Raynard Jackson says that Trump is the only presidential candidate that seems to think the Black vote is worth pursuing
by Raynard Jackson
NNPA News Wire Columnist
The party establishment can’t fathom the thought of Trump being
our nominee, despite him playing by the very rules that the establishment, who
are trying to sabotage his campaign, created.
Go figure. I am stunned that many in the establishment ran over
each other to denounce Trump over the David Duke and KKK issue, which I found
kind of bizarre. Most people are criticized for what they say, not for what
they didn’t say.
Many of these people that denounced Trump over what some have
said was him stoking racial fears among voters all of a sudden became filled
with righteous indignation over what they deemed to be a racist act by Trump.
But where were these same people when… South Carolina
congressman Joe Wilson shouted to Obama “you lie” during a joint session of
Congress. Colorado congressman, Doug Lamborn said, “now I don’t want to be
associated with him [Obama], it’s like touching a tar baby.”
Sarah Palin once wrote on her Facebook, “President Obama’s shuck
and jive shtick with these Benghazi lies must end.” This feigned righteous
indignation over Trump is nothing more than a political stunt, because the
Republican establishment is scared crapless of the possibility of a Trump
nomination.
The other thing that I noticed was the lack of any Black
Republicans representing any of the Republican institutions in the media. This
shows once again, how tone deaf the party is when it comes to the Black
community and optics. You rarely, if ever, see the party avail a Black staffer
to deal with an issue of race that involves the Black community.
Part of the reason is that the few Blacks that work for the
party have absolutely no standing or credibility within the Black community
when it comes to issues of race. The other reason is that most Black Republicans
constantly tell their superiors that they “don’t” want to speak on issues that
pertain to the Black community; they want to be an employee, not a Black
employee of the party.
The party is totally oblivious to the optics of only trotting
out Whites to speak out on issues perceived to be racists towards the Black
community. Where are Black Republican civil rights icons like Bob Brown or Bob
Woodson? Where are people like Shannon Reeves, lifetime member of the NAACP and
former board member? Because Republicans have no Blacks with any type of
authority or knowledge of PR and communications, they continue to dig
themselves into a deeper hole.
Let me say for the record, there is not one shred of evidence in
Trumps body of work that he has any racist tendencies whatsoever. If I have to
judge a man by his words or his actions; his actions will win out everytime.
But isn’t it amazing that the only person running for president
that has shown an ability to build a coalition of Blacks, whites, Hispanics,
blue collar, and white collar workers is the very person the party’s
establishment is trying to discredit?
Trump is the only campaign that has Blacks on TV and in
newspapers officially representing the campaign. Last Tuesday at his post SEC
primary press conference, Trump looked directly into the camera and said that
he will get 25 percent of the Black vote. Regardless of your thoughts of Trump,
he laid down his marker with the Black vote.
Twenty five percent of the Black vote for Trump is not
unreasonable. I challenge my readers and members of the Republican Party to
name me the last time you saw a Black person actually officially representing
the party on TV, newspaper, or radio. When was the last time a Black was
empowered to negotiate on behalf of the party an appearance before a Black
group like the NAACP or the National Urban League?
Trump has done more to engage with the Black community in nine
months than the party has done in nine years.
Trump is the only presidential candidate that seems to think the
Black vote is worth pursuing. He has verbally asked Blacks to vote for him; he
has hired Blacks in extremely high-level positions; and he has showcased Blacks
on stage with him on multiple occasions. When was the last time you saw a Black
with credibility in the Black community on stage with any Republican leader?
Republicans showcase more Black Democrats than they do Black
Republicans. So, before the party establishment throws Trump to the side,
maybe, just maybe, that should look at what he is doing right.
If Donald Trump is a racist, then maybe the Republican Party
needs to become more racist.
Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC is an internationally
recognized political consulting, government affairs, and PR firm based in
Washington, DC. Jackson is an internationally recognized radio talk show host
and TV commentator. He has coined the phrase “straticist.” As a straticist, he
has merged strategic planning with public relations. Visit his website at:
www.raynardjackson.com.
