By: Donald V. Watkins
© Copyrighted and Published on March 11, 2020
I enjoy politics. I believe African-Americans can be much more effective and successful in presidential politics if they become independent voters.
I have been a declared political independent since 2001. I have never taken campaign cash, or accepted "get-out-the-vote" money from any candidate running for political office. I have supported Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who have run for various federal, state, and local offices.
Since 2001, I have also raised or contributed more than $1 million in campaign donations to support these candidates. My support for a candidate cannot be bought; it must be earned.
Right now, approximately 90% of black voters automatically flock to candidates running under the Democratic Party banner in national elections. This has been the case since John Kennedy ran for president in 1960.
Democratic presidential candidates do not have to earn the black vote. As such, black voters are taken for granted by these candidates. What is worse, the candidates give campaign cash to local political, religious, and community leaders in the black community in order to secure their endorsements and the black vote.
Unlike paid endorsements on TV for commercial products, the black political, religious, and community leaders who pocket this cash do not disclose the fact that they have been "bought and paid for." This is a form of political "whoring," and it does not serve the black community well.
This is also the primary reason why African-American communities around the country rarely receive tangible political and/or economic benefits when their candidates of choice are elected. It is cheaper to pay off black political and community leaders than it is to invest in enhancing the quality of life in the black community.
I do not seek to influence the outcome of party primary elections. This is not the role of a true political independent. I do, however, try to influence the outcome of presidential elections.
Once the parties' nominees are selected for 2020, I will publish news articles from September 1st to the November general election that describe each party nominee's strengths and weaknesses. I also contribute campaign cash to the presidential candidate of my choice.
My online media platforms (donaldwatkins.com, Facebook, Twitter) have a vast and diverse readership, and I enjoy using them to educate the public on national issues of significant public interest. I am looking forward to sharing my views with my readers on an unfiltered basis in the 2020 presidential race.
Why African-American voters continue to blindly follow the political recommendations of political and community leaders who have been "bought and paid for" is simply beyond my comprehension. One day soon, I hope we will be able to judge candidates for ourselves and cast our votes as informed voters.
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