A Message to Black Republican Men

Hello, fellow Black Man! And hello Black men who are republicans!

Thank you for visiting this blog and for reading beyond this sentence.

Though there are not many of you – only 8-10% of you voted for Trump in 2016 and your votes did not matter to him or to republicans.

I don’t mean that to sound harsh, but it is the truth.

Trump and republicans did not return the favor of your vote, and in fact they’ve taken extra care to be, if possible, more cruel towards Black people than they were before you voted for them.

Some say you vote for republicans because doing so makes you feel special and unique. It reminds you that although 98% of Black women vote Democratic – your mother, sister, aunt, daughter, grandmother, sister, girlfriend, wife, ex-wife, and all the Black women in their lives – you can stand on your own two feet and vote as you like because you will not be influenced by nor care how Black women vote.

As a reminder, Black women are the most loyal democratic voters.

Who are they? They are your doctors, dentists, retail workers, customer service people, bankers and financial advisors, teachers, dentists, bus drivers, lawyers, judges, students, sex-workers, artists, builders, clinical workers, nurses, truck drivers, gardeners, and all the other professionals you encounter throughout your life.

Some say you vote republican out of self-hatred and that it is a natural outcome of growing up Black in America. The messages of hate that are directed to the population also reach us and turn us against ourselves which is then manifest in voting for the party that actively works to harm Black folk – republicans.

And still others say that you are, like a few other republicans, simply conservative, and agree with traditional republican financial policies, anti-abortion stance, closed borders, and family values. You believe in small government, low business taxes, and tough on crime judges and law enforcement. Trump supported all of those, you say, and so you voted for him.

Reasonable people can debate the efficacy of different approaches to government, and in fact reasonable people have debated those policy positions for generations.

It is just that today’s republicans are not reasonable people, are they? Did you know that?

You do know, I know you do, because you are a smart voter who researches and studies the issues, right?

And if you have researched those issues over the past four, twelve, twenty, or sixty years, you clearly know republicans work exclusively for a few constituents: Military, Oil, Finance, and the wealthy.

And that Black people’s lives move backward or stagnate under republican policies, and advance under democratic policies. Your research proves the truth of these statements, as you are well aware.

Military, Oil, Finance, and the wealthy.

That is it.

All others who benefit from republican policies do so as an afterthought to win votes.

That includes you, Black republican voter.

There are even those who say you vote republican because you desire to actively harm Black people. That your self-hatred runs so deep you will do what you can to assist republicans in harming us. You know the best, most effective way to accomplish your goal and their goal is to vote with and for republicans.

And so you do.

Finally, you tell your detractors you are not sheep, you do not wish to live on the Democrat’s plantation, and that you believe the only way to improve life for Black people is to dismantle capitalism while not participating in the system that oppresses Black people.

You are ridiculed, scorned, ignored, and called all the bad names Black folk use to denote “You support white people.“

Your positions are yours and you can, of course and without my or anyone else’s permission, vote or not vote as you see fit.

A question that is common with Black republican men is: What have democrats done to earn my vote?

The “earn my vote” approach is very common with wealthy Black men – rappers, actors, professors, pastors, and intelligentsia, and Black men in the media with large platforms.

And before we forget, the “Earn my vote” position is directly from Russia, China, and Iran, just a few countries who actively work to negatively influence Black American voters and election outcomes in their favor – their favor being Democrats out of office, the country divided by race, and Black voters not voting or voting for republicans.

But I know you know they are trying to play you because you are not sheep and you do your research.

There are many lengthy articles detailing democrats’ policies and results that detail how they benefited Black men and women. And I suppose you have visited Joe Biden’s campaign site which details his plans for America and for our community.

But for whatever reason you remain unconvinced. Though you are convinced republicans have policies that will benefit you, is that right?

What have republicans done to earn your vote besides hold rallies where they dance poorly and ridicule Democrats?

If you are a Black male republican voter, try this little experiment: Talk about what republicans have done for you without saying the word “Democrats.“

And if you are a Black male non voter, try this little experiment: Talk about how your life is made better by having republicans in charge, and do so without saying the word “Democrats.“

Black Democrats, representing almost every Black person you know, believe you should vote for democrats – again that is 98% of Black women and about 90% of Black men.

Conversely, Black male republicans want you to continue to support the Republican Party that is ruled exclusively by white men who, historically, have not worked in the best interest of Black men.

You can be in an exclusive club that actively works to make your life better, equal, and equitable, the democrats, or you can stay in the other group who want you segregated, unable to vote, given lower wages, harsher jail sentences, fewer jobs, sanctioned police brutality, unfunded public schools or funded forced religious schools, and all without healthcare.

I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I don’t think or believe you *really* want those certain outcomes.

Do you?

We have three weeks to settle the matter.

If democrats win, there will be a lot of work to clean up as we attempt to repair the devastation trump’s criminal enterprise unleashed on the country, the world, and on Black people.

And if republicans win, with your help, the rest of us will sink further into the republican-built sunken place where you already reside.

So I would like to invite you to vote with me for democrats. The tent, we like to say, is big, and it can withstand debate, criticism, and challenges.

The tent holds Black (the full diaspora), Native, Latino, Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Jewish, Indian, people from all the South American countries, and the entire rainbow coalition.

In other words, the tent looks like the people you see at work, school, in your neighborhood, etc.

The group you are siding with and hopefully leave, includes racists, proud boys, white nationalists, klansmen, militia members, and other white’s only groups who wish to exterminate you – after you vote them in office.

So join me and us, why don’t you?

We can argue and fight over the direction of the party and how best to improve the lives of all of us while leaving the party of white supremacy in the covid-lined trashcan of history.

© 2020 by Myron J. Clifton. All Rights Reserved.