#Blackvoter #turnoutkey #Trump
As we sat down to dinner Thursday, I was silently thankful that Donald Trump was not the president of the United States. My Thanksgiving prayer was inspired by remembering Trump’s terrible presidency. But also with all the bad and ugly things he has said and done since he was rejected by voters in the 2020 presidential election, as well as his actions that threaten democracy. A vengeful Trump called for a federal takeover of the District, which he viewed as a “dirty, crime-ridden death trap.” He has publicly stated that if elected, he would consider using the federal government as a weapon against those who oppose his rule. He also announced that he wants career federal employees stripped of civil service protections, the Department of Education be abolished, and more teachers trained carry concealed weapons. Trump’s thoughts on the NATO alliance and aid to Ukraine are a lifeline for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Follow this author Follow Colbert I. King’s views There are good and sufficient reasons to be thankful that Trump speaks only from his own mouth and not from the government. So where will we be in our Thanksgiving thoughts next year? Will we eliminate prayers of thanks because Trump’s current presidential bid ultimately failed? Or will we look at our plates, sullen and sad about the fate that awaits us after he takes office on January 20, 2025? Who has the answer? The best place to start is with those most responsible for deciding next year’s presidential election. President Biden is an experienced politician, but he may be completely misjudging Trump’s situation. Not certain. Trump was able to nominate conservative Supreme Court justices who took a stab at Roe while also rescinding affirmative action programs a year later; because turnout among key Democratic voting blocs dropped in the 2016 election, dooming Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the electoral college. . Voters who skipped the vote helped Trump keep his promise. As president, Trump has done exactly what he set out to do as a candidate. Three months before Election Day, I wrote in a column in September 2016 “Study [Trump’s] frightening list of right-wing court nominees. Build Trump’s White House and defend civil liberties, voting rights, consumer rights, and reproductive rights.” Say goodbye to your rights.” The numbers tell the story. In 2016, black voter turnout in presidential elections fell for the first time in 20 years. At 59.6 percent, it was seven points below the 2012 level; this is the largest decline on record among Black voters. But beware, Barack Obama was on the ballot in 2012 and 2008. Obama got the buy-in. In 2016, Clinton took the shoulder. As expected, he won majorities in Black strongholds across the country. But it wasn’t there for him in the states where black voter turnout mattered most. Trump won Michigan by 11,000 votes. But 277,000 eligible blacks did not vote. He won Wisconsin by 23,000 votes, but 93,000 eligible Black voters did not vote.
The Pulse of Washington D.C.
