In response to a story I posted about My Discussion with a Long-Time Black Republican, I got a response, “Why would a Black person support a racist.” Part of the answer is that both of the two major political parties are racist to some degree. Donald Trump is a racist who has surrounded himself with like-minded people. I could devote a few thousand words explaining why Trump et al. are racist, but you already know. He’s reminded us recently when they brought back one of the Doge Youth who resigned after bragging on social media that he was racist before racism was cool.
Trump appointed Darren Beattie to a high-level State Department even after saying the quiet part out loud, demonstrating his racism and misogyny.
“Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work," said Beattie. "Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities and demoralizing competent white men.”
I could point to instance after instance of the racist individuals and policies of Republicans supporting racism, including voter suppression, their all-out assault on DEI and affirmative action, and their affection for white supremacist groups. Both Elon Musk and J.D. Vance met separately with the Neo-Nazi group AfD in Germany. Trump dined with white supremacist Nick Fuentes at Mar-a-Lago. Republicans are who we think they are, with the implication that my Black Republican chooses to support racism vs. the obvious alternative, the Democratic Party. The problem is that backing the Democratic Party is, to a far lesser degree, supporting racism as well.
The Democratic Party is a collection of coalitions, all fighting for recognition from the leadership, hoping their demands can become top priorities. It only works if there is enough compromise to stick together and if the end result is palatable to enough Democrats, Independents, and some Republicans to win elections. Democrats are bearing witness right now as to what happens when we lose.
Much of what Republicans do is to project qualities on Democrats that they engage in to take the light off themselves. They accuse Democrats of racism. Sexism and undermining democracy. But are there no truths that Black people must ignore to continue to vote Democratic?
Look at the past three Democratic presidents in reverse order: Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton. Each of them compromised and promoted racist policies while governing. Joe Biden has always been a compromise. He was the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee during the Clarence Thomas hearings. Biden’s biggest concern was harmony among his Senate Republican colleagues, so he didn’t allow the testimony of three women who supported Anita Hill’s testimony. Biden allowed his Republican friends to demonize Hill and did nothing. Thomas was allowed to testify before and after Hill. As a result, the self-hating Clarence Thomas has been a Supreme Court Justice for 33 years and counting, tearing down efforts to fight racism the entire time.
Biden wrote most of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994. While mass incarceration of Black people and over-policing of Black communities has always existed, the Biden-written crime bill was highly detrimental to Black families. It can be argued that Bill Clinton and Joe Biden put together a bill less onerous than what Republicans wanted, but that means little to the Black families ripped apart for minor and often non-existent offenses.
You might be wondering what Barack Obama, America’s first Black president, might have done. During his first campaign, President George W. Bush revealed a financial crisis, one sufficient to cause Republican Senator John McCain to suspend his campaign and rush back to Washington, hoping to be seen as the nation’s savior. McCain’s desperate gamble failed, and Barack Obama won the election, but the crisis remained.
The solution involved several stimulus packages, with the federal government pushing money out of the door to stimulate the economy. Among the things Obama did was send tanks, armored vehicles, and assault weapons to police forces nationwide. Obama helped militarize the police, and those weapons have been disproportionately used in Black communities. When was the last time a tank rolled into the suburbs or to a country club?
The 1033 Program, which allowed police departments to purchase surplus military goods, began in the Bush administration, but departments were limited by what they could afford until they received stimulus money. Obama moved to reduce militarization during his second term, but the damage was already done. Obama sent much of that equipment there in the first place. The push to cut back came after racial protests in Ferguson, MO, after the shooting of Michael Brown.
“We’ve seen how militarized gear can sometimes give people a feeling like there’s an occupying force as opposed to a force that’s part of the community that’s protecting them and serving them," said Obama. It can alienate and intimidate local residents and send the wrong message.”
When Joe Biden was inaugurated on January 20, 2021, there were still limited protests stemming from the May 26, 2020, release of the George Floyd video showing a police officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes. There were protests in over 140 American cities and major cities worldwide. Much of the focus turned toward police reform and passage of the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. Biden came into office with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, but the George Floyd Act was not passed. Instead, Black people were appeased with the Juneteenth federal holiday.
It took a moment for Republican critics to find their footing, but they focused their messaging on criticizing Black Lives Matter and the deceased George Floyd. They also misrepresented the “Defund the Police” movement, which most people intended to be a reallocation of resources. Biden’s Justice Department did begin negotiating a consent decree with the Minneapolis police department, which now President Trump recently dissolved along with another in Louisville, KY (Breonna Taylor).
In addition to asking how a Black Republican can support a racist Donald Trump, we might ask how Black people can support Democrats who continually allow racist things to happen on their watch. Do Black people generally see much difference under Democratic and Republican administrations?
Black Democrats are asked to ignore or pretend we don’t notice when Democrats fall in line with Republican practices or talk about “super predators” or “poor kids are just as bright and talented as white kids.” Lyndon Johnson wasn’t the last Democrat to use the n-word.
I find it impossible to vote Republican because of the Party’s position on voter suppression. Regarding racism, Republicans set an incredibly low bar that Democrats easily surpass, but that doesn’t mean racism doesn’t exist within the Democratic Party and that in every election, I’m not asked to condone it. California depends on prison labor to fight fires and perform other tasks, which sounds exactly like the 13th Amendment exception for slavery. Kamala Harris defended that practice while the California Attorney General. Republicans practice racism, and Democrats allow it—a difference without a distinction.
Systemic racism was created by and maintained by both major political parties; not voting sustains racism as well. The way a Black person fights racism is to fight for change in all political parties. Simply voting R or D isn’t enough.
This post originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium. And if you dig his words, buy the man a coffee.