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Election Wars 2016: The Empire Fights Black

“I feel a great disturbance in the Force. As if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened.” Obe Wan Kenobi.

empire strikes black copyLeave it to the original Star Wars classic movie to capture the feelings of many after Tuesday, November 8th Election results. Leading up to this plebiscite, polls and pundits were feeding us a constant diet of numbers. Daily tally of statistics complete with bedazzled graphics, telling us which group was planning to vote for whom and for what reason.

The talking heads in boxes on Cable News, lead the American public to believe that Hillary Clinton was on her way to making history.

"What the hell do you have to lose?"
“What the hell do you have to lose?” – Trump to African-American Voters

But something happened on the way to voting. The actual vote, face it the polls were wrong; half the voting public bought into the messages that President-Elect Donald Trump broadcast to the American people. While winning the popular vote, Secretary Clinton lost in the Electoral College, again fueling discussions about its purpose and why we are still using it.

The same people who called each other in jubilation 8 years ago as Barack Obama became the first African-American President, watched in horror, as Donald Trump won the presidency, a man whose constant attacks on President Obama are legendary. Trump as a leader in the “Birther Movement”, Trump repeatedly challenged Barack Obama’s legitimacy as President of the United States.

The New York Times devoted 2 full pages of Donald Trump quotes and the people he’s insulted.

Hateful rhetoric has been the hallmark of this Presidential Campaign season. As Trump told African-American’s, “You’re living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58% of your youth is unemployed — what the hell do you have to lose?”

It was clear from the beginning that Donald Trump was tapping into and stoking, pent up anger white voters were feeling about, “political correctness” in additional to targeting Muslims, Mexicans and immigrants.

What pundits didn’t see coming was the veracity at which white voters would be in agreement with Donald Trump, regardless of countless racist and sexists attacks on individuals and institutions during his presidential campaign. The white voter took their anger to the voting machines.

Trump woke a sleeping giant. His campaign, seasoned with coded messages, harkening back to the days of previous political arsonists such as George Wallace, Bull Connor and Lester Maddox. These men led state government institutions that terrorized southern African-Americans, in direct defiance of integration edicts from leaders in Washington, D.C. These were the days of, “state sponsored terrorism” on the African-American people. Their coordinated efforts to prevent African-American voting, took form in state approved actions such as preventing access to the voting process, lynching’s, beating of protestors, and church bombings, one that took the lives of 4 children.

With the Republican Party in control of the Senate, House of Representatives and the White House efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act also known as Obama Care, are real possibilities. The pledge to repeal the ACA would leave 22 million enrollees without adequate health insurance coverage. Many of those enrolled are African-Americans.

38 states have enacted Voter Suppression initiatives, resulting in thousands of African-American’s in each state not being eligible to vote, due to these newly enacted restrictions.  What was once predictable in elections, no longer applies. Donald Trump won by tapping into an energy that pits one citizen against another, whites verses Muslims, Blacks, Mexicans,  and  those of Middle Eastern descent.

And he won. “So this is how liberty dies…with thunderous applause.” – Padmé Amidala

 

 

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