Why are some black people becoming so disenchanted with the Democratic Party?
“Never let anyone feel they are entitled to your vote, its always better if they are ready to earn it.”
Wise words from my father that ring true today. He taught me to be an independent voter because in this country neither party lived up to his expectations. Campaign promises and post election follow thru has always been a sore spot of his until one day I woke up to the odd inheritance of that sore spot being my own.
So after speaking with other Black friends and family members a small list was generated to help others understand the pessimism that is all too common in the Black community. It is not meant to make anyone vote differently or to encourage anyone switch up on their allegiances. After all, as an independent voter I get to choose every election who I think will do what is best for my community.
Keep in mind this list is neither complete nor exhaustive and is meant to be ongoing…until either party wakes up to the fact that Independent votes are there to be earned…and that no one party should ever feel comfortable about feeling entitled to any vote. Votes and voters are some that politicians are supposed to work for throughout their election campaigns as well as the time they have been elected to serve the communities that depend on them.
Without further ado:
The dilution of power concerning African American interests to the larger block of minority interests…Otherwise known as the African Descendants of Slaves dilemma. This is caused by the continual influx of Immigrants who are allowed to enter this country upon the efforts of the original Black and Indigenous population. America has held its doors open to immigration in the interests of having a brain bank, where the best and the brightest are allowed to join our union. The problem is that the new entrants into our world of opportunity do so at the expense of Black people. If there is any culture who should be in line for a higher calibre of education in every degree…it is the African American. Instead what many in the Black community tend to witness is the scholarships that are available to them are primarily in Athletics…while academic access is restrictive.
Lackluster performance after elections are held. It seems after the ballots are cast and Democrats succeed in gaining a majority. They take the core wedge issues to the movement of the Independents that were made to feel that they had no other choice but to vote for them…and then rather than taking direct action…they choose to shelve that issue for the next election cycle.
Assumption of ownership. Due to ethnic migration and historic instability, the African American community across the nation has been herded into a voting block out of a combined sense of fear(the sky is falling due to domestic terror concerns) and the dangling of a proverbial carrot of hope to make the donkey go forward….with the carrot being hope and progress for a better, safer and more prosperous society….which many now feel is a ruse.
Use of civl rights issues as a political wedge. Whether its the promise of Universal Healthcare, Women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, or fairness of regarding the enforcement of law. The African American community has experienced continual if not generational disappointment on resolutions that could be of benefit to their core interests and families. By benefit I mean direct tangible effect that is both immediate and historic. We got a federal holiday for all this trouble and oppression we have been thru.
Willingness to negotiate at the expense of the community and of neighborhoods. When 98% of Black people vote Democrat and they really make up a small percentage of the voting block…then when the dust settles from an election, their representatives are faced with the task of the often uphill struggles. These hurdles are often manifested in striking a balance between the people on the street and corporations that are treated as very very important people. So while neighborhoods don’t get funded and the cost of living goes up, Black people are again left in the dust by way of their leaders negotiating with interests that have nothing to do with their political expectations.
The sequestering of Federal funds for global crisis and conflicts. While neighborhoods and small business needs and concerns regarding taxation and regulation often go unaddressed and sidelined. Ask someone in a neighborhood that is at risk about the billions of dollars that we send overseas and they will generally respond that there isn’t much they can do….but rest assured that for every single twenty dollar bill that goes to these conflicts that are abstract in their heart and minds….they might wonder “What if a fraction of that was funneled back into the effort of upgrading their circumstance?”
The lackluster response to lone wolf racists that kill decent black people and how it relates to the 2nd amendment.
While some people enjoy being insulated from violence…many of us don’t see the value of making it more difficult for our community to access the tools of self defense. Due to the events in Buffalo and other areas around the country, many of us have no real choice to feel safer than to have our protection on our person.
Micah Mitchell
Content Supervisor, Dallas Justice Now
