By Lucius Gantt
The Republican Party in America is as fast as Usain Bolt when it comes to responding and messaging.
If President Joe Biden makes a speech or comment at midday, before the sun goes down, GOP talking heads will be on FOX and other conservative news outlets discussing what they think is wrong about what Biden said.
Many Americans that are part of the so-called Democratic Party “base” wonder why their favorite party is reluctant and very slow to comment on Republican misinformation.
If Black voters are as woke as they claim they are, they would recognize that being dilatory in politics is detrimental to their political health.
You don’t miss what you can’t measure, and you can’t respond to political actions that you are unaware of.
The Republican Party has been depicted as being pro-rich and anti-poor and supportive of white nationalism and opposed to Black nationalism.
The truth of the matter is that both major political parties want government money and governmental power!
The GOP will do anything to get and keep political power while the Democrats seem stuck in a political time machine that goes backward instead of forward.
Win or lose, Democrats are happy with their political status. They don’t want to fight a media battle, they don’t want to upgrade their party communications infrastructure, they don’t want to put together a truly diverse staff and consultant group that can deliver impressive and influential political messages to all Americans whether they be Democratic, Republican or Independent.
Let me tell you a secret. Republicans will hire anybody they think can generate votes for Republican candidates. The GOP doesn’t care if you’re Black, white or sky blue pink if you can deliver votes, the Republican Party will pay to get you on their team (or keep you from working for the opposition party).
Another secret that no one wants you to know or believe is about the current rise of the Dixiecrats.
Not so very long ago, “Dixiecrats” were members of “The States’ Rights Democratic Party” that was formed to protect Southern American states’ rights to maintain segregation.
Today’s Dixiecrats say they love Martin Luther King, they are friends of Black Americans and they support African American political progress but are opposed to legislation that that will thwart GOP efforts to suppress Black votes nationwide, for instance.
From my personal point of view, Democratic leaders are slow to respond to Republican outbursts of misinformation because they want to avoid upsetting white males that are registered Democrats but are quick to vote for Republican initiatives.
Yes, many white male Democrats, like Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, are what I call “modern day Dixiecrats”. America’s state legislatures are full of Dixiecrats that don’t have a clue about how best to fight Republican bills and messages about anti-abortion, school and business safety, infrastructure, foreign affairs and climate change policies.
Stop being taken advantage of!
There are people in your community that are not afraid to tell you the truth about American politics.
Free your mind and believe your kind.
A parrot can [only] repeat and verbalize what he is told but an eagle can make his own decisions about what is best for the flock of birds!
Your party is confronted with a Dixiecrat dilemma!
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.