October 26, 2016

For decades, the Democratic Party has taken the black vote for granted – and for good statistical reasons. Barack Obama captured at least 95% of the black vote in 2008 and 2012 as did Al Gore in 2000. Even John Kerry hit 93% in 2004. 

Will jobs and illegal immigration be the issues that finally drive large numbers of blacks to vote Republican? Ironically, President Barack Obama could well be the catalyst for such change.

President Obama, who promised hope and change, was supposed to lead Black America towards the Promised Land (or at least in the right direction).   Yet, the gap between whites and blacks remains wide.

At 8.1%, black unemployment rate is almost double that of whites (4.4%). 24.1% of the black population lives in poverty compared to less than 9.1% for whites. In 2009, when Obama took office, the median weekly earnings of blacks and whites was 79% and has not gotten better. Today, the rate of homeownership for blacks is 41.7% versus 71.5% for whites and we’ve seen a decline in black business ownership over the past 8 years.

The black population have the same concerns as of the rest of America: safe environments, quality education, jobs, better economic conditions, so why have the disparity widened? Against this grim economic backdrop, many of America’s inner-city areas continue to suffer from violent crime, failing schools, drug infestation, failing infrastructure, etc.   In Obama’s own hometown of Chicago we’ve seen over 3,000 homicides, the highest number of any American city, far outpacing both Los Angeles, New York and even Afghanistan.

As we move into the final days of the election what promise have black inner city voters received from Hillary Clinton? Hillary has offered no policy or solutions to directly change the conditions for struggling black families. As a matter of fact, her history of calling black males “super predators”, and supporting incarceration of black males at a rate higher than white males, her support for white immigrants while calling black immigrants “professional never- do-well”, her support to keep our children in falling schools with no option for choice. Hillary Clinton said she will increase Syrian refugees by 550% yet she never talks about increasing the African, Haitian or Caribbean immigrant population. And her support for late term abortions where 30% of abortions occur among black women shows she does not demonstrate compassion, sincerity or understanding of what it takes to advance the social and economic conditions in inner city America.

I believe that black voters may give Donald Trump a chance because he’s brave enough to tackle the problems in inner city America head on. He offers a comprehensive program of tax cuts that targets the middle class, education reform, jobs and skill training, and preventing illegal immigrants from taking jobs from minorities. U.S. Civil Rights Commissioner Peter Kirsanow has warned: “In addition to depressing black employment levels… illegal immigration—frankly any low-skilled immigration—tends to drive down the wages of jobs that are available for black Americans.”

Mr. Trump’s mission is to rekindle America’s strong economic growth, increase black businesses, and thereby create millions of jobs and improving the conditions we need for renewed wage growth for everyone. Trump has a color-blind vision designed to create more opportunities and rekindle our entrepreneurial spirit. Practicing what he preaches, Trump employs more blacks and Hispanics in his own enterprises than any presidential candidate in the last 20 years. If he’s done this successfully in private sector he can make government work successfully for the people, especially black people.

I believe black voters will swing the election to Donald Trump because they are tired of being taken for granted and want to see a brighter future and better opportunities and will make a conscious choice in this presidential election against more of this same old establishment and vote for Mr. Trump.

Jennifer Carroll

Former Lieutenant Governor

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