OPINION:
“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t Black.” — President Biden on “The Breakfast Club,” 2020
“We have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters of our neighborhoods and communities as we saw when I was running.” — former President Barack Obama, last week
The condescension in these remarks is one reason why Black voters, especially young Black men, are moving away from the Democratic Party to which Blacks have been joined at the hip since the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. This kind of tribal groupthink is designed to keep certain demographics in line and voting in perpetuity for Democrats.
Former President Barack Obama, the only former president in my lifetime not to leave Washington after his administration ended (some believe he has been behaving as a third-term president behind the scenes of the Biden-Harris administration), has revealed by his comments that there is much worry in the party that even a small departure of young Black voters could spell doom for Democrats in the election.
Mr. Obama is right to be concerned. According to the 2024 National Black Voter Project Longitudinal Study, a growing number of Black voters are becoming more conservative than their parents and grandparents.
The survey shows that the highest percentage of Black conservatives, at 22.2%, are between the ages of 18 and 29. The 30-to-44 age group makes up 18.9%, those 45 to 64 are at 10.1% and those 65 and older come in at 4.3%.
Mr. Obama’s chiding of young Black men is not likely to sit well with them. That Democrats have taken the Black vote for granted is a given, but more are starting to ask, “What have you done for us?”
When Mr. Obama won the presidency, I wrote that he could have a life-changing influence on African Americans by endorsing school choice. Black parents, especially in cities such as Chicago, have told pollsters they want to send their children to better schools. Still, Democrats have ignored them because of the influence and money of the teachers unions.
African Americans have been disproportionately and negatively affected for decades by the Democrats’ policies: the welfare state, failed public schools, high crime in their neighborhoods and the highest abortion rate of any demographic group. Many have said politicians care about their vote (and show up at Black churches) only in an election year and then never keep their promises.
It’s the same with “women’s issues.” The term implies that all women think — or should think — alike, especially when it comes to abortion. Contrary views are ignored or mocked by the major media. This, too, is condescension and a form of misogyny.
Suppose Republicans can solidify even a small percentage of young Black voters. In that case, they will have secured for themselves victories up and down the ballot in this election and possibly for elections to come. This assumes they will follow through on their promises, especially on the economy and education.
One line Republicans might use is, “Why are Democrats pro-choice when it comes to abortion but anti-choice for educating children who are born?”
Another is a quote from the Black economist Thomas Sowell: “Barack Obama’s political genius is his ability to say things that will sound good to people who have not followed the issues in any detail — regardless of how obviously fraudulent what he says may be to those who have.”
• Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribpub.com. Look for Cal Thomas’ latest book, “A Watchman in the Night: What I’ve Seen Over 50 Years Reporting on America” (Humanix Books).
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