Posted on 12/05/2015 7:00:41 AM PST by Kaslin
Donald Trump's highly publicized meeting with a group of black pastors was met immediately with reactions ranging from skepticism to condemnation. Critics were immediately justified when numerous individuals on Trump's "endorsement" list spoke out to clarify that they had only agreed to meet with the real estate mogul turned presidential candidate, rather than agreeing to endorse him. Those who did lend their names to the Trump candidacy were predictably branded sellouts.
But what was missed in all the name calling and outrage was the overall necessity of Trump's move, even if it was poorly executed. Trump recognizes what Romney did not, which is that—despite the booming Latino population and a myriad of seemingly more pressing issues—no Republican can win without at least 10 percent of the black vote. And the only way to win any of those votes is to ask.
There is no need to discuss extensively what any sensible African American knows is true: if we continue to give our unconditional allegiance to one party, we will be ignored by both. We need leaders in both parties who will listen to our concerns, and we need to be very clear about our priorities. For far too long, the press has reduced the problems of the black community to the meaningless soundbites of material poverty and white racism. Such oversimplifications offers no clear policy objectives other than throwing money at programs that don't work, while fomenting white guilt and resentment.
I think there are four major needs in the African American community that nearly everyone can agree on that have clear policy implications. Any Republican candidate who hopes to win the general election must address these in a meaningful way. First, blacks need safe neighborhoods. This year alone, homicide rates have soared in many American cities, including Milwaukee, St. Louis, Chicago, Baltimore, and Washington, DC, and the victims have been disproportionately
African American. By August, the number of murders in Baltimore had reached a 43 year high. The spike occurred after the spring riots surrounding the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. According to the Associated Press:
"Crime experts and residents of Baltimore's most dangerous neighborhoods cite a confluence of factors: mistrust of the police; generalized anger and hopelessness over a lack of opportunities for young black men; and competition among dealers of illegal drugs, bolstered by the looting of prescription pills from pharmacies during
the riot."
Solving this problem means building trust with law enforcement—including punishing those officers who abuse their power—as well as actively policing low income neighborhoods, so that
law abiding people can live in peace. Of course we must not put our law enforcement officers in no-win situations. But the citizens being policed must have confidence that the people being apprehended will be treated fairly, and that officers found to have abusive tendencies
will not be tolerated on the force.
Second, blacks need prison reform. We must prioritize jailing assailants, such as murderers and rapists, instead of filling our prisons with non-violent offenders. Lengthy sentences for low level drug dealers and other petty offenses are locking fathers away from their children and robbing countless young men of a chance at life. For such reform to be successful, we need a solid commitment to do more than just parole or release convicts, or offer lighter terms to first time
offenders. We must work to drastically reduce the recidivism rate, ensuring that offenders are given opportunities to gain skills and obtain work.
Third, nearly all blacks agree on the need for education reform, yet it is shockingly slow in coming for the children who need it the most. As many people have already observed, wealthy parents already have school choice. The notion that black parents are better off with absolutely no option for their children except the school that they are assigned to according to the home they can afford is absurd. Of course parents share responsibility for the state of our schools and
the preparedness of our students, but we must offer better options to all students now. School choice is the simplest and quickest way to do that.
Lastly, African Americans and all other Americans need policies that will strengthen—not undermine—marriage and family. As I, along with others, have written countless times before, the best protection against poverty, crime, substance abuse and a myriad of other social ills is to be born to married parents who stay together. We will never see the other problems plaguing our nation addressed effectively unless we work also to encourage young people to finish school, get a job, get married and then have children. I would challenge all black Americans not to offer their votes to any candidate who cannot offer a comprehensive plan to address all four of these issues.
Trump did not play the race card. He may have actually put the black vote back into play!
Trump plays every card when he has to. He’s a winner. Losers like Romney smile and shove their money over to the winner.
may have been well intentioned, but just the usual whining.
drug dealers aren’t “non violent”. I had plenty of them in my cab and trust me, they are mostly violent. And mean. And nasty.
They’re not running a walmart or hot god stand. They are selling narcotics and they must protect their product and their turf with brute force.
Education reform. Get the parents to help them two hours a night. IF you can find the parents.
Restore hope? Go to school, get a job, get married, have kids, in that order.
Gun violence? Work 2 jobs instead of none. You’ll be too tired to do the things that lead to “gun violence”
The “Race Card.”
That card which DemoncRATS reflexively throw whenever anyone disagrees with them?
That “Race Card?”
There was more economic upward mobility for blacks under Reagan than any other president. Under Obama, blacks have gotten poorer. Simple as that.
Well then, you must be a racist. Neener, neener.
Education reform is an absolute necessity. We must require that all students receive a voucher for the full amount of money a public school would spend on their education.If that child goes to DC public schools that would allow a voucher for almost $20,000 that could be used to go to the same school as the Obama girls.
Note that they did not attend the local DC public schools. They where special snowflakes whose father damned poor children who looked like his children to a life of poverty and ignorance.
A NATIONAL LAW requiring that parents are in charge of where their children are educated at the expense of the school system they support with their taxes would help to save the next generation of poor children and help to keep them out of prison and off drugs.
You obviously missed Trump’s rally in Virginia Thursday evening; where a group of black pastors came on the platform and announced their endorsement of Trump.
IMHO, Trump was too trusting of that first group, believing they were coming to the gathering because they supported him; never thinking some of them were snakes who were only there so they could flap their negative jaws to the media upon adjournment.
Home schooled do the best in competitions every year it seems.
That is ONE government study that wouldn’t be wasted money. Find out why.
I guess that obvious answer would be the parents actually care,
With all due respect, a 50k voucher to the most prestigious school in the country wont work if there’s no dad and mom’s on the corner whoring out and smoking crack.
Studies have shown that a good school environment that challenges children can make a very big difference in their lives.
Most children in inner city schools are not children of crack whores. Many of their parents are simply products of their environment. They also had single mothers and bad school choices. They saw little hope in education as they went to schools that where little more than war zones.
The reestablishment of reform schools, real quality vocational education, the universal use of vouchers and the concept of open enrollment allowing a child to go to any school they can qualify for, regardless of school district or if it is private, parochial or public coupled with real consequences for bad behavior would be a major win for the poorest students and for our society as a whole.
Education is the civil rights issue of this century. It is high time that the education establishment was concerned with what is best for children and not what is best for educators, IE unionized teachers.
“Gun violence? Work 2 jobs instead of none. You’ll be too tired to do the things that lead to ‘gun’ violence”
Well said. Idle hands are the Devil’s Workshop. [Biblical proverb.]
As for education reform, parents’ help will often conflict with the teacher’s liberal agenda. What we really need is more parental control of education.
I want to believe that a majority of blacks have a heart imbued with the Spirit, that know right from wrong and good from evil, that know their family structures are broken, that sense the error of lying with Democrats, that look for real positive and good change.
First, blacks need safe neighborhoods.
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Why are there any black neighborhoods? Segregation was out lawed decades ago.
Could it be preferred by black people?
They’re not running a walmart or hot god stand.
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Didja hear about the dyslexic atheist? He didn’t believe in dog.
(Just funnin’ ya a little bit.)
The demon rats have played the race card so much they have worn the tits off the queen. It is now time for Trump to play the race card loud and often.
Actually, it is preferred by liberals and bureaucrats. Keeping the herd together makes it easier to manage. Occasionally small numbers are culled from the herd to push into neighborhoods they could not afford on their own to help manage the bourgeois conservatives in those neighborhoods.
yeah, 15 or 20 or 50 or 100k isn’t the answer,
what’s home schooling cost these days?
I typed GOD lol!!!!!!
now i’ll be worrying all day that my head injury is the reason behind it!!!!!
dain bramage i tell ya!!!!!
i didn’t even get what you were talking about till i reread it lol!!
you’ve gone and made my whole weekend be full of paranoia!!!
BTTT
Word.
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