The solution to Trump, White privilege and the Republican Party
We know from the appearance of former President Donald Trump at the conservative Republican gathering in Florida last weekend that their agenda against America continues.
We see over 28 states with Republican controlled legislatures have introduced more than 100 bills aimed at voter suppression. These include restricting the number of
Voting sites, limiting the hours of voting from 9 a.m. till 5 p.m. Monday through Fridays with no weekend voting. There is also legislation to limit the number of drop boxes for return of mail-in ballots and the requirement of state issued voting I.D. cards.
But the solution to this assault on democracy has already been demonstrated in both the state of Georgia with its massive voter turnout that produced two U.S. Senators to change the balance of power in the U.S. Senate and thereby empowering our Vice President, Kamala Harris to be the tie breaking vote as the President of the U.S. Senate. We have also seen the State of Virginia pass a state version of the Voting Rights Act amendments that were struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2013.
African Americans, Africans who have become naturalized citizens with the right to vote, Latinos, Asians who are now under massive hate crime attacks, Native Americans and any other people of color who now make up the growing majority of Americans, must become politically active. We must follow the Stacey Abrams approach of voter outreach, education and turnout that Georgia used to elect two U.S. Senators. We must do this in every state starting now with a look at who will run for Congress and the U.S. Senate in 2022.
We must change the approach of civic now being taught in our schools starting with an understanding of the political process at the very local level. We must come to understand that every vote counts and that we cannot wait until there are more homicides and abuse of political power from racist law enforcement personnel and White Supremacist who think that democracy means only them and their interest.
The Republican Party has demonstrated its lack of concern for human life other than their own throughout this pandemic. Now that a 1.9 trillion COVID relief bill is before the Senate, a measure that can mean the difference between life and death for millions of Americans, we see a solid and lockstep Republican block in the Senate determined to vote against the bill and further continue the suffering of All people in this country regardless of their color.
This is the Party opposed to Food Stamps to feed starving families, but yet believes in subsidies and tax benefits to corporations and big business with those same dollars that could be used to save lives. We must remember that the Republican Party is the Party of White Privilege, even though some misguided Blacks belong to it.
We must learn the track records of those who say they will represent us just as the FBI is learning the identity of those 57 White local elected officials that participated in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. We must start a collective movement because the Republican Party, its members, the White Supremacist and those who use the term “Make American Great Again (MAGA)” to disguise their racist, don’t think we are capable of long range planning. We too must both plan now and act now as if the 2022 elections were tomorrow.
Let’s beat them at their own game.
Dr. John E. Warren is publisher/CEO of the San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper.
