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 "When people are presented with the alternatives of
hating themselves for their failure or hating others for their success, they
seldom choose to hate themselves.” – Thomas Sowell
After signing the Civil Rights Act of 1965, Lyndon Johnson initiated a volume of
federal and state programs attempting to amend years of southern segregation in
the Democratic controlled south.
LBJ's "quick fix" was to expand the welfare state with his Great Society, while
Northern Democrats and Republicans saw increasing free market Black employment
opportunities as the only solution.
But LBJ's syllabus was nothing more than window dressing. Expanding food stamps,
welfare and creating Medicaid and pre-k schooling only grew the underclasses.
Poverty rose by 5% and race riots consumed the nation. Knowing he could not
possibly be reelected, LBJ threw in the towel.
Richard Nixon entered office with a plan he called "Black Capitalism." And that
is when Blacks saw real socioeconomic improvement. Nixon increased federal
grants to Black colleges, developed the affirmative action Philadelphia Plan and
signed the Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972. By increasing free market
opportunities for Black Americas, Nixon helped them develop the skills they
needed to improve their socioeconomic status, which was all they really wanted
and ever needed.
Some call it redemption and others call it a quirk of fate that one
segregationist Democrat from the south, President Andrew Johnson, refused to
sign the 1865 Civil Rights Act and the 13th, 14th and 15th Reconstruction
Amendments. And a century later a "self-redeemed" segregationist Democrat from
the south was in position to rectify 100 years of humiliating southern
Democratic segregation.
Since passing the Civil Rights Act, the Democratic Party has done everything to
keep Black voters paranoid to maintain their support. That’s the only way that
they can keep them in the party. They take credit for all free market Black
economic progress although they aggrandize the welfare state?
Biden is struggling to keep the Black vote due to promises he's failed to keep.
Trying to save face, Biden blames this on racism? He accused the GOP of
disenfranchising Blacks after they passed "Jim Crowe" (?) voter ID laws. He even
named Republicans, "The party of racism."
“Such are the ways of politics, where the crusade of the hour often blocks out
everything else." – Thomas Sowell
But all the demagoguery in the world does not negate the facts. Black voter
turnout has been rising since the 1990s and continues to increase even with
voter-ID laws that protect every voter's rights.
When Biden has no answer for his failures, he blames them all on racism.
"The word racism is like ketchup. It can be put on anything – and demanding
evidence makes you a racist." – Thomas Sowell
Under Donald Trump, before the pandemic, Black and Hispanic household incomes
were at their highest levels on record. Poverty rates were at their lowest
levels since the Census Bureau began tracking them. And Black and Hispanic
employment sustained the highest rate of growth in history.
Like a typical progressive, Joe Biden centered his campaign on race and
erroneous GOP policies that deny minorities' job opportunities and federal
entitlements. From the day Joe Biden became the left's default candidate; he
promised to fill his administrative positions with women and Blacks.
But like LBJ's overtures to Blacks, many of Biden's appointees have been
"window-dressing" only.
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Kamala Harris has seen a mass exodus of Black personnel in her first year. Her
staff blames Harris for their low morale. Communications director Ashley Etienne
and Adviser Symone Sanders left to "pursue other opportunities." Aide Tina
Flournoy resigned and Cedric Richmond, the head of public engagement, resigned.
Public engagement Chief Vincent Evans took a job with the Black Caucus.
The departure of Richmond was unexpected. A former aide described him as the
“nucleus” for Black staffers. He added, "Richmond’s departure leaves us feeling
deserted and alone."
"A wise man knows that walking away and starting over beats staying and fighting
a losing battle." – Criss Jami
At least 25 Black staffers have left Biden's White House since late last year
and more plan to leave. According to one API report, they claim their jobs lack
substance and seem almost trivial at times. Others report they get little
support from superiors and no promotions except a few lateral moves.
These departures have raised concerns with observers who monitor White House
diversification. Spencer Overton, head of the Joint Center for Political and
Economic Studies that tracks diversity, said, “Black voters were 22% of Joe
Biden’s base in the 2020 election. Therefore it is essential that Black staffers
are not only recruited for senior and mid-level positions, but they are promoted
also."
One Black White House official told Politico, “Issues that are a high priority
for our community are no longer at the forefront of the administration’s
priority list. They gave us a mandate to execute on the things that Democrats
promised us. And we haven't delivered, and it has become frustrating."
The White House disagrees that this exodus of Blacks is due to lack of
advancement. They declare that 14% of the White House staff is Black and that
equals their promotion rate. But this is disputed by the Joint Center for
Political and Economic Studies, whose numbers are significantly lower than those
they report.
"Numbers don't lie. Women lie, men lie, but numbers don't lie." – Max Holloway
In 600 BC, Solon wrote, "Those ill informed are most easily misled." Biden makes
no decisions. He does what progressives tell him to do. He doles out positions
because of race, gender and politics, with no consideration for qualifications.
He is over-filling quotas to make gender and race sensitive groups happy; to
appease the Black Caucus, and to pacify the vocal radical socialists in the
House.
Biden is struggling with an intense examination of his judgment and his
competence. Each attempt progressives make to quell the furor of Black
discontent provokes more questions about promises he made to Blacks to get their
votes. But his inability to fulfill those promises is costing him dearly.
Blacks prospered under Richard Nixon's “Black Capitalism” plan based on
opportunities in the free market. They did the same under Donald Trump's
"laissez-faire" economic policies. But Joe Biden simply puts Blacks into
positions to gain votes and satisfy the radical left. This is doing more harm
than good. Without training and mentorship, Black staffers are simply window
dressing for the left.
By throwing bones at Black America for votes, the left is cheating them out of
free market economic advancement and it is catching up with them. More Blacks
will leave the White House and the party when they realize this.
"Capitalism knows only one color: that color is green; all else is necessarily
subservient to it, hence, race, gender and ethnicity cannot be considered within
it." – Thomas Sowell
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