BRAGADAYJAH 139

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Trump the Best thing for the Democrats

Why Trump is good for the Democratic Party
Somehow, every time I see and hear Donald Trump, I am reminded of Barry Goldwater, and how much cold water he poured on the Republican Party in 1964, and truly doused by that cold inundation, the Republican Party has not recovered up to this day, as far as the Black Vote is concerned.
Let me go back a bit to the 1860’s, when Abraham Lincoln, good old Abe, ran on the platform of freeing the slaves and giving them the right to vote in elections. For those who do not know, women too were disenfranchised at that time. Lincoln, a Republican, was elected in 1860 and keeping his promise, he freed the slaves and enfranchised them, in the face of bitter opposition, mainly from the South the stronghold of the Democrats, which also led to civil war, Abolitionists Republicans against Anti-Abolitionists Democrats, though mainly characterized North against South. And let us look at the sacrifice; 620,000 died in that Civil War almost as many as those who died in all other wars.
                Naturally, the grateful freedmen, they were no longer slaves, voted for the next 70 years, until 1933, Republican. By 1933 of course some Blacks did support the Democratic Party; but support for the Republicans was something like two thirds one third.
                Then came the depression and by 1933 10,000.000 people were unemployed and in dire need.  Naturally, Blacks were included in that number. In 1933 in response to the crisis in the country Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) the new Democratic President introduced his New Deal policies which included help for the needy, which naturally included a large number of Blacks who subsequently turned in greater numbers to the Democratic Party. But significantly it was not all blacks who flocked to the Democrats because of Public Assistance as some would have us believe. For whereas the following among black before was two thirds Republican one third Democrat, only about one third more joined the Democrats, which meant the voting pattern was directly reversed. That remained the numerical pattern up to the 1960’s, perhaps by which time the division was more like 60% in favor of the Democrats, 40% Republicans.
                Then something happened, Barry Goldwater.  In the 1964 Republican Convention Barry Goldwater, Bull Dog Goldwater as he is better known, with overwhelming Southern support, received the Party’s nomination notwithstanding his vitriolic outbursts against Blacks and other minorities. He did not become President thank God, but that was it as far as the Black vote is concerned. Blacks in particular thereafter, turned almost 100% to the Democrats. And there it basically remained. In 2008 President Obama received 90% of the Black vote and since then the Republicans have been struggling to woo Black voters.
                In 2000 in Florida for example, where the white vote is split almost down the middle, it was the Black vote, although comprising only 12% of the electorate that caused the political upheaval between George W Bush and Al Gore. Many argue that 12000 black votes were improperly rejected mostly through disenfranchisement which if they were allowed to vote, would have given Al Gore victory in contradistinction to the meager 567 votes which gave Mr. Bush the victory.

                And here we go again. Another Goldwater for all intent and purposes grabbing the Republican nomination.  Is this history repeating itself? The stink coming out of Trumps mouth and the drooling over his billions as one of his supporters admits, would seem to put the question beyond doubt. And for the future? Republicans can kiss the Black vote goodbye.  For sure a trump nomination is the best thing that could have happened to the Democratic Party.

No comments:

Post a Comment