachers unions?
My friend is right. President Trump, please take your case directly to African Americans and contrast your record with the Democrats' incendiary, opportunistic rhetoric and failed policies. Point out that, in fact, African Americans have very much to lose by supporting a party that not only has no answers for them, but would enable more lawlessness and ensure greater inequality of outcomes.
It’s a good idea. I hope the President does this. I expect that he will. And I think the only Democrat counter-argument is just “Well, he’s a racist”. Which, at this point, probably doesn’t carry nearly as much weight as it used to because nowadays “rocks are racist” is just as true.
Donald Trump does not pander.
Trump hasn’t even begun to campaign on this yet. You can be sure that he’ll be running plenty of campaign ads showing simpering, pasty-faced Democrat governors and mayors doing nothing while white Antifa mutants burn down black neighborhoods.
Trump should produce a hip hop video. Nevermind.
Have policies that all can embrace is one thing but pandering is complete BS.
It’s too early to be asking for a vote in November. His job is to do the best he can for all citizens now. His admin has already done a lot specifically for the black community—and regularly pointed that out.
Trump has in fact spoken directly to the black population and has done so successfully. As for Trump being tough on illegal immigration it would be wrong to think Hispanics are in favor of illegal immigrants since the illegals pose a threat to them in the area of jobs.
Trumps support among blacks and Hispanics has improved since 2016 because he actually has helped them. Knowing this I still believe the President will continue to work at shoring up his support in this area,
What if Republicans had to appeal directly to their base? Trump came close to doing that in 2016. He won.
But he's not going to do it until nearer the election or he will give the Left too much time to try to shape an effective rebuttal.
He should be holding his white base together.
I believe many urban blacks who are suffering the brunt of this anarchy are part of the silent majority and will vote for trump.
How about dealing with biggest problem in black and white society and incentivize marriage?
Mr. Limbaugh, under Trump and before the Scamdemic, people of color were seeing the lowest unemployment rates on record.
People of every color want the same things: safe neighborhoods, good schools, good jobs.
Trump was and will again deliver on all of those.
Needs to appeal?
For God’s sake, man, what do you think he was doing?!
I’m not very politically savy. Ok, could Trump point out the correlation between vitamin D deficiency and COVID 19 to show compassion for Blacks? People with darker skin are more likely to have low vitamin D levels. 3 ot of 4 people in general are deficient in the vitamin. It appears to be a huge problem to me Studies are showing a death rate of nearly zero from COVID 19 if people are not deficient in vitamin D.
Racist
Waste of time effort and energy IMO.
Yup.
Thank you Ms Pelosi!
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