Just One Of The Reasons That I Love African Americans [View all]

[Sloumeau]

On Saturday, February 29, 2020, the members of the Democratic Party of South Carolina had a choice to make. Should they vote for the White guy from New England with lots of big promises, or should they vote for the White guy from Delaware, a state that is 21% African American, who spent 36 years trying to make life better for Black Americans, and then spent eight years working with Barack Obama pushing through legislation like Obamacare? Saturday night, we got our answer. The African Americans of South Carolina chose the guy who spent decades forging alliances with Black America and working with Black America over the guy from New England with big promises.

This is just one of the reasons why I love African Americans. They may have the finest sense of who to vote for of anyone in the last 50 years. It was Black America who came out in droves to vote for Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. It was Black America who was most resistant to Reagan's idea that tax cuts would pay for themselves. Finally, it was Black America who never once even considered voting for Donald Trump.

The strength of the Democratic Party has always been rooted in the South. Originally, the Democratic Party was the Party of White racist slaveowners, whose evil sense of economics allowed them to justify holding African Americans in bondage. However, when African Americans wisely forged an alliance first with Robert Kennedy, then John F. Kennedy, and then Lyndon Johnson, the Democratic Party moved from representing the forces of evil in the South to the forces of liberty in the South. The Democratic Party moved from being a big part of the problem to a huge part of the solution, and it was Black America, especially in the South, that led the way.

Since then, African Americans have had to ask themselves over and over again, "Who in America will help us to move things forward? Who spends more time making big promises, and who is interested in actually rolling up their sleeves and doing the work that needs to be done?" On Saturday, Black America choose the person who has spent decades working with Black Americans trying to make things better over the guy who made big promises. This is the very heart of wisdom. We should have expected nothing less from Black Americans for this is what they have always done. They are leading the way again. Who among us will wisely follow?