Mr. Donald Trump, while being credited by white supremacists for an increase in traffic to their websites, is confident he’ll get the black vote, despite never articulating policies that would benefit African-Americans.
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Two news items I consumed today wherein Mr. Donald Trump was the arc of the narrative were so bizarre that I was surely convinced they were both satire, despite the reputable sources delivering the content.
I was completely astonished during my readings this morning to learn that while persons behind a Ku Klux Klan website are attributing their increase in traffic to Mr. Trump, who denies he’s a bigot, the leading Republican presidential candidate is touting his belief that he’ll capture “100 percent of the black vote.”
The black vote, which politicians talk about like it’s a prize won at a carnival, is of focus to Mr. Trump’s campaign because they’ve already alienated the Latino population, many in that community who won’t vote anyway because they’re illegally in the country, suggested Mr. Michael Cohen, a Democrat who is an adviser to Mr. Trump, though not employed by the campaign.
How could a man who has received an endorsement from a former KKK wizard capture the black vote?, isn’t nearly as good question as: What has Mr. Trump said that would inspire African-Americans, let alone every black registered voter, to select him to lead the country?
Mr. Trump, who talks often but rarely says anything substantive, has yet to articulate a concrete and politically feasible quality of life policy, or policies that would positively impact anyone, regardless of their race.
But particularly to the black community, Mr. Trump has spoken in a manner that shows he neither understands nor emphasizes with their critical concerns: he once said he’s unsure if blacks are treated differently by police and he expressed zero interest in meeting with Black Lives Matter.
Be that as it may, Mr. Trump, the ever braggadocios billionaire and entertainer, has laid out four things needed to uplift and empower the black community nationwide: first bring God back into the community; secondly is jobs; thirdly would be tax incentives; and lastly is education, reinforced in God: “because they say that the best education that you could ever get would be from your clergy,” said Mr. Cohen.
For starters, black communities, if they have nothing else, have plenty of God and, in equal quantity, are places of worship, which in some neighborhoods exist every few blocks.
There’s probably more God in the black community than money, and that’s saying something given the spending power of blacks in America is in the Trillions.
But beyond that, for Mr. Trump, or anyone associated with his campaign, to suggest that God has forsaken the black community, or vice versa (thus prompting the need for a return), is inappropriate and quite offensive.
I would argue that, in the face of repeated injustice and corruption from government, God, and God alone, is the only reason many blacks haven’t taken to the street for a violent rebellion against their oppressors.
Moving on: What politician doesn’t pledge to create jobs? More importantly, what politician would be against job creation?
Saying jobs is an easy answer. Stating ‘the how’ of it all is a bit more challenging, a task Mr. Trump appears incapable of performing.
Tax incentives don’t always work, as proven by Philadelphia Mayor’s failed attempt to use them in his second term to encourage businesses to hire returning citizens. And again, just saying tax incentives without providing any context leaves this statement drowned in ambiguity.
Education taught by clergy? By that, does Mr. Trump mean Christian schools? Or is he, instead, referring to replacing qualified and tenured teachers with charismatic black pulpiteers? Will Mr. Trump provide free college courses for clergy to obtain degrees in order to instruct effectively? Or will the ministers’ Sunday school curricula do just fine?
I mean, seriously, what is with Mr. Trump? It’s like he’s allergic to detail and logic; afraid of reason and sensibility, and bewildered by common sense and pragmatism.
For anyone to stand with him and revere him as a policy wonk is not only disingenuous but dangerous.
Mr. Trump is a lot of things—rich, powerful, bold, influential, cavalier, smart, savvy, a darling to white supremacists and a quasi ISIS recruiter—but presidential material he is not, and the recipient of a large share of black votes he will never be.
‘Exploring Generations of Black Activism,’ a live broadcast featuring black male thought-leaders on Saturday, December 19th, 2015 beginning at 1pm EST and heard exclusively on www.TheDrVibeShow.com, will be moderated by Christopher “Flood the Drummer” Norris.
Thanks for reading. Until next time, I’m Flood the Drummer® & I’m Drumming for JUSTICE!™
Interesting that I never see the true history of the Democratic party where it relates to racism and the KKK.
“Contrary to popular misconception, the parties never “switched” on racism. The Democrats just switched from overt racism to a subversive strategy of getting blacks as dependent as possible on government to secure their votes. At the same time, they began a cynical smear campaign to label anyone who opposes their devious strategy as greedy racists.”