OPINION:
Malcolm X warned African-Americans of being political chumps of the Democratic Party (“Joe Biden’s ’you ain’t black’ comment: The scourge of the left’s identity politics,” Web, May 28). “Political chumps” are a bloc of voters who overwhelmingly vote for one party blindly. African-Americans are now waking up, and even if they’re Democrats they want a “black” agenda — or else they will vote for Republicans, the Green Party or the Libertarians, or won’t vote at all.
In 2016, the voter turnout for blacks was 59.6 percent, compared to 66.6 percent in 2012, 65.2 percent in 2008 and 60.3 percent in 2004. An estimated 16.4 million African-Americans voted in 2016, compared to an estimated 17.1 million in 2012. So with all the hysteria in the mainstream media in 2016, more than 700,000 African-Americans stayed home rather than vote for Hillary Clinton and the Democrats.
According to Joe Biden’s reasoning, which is the thinking of many Democrats, the more than 11.1 million blacks who never voted in the last presidential election “ain’t black.” Neither is the 8 percent of blacks (over 1.3 million people) who voted for Donald Trump. Only the 88 percent of blacks (14.4 million people) who voted for Hillary Clinton are black.
Even though Mr. Biden apologized for his comment, it’s still the mindset of the Democrats and the mainstream media. They believe blacks should continue to blindly support them no matter what.
TEDDYLEE GRAY
St. Ann, Jamaica
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