By Lucius Gantt, THE GANTT REPORT
Why are news shows and news networks ranting and raving so much about “progressives”? Why are such a small group of American political activists getting heightened attention after so many political losses and disappointments?
Do you remember Nina Turner? Nina Hudson Turner is an American politician and political advisor from Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, she was a Cleveland City Councilor from 2006 to 2008 and an Ohio State Senator from 2008 until 2014. She was the Democratic nominee for Ohio Secretary of State in 2014, but lost in the general election, receiving 35.5 percent of the vote. She was later a supporter for Bernie Sanders in his 2016 presidential campaign. On February 21, 2019, Turner was named a national co-chair of Sanders’s losing presidential effort.
I mention Ms. Turner because she was a face of the so-called progressive political movement along with Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and about seven members of the House of Representatives.
Allegedly, progressives want Medicare for all, student loan debt forgiven, defunding police departments and so on.
Well, none of that will happen as desired. The progressive political proposals remind me of Martin Luther King Jr., both are good and both are dead!
If you don’t know, so called political progressives hate the President-Elect. Not many progressives voted for Joe Biden, like some Blacks and most Independents, they voted against Trump!
Personally, progressive political proposals don’t bother me. Their proposals will be considered in the House but I doubt those same proposals will ever get on any agenda in the Republican controlled Senate.
Progressives have grand ideas but they don’t have a clue how to fairly fund progressive political proposals. They don’t have specific plans about what police funds they want terminated. And, there is no consensus about student debt relief. Is debt relief merely about recent students or will all students, even those that incurred student debt 40 years ago, get financial reckoning?
Politically, progressives can’t seem to win a federal or statewide rat race. Most Blacks don’t consider their political philosophies and ideologies to be progressive. More Blacks than you think are liberal, or radical, on social issues but conservative when it comes to business, religion, abortions, education and some other issues.
If progressives want to make progress in influencing Black voters, spend more money with Black businesses.
Money is the primary political motivator in America. Neo-colonialism didn’t work in the past and the “any Negro will do” concept of just hiring any Black woman or man won’t do in these days and times.
Billions of dollars are spent on national elections but very few non-whites get high paying contracts with progressive candidates.
I know who Nina Turner is but you probably don’t. I know she has already announced that she will run for the House seat formerly held by Representative Marcia Fudge, President-elect Biden’s choice as HUD Secretary.
It’s all about the political dollar. If progressives don’t spend money with you, they don’t like you or want you.
Political poppycock literally means nothing to me!
Lucius is a contributing columnist to NNPA newspapers around the nation, and the author of “Beast Too: Dead Man Writing,” available on Amazon.com and from bookstores everywhere.