Recently I stated in a post that I was considering voting for John McCain. I have never voted for a Republican before, in fact I've never even considered it. But as I become more politically aware I am forced to consider alternatives to the Democrats.
I am looking at alternatives because the Democrats have not been responsive to my political needs and wants. In my opinion the Democrats are living on a reputation they earned in the 1960's. That was a time of great political up evil. It was a time of a controversial war and one of, if not the greatest civil rights movement in history.
It was a time when the Democrats pushed through civil rights legislation and were responsive to the calls of African Americans for equality.
The Democrats during that time were not perfect but they were indeed listening.
In the 1970's the Democrats began to listen less and less. They began to ignore the plight of many African Americans, especially those in so-called inner cities such as Chicago's South Side and The South Bronx in New York City.
The South Bronx in 1975, where were the Democrats?
They also ignored the impact that welfare was having on the aforementioned parts of African America. Although many in and out of those Black communities began to sound the alarm, the Democrats did not react.
As the 1980's came around those inner city areas were really in for it with the Reagan Presidency. It was a time when all sorts of evils overtook many Black communities. During that time the Democrats continued to pay lip service to the needs of their African American constituents. And the efforts they did make were misguided and led to even more misery.
For instance the so-called war on drugs in the United States, although it’s modern incarnation was the brain-child of Richard Nixon, it was the Democrats that watched as millions of their constituents became collateral damage in that so-called war. As with the misguided policies of public assistance or welfare programs the Democrats sat by again as Black neighborhoods were first used as a money making opportunity by the Reagan administration to fund a covert operation in Nicaragua, then barely held anyone accountable.
It's amazing that government officials admitted to helping foreign nationals import and sell cocaine in Black neighborhoods in Los Angeles and nothing was done about it.
The war on drugs continues except now the Democrats in all their wisdom want to release thousands of people who had been jailed for drug crimes. They pushed for an end to mandatory drug sentencing which has most directly impacted African Americans.
Although fair drug sentenceing is a good thing, it will not be a good thing to release at once thousands or even hundreds of thousands of drug offenders back into Black communities all over the country.
Has Nancy Pelosi done anything for you?Even now as the Democrats hold the majority in Congress they have made no effort to correct any problems that afflict so many African Americans. Schools in Black communities are in disarray, welfare reforms instituted by Bill Clinton have caused many to be lost for another generation and crime spurred on by drug infestation in Black communities continues to take the lives of thousands of innocent African Americans.
Where has the Democratic Party been for the last 40 years?
I know that many people say as bad as the Democrats have been, the Republicans have been even worse. And I agree that they have. But have we, African Americans, held them accountable? Or have we simply pinned all of our political hopes on the Democrats?
I would say we have done the latter.
So do we continue to support the Democrats? Do we give them our political allegiance even though they have not done anything for us in 40 years?
Maybe it's time for us to hedge our political bets by giving a portion, a sizable portion, of our votes to the Republican candidate. If we don't and a Republican is elected for 4 or 8 years, what can we look forward to; years of being ignored by the Republican Party is what.
So I am considering giving my vote to a Republican candidate in hopes that if a large enough percentage of African Americans do the same we can hold some sway over a Republican President and just as importantly use those votes to make the Democrats work to get us back in the fold.
And those are my reasons for considering voting for the Republican Presidential Nominee.
Oh, one more thing; I had a sip of Obama kool-Aid Saturday night after he swept that day's political races in Nebraska, Washington State, Louisiana and the Virgin Islands. And it was very tasty, so if Obama ends up being the Democratic Nominee I might have another sip of the Obama Kool-Aid. That would mean I may have to delay my political strategy until after the 2008 race.
What do you think?
Do you think it's wise to put our collective political eggs in one basket?
Do you think the Democrats respect your vote?
Do you understand my reasoning?
I have seen post after post and comment after comment on blog after blog talking about the race baiting Hillary and Bill Clinton have engaged in. I have seen people state how angry and disappointed they are with the Clintons. And in the next breath I have seen these same people state that if Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Nominee come this November, they will vote for her.
Bill - You know Hill, we can do a little race baiting since your campaign is sputtering a bit.
