Politicians on BOTH sides of the aisle should pay attention to what the NBA legend is saying them.
In a radio interview with Michael Smerconish, Barkely leveled his criticism at politicians taking black voters for granted. But if Republican politicians pay attention, they might learn what deficiencies they will need to address in their own political campaigns.
Black voters are feeling taken for granted by the politicians they send to represent them. After supporting Senator Doug Jones, Barkley told him:
“But I said, ‘we need to start holding you Democrats accountable’ because they’ve been taking black people’s votes – and they only talk to black people every four years. All of these politicians only talk to black people every four years because they want their vote.”
“Oh, actually, the Republicans don’t, the Democrats do. But when they get elected, they do nothing in the four years in-between,” he added.
Source: Mediaite
“The Republicans don’t.” There’s a lot to unpack in that sentence.
The article goes on…
Barkley also opined on the supposed racism of Trump supporters, saying, “I don’t think everybody who voted for Trump is racist … I think some of them are, but I don’t think everybody who voted for Trump is racist. But this thing started way, way back. When we started shipping all our jobs overseas many, many years ago, it was really going to have a negative effect in the long run; you notice now that all these malls and places are closing because people are doing all their shopping online, that’s going to have a negative effect … that’s not the president’s fault.”
After Jones was elected, Barkley, who hails from Alabama, told CNN, “I’m so proud of my state. I love my state. We got some amazing people here. Yeah, we got a bunch of rednecks and a bunch of ignorant people, but we got some amazing people here and they rose up today.” Then he added that Democrats should stop taking the black vote for granted, snapping, “It’s time for them to get off their ass and start making life better for black folks and people who are poor.”
Source: Mediaite
In running a political campaign, it’s easy to make the Wisconsin mistake that Hillary made.
You pour your energies into those places where you think you can strategically tip the balance.
Of course a campaign manager would want to do that because a campaign has limited time, energy, money and manpower. Who wants to spend those resources on a ‘lost cause’?
But who you DON’T talk to sends a message just as clearly as who you DO talk to. If you write off a district or a demographic, you send a message that you’re not interested in representing them.
That’s what Barkley is implying with his straightforward line ‘the Republicans don’t’. As a consequence, the accusations that our side doesn’t like/welcome/accept those same demographics is given a ring of credibility… not because of any actual racism, but because of failures to reach out.
Trump did NOT make that mistake. He went to supposedly hopeless places — like a black church in Michigan — and challenged the same Democrat record Barkley is upset about. He called out black voter’s default Dem support with a — ‘what do you have to lose?’
Trump — just like Barkley has requested — has been calling out the failures of Democrat leaders to make life in their districts better for the poor.
(We covered how a conversation with Jack Brewer prompted the ‘scandal’ of Trump calling out the situation in Baltimore.)
The question is, will Republicans learn that lesson, and actively build bridges to a demographic that has been written off as a ‘hopelessly Democrat’ stronghold?
Or will they let that perception become a self-fulfilling prophecy?
Related:
- Dear CNN: Our Youngest Black Legislator Is Pro-Life, Pro-God & Pro-Wall – Is That ‘News?’
- Some Uncomfortable Questions For The Congressional Black Caucus
- WATCH: Here’s What We ALL Missed About Trump’s Baltimore ‘Scandal’ … Someone Tell CNN
- ‘Experts’ Say Christians Shouldn’t Support Trump – So, We Put Them On FULL BLAST
We’ve all seen the dishonest games the left have played with the power they’re entrusted with, they’re obviously unworthy of that trust.
But what about 2020? Could a moral person pull a lever for Trump with their integrity intact? Would Jesus himself vote for Trump? We’re glad you asked. There’s a brand new book that covers precisely that question:
“Would Jesus Vote For Trump?” by Doug Giles and Brandon Vallorani.
Would Jesus ever choose someone, with a less than stellar past, to be a leader? Would Jesus be cool with how Trump blasts CNN, The Left, and his feckless ‘compadres’ on The Right? What about Health Care? Would the Great Physician give Trump’s opposition to ObamaCare the ‘two thumbs up?’ Find out in this BEST-SELLER!
