By Richard Eber
Joe Biden has led us to believe by having an ex-officio place as Vice President under Barack Obama, entitles him to receive the African-American vote in his quest for the White House this year.
“Sleepy Joe”, as Donald Trump has called him, is counting on the 27% of registered Blacks in South Carolina who comprise over half of all Democrats participating in Saturday’s primary, to bail out his failing political campaign from the scrap heap.
After being trounced in Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada, Biden believes his perceived ownership of African American’s will make him a viable contender in the coming weeks.
To me it is presumptive for any politician to believe that any race or constituency belongs to them in a manner that resembles ownership or being an indentured servant. Such an attitude reminds one of the reconstruction days in the South where Carpetbaggers and Scalawags exploited former slaves to gain political power.
Joe Biden seems to feel his record entitles him to support from the African American Community. What could make him believe that this constituency should blindly follow him to better their lives and those of their families? Could it be?
- A welfare system going back to the days of the Great Society under Lyndon Johnson that has not impacted their ability to climb out of the clutches of poverty. The lack of upward mobility that has been discouraged family life and spawned crime in cities?
- Democratic governments for the past half century in African American areas such as Chicago, Baltimore, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, who have done little to change the status quo in these communities.
- Unpopular Law enforcement agencies in major cities have masked failed social policies that have dealt harshly with African Americans
With these fundamental truths, what would make Joe Biden or any other Democrat feel that they are entitled to the Black vote? Perhaps they think it is enough every four years or so to hang out at African American churches and shake hands with the preachers. Combined with having well publicized meetings with the likes of Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, such gestures have historically proved to make Democrats be victorious at the polls.
Democrats see no end to their electoral gravy-train.
Recently the idea has floated around in Progressive political circles to pay reparations to survivors of Slaves similar to what has been done for Native Americans. Given the unlikelihood of this taking place, such talk sounds like the usual rhetoric one hears around election time.
Perhaps there have been cracks in the armor for the Donkeys? In the last Presidential election Hillary Clinton, despite dancing at a Beyonce concert, was unable to gain the African American turnout that was bestowed upon Obama. It is believed many Black voters staying home lost Clinton crucial swing states that contributed to her defeat in 2016.
There is no guarantee that things will change this year. Added to the equation are the inroads that President Trump has made to the Black communities throughout the country. During his administration, African American and Hispanic unemployment levels have fallen to its lowest levels ever. In addition Trump’s Business Opportunity Zones, which exempt investments from tax liabilities, have proven to be popular in rundown urban poverty pockets.
Indicative of President Trump’s growing popularity in the African American Community is his approval level among this group which has grown from 8% in 2017 when he was inaugurated to the present level of around 22%. How this will translate into votes is uncertain but a small rise in support for the President combined with those staying home can only help his re-election chances.
There are also core social issues pushed by Progressive Democrats that don’t necessarily jive with Black and Brown peoples.
A good example of this is the issue of abortion. Many African Americans, who are devout members of fundamentalist Christian faiths, are not necessarily pro choice, neither are some Hispanics who are of the Catholic faith.
The same holds true of LGBTQ rights which Democrats have placed emphasis, especially in Blue States. Religious folks of color are not necessarily members of the bandwagon. In California back in 2008 the same African American voters that came out in record numbers to support Barack Obama, they voted down Proposition 8 which tried to legalize same sex marriage.
There is strong distension on Transgender rights among racial minorities. Many feel resentment to the belief that LGBTQ rights are on a similar level to Rosa Parks being forced to sit in the back of the bus during the civil rights movement in the 60’s
Another point of contention is Charter Schools. Democrats throughout the country have opposed them mostly because of the strong influence of Teachers Unions who contribute money and manpower to the Progressive cause. It is no secret that their National President Randi Weingarten vehemently opposes school choice.
Such a policy has met opposition from racial minorities from New York to Los Angeles where the upward mobility that these institutions bring has brought the normally docile NAACP out of the woodwork to support Charters and the hope for upward mobility they bring.
This brings us to perhaps the biggest elephant in the closet for Progressive Democrats trying to retain the traditional Black vote is the issue of Sanctuary Cities. Not everyone in the African American Community is a fan to open immigration and giving undocumented residents welfare benefits and free medical in many cases.
There is a growing school of thought that taxes, especially in California, are being funneled to Sanctuary Cities, taking away needed resources from Black folks. It is also being asked why Hispanics are not prosecuted for crimes that their kids are sent to jail for.
When higher tax rates are thrown in to support government assistance to Sanctuary Cities, citizens of all colors and nationalities in California might be ready to rebel on March 3rd.
This Saturday the vote in South Carolina and the primaries to be held on Super Tuesday, may well determine if Joe Biden will be able to stay in the race to become the Democratic nominee Can he continue to garner support from traditional constituencies in his quest to become CEO of the United States.
Editor’s Note: This is an opinion article.
Richard Eber studied journalism at the University of Oregon. He writes about politics, culture, education restaurants, and was former city and sports editor of UCSB Daily. Richard is president of Amerasa Rapid Transit, a specialized freight forwarder.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal.
Get Citizensjournal.us Headlines free SUBSCRIPTION. Keep us publishing – DONATE
