Trump is beyond the pale for some white republicans. Some have even left the overt racists in the Republican Party to join the covert racists that loved Reagan in the Independent Party.
Michael Bloomberg, a former republican, went to the Democratic Convention and spoke against Donald Trump as an independent. However former Mayor Bloomberg has been a long time enemy of blacks because of his stop and frisk policy. When he was mayor, white cops were encouraged to just walk up to black people, mostly black men, and just put their hands on and search anybody they wanted to for any reason at all.
But that race based policy wasn't a problem, I guess? Only Donald Trump's mouth is truly racist?
Bloomberg's "Stop and Frisk" policy came to the entire nation's attention when Amadou Diallo was killed by 4 white policemen killed Diallo because he took out his wallet, likely in an attempt to prove he wasn't who they were looking for. The white cops said they thought Diallo had something called a "wallet gun' when he didn't have a gun at all and shot him 41 times.
Diallo is one of the hundreds of black people killed by police over the years, the ones that never made it into national newspapers like they do today because of Black Lives Matter.
Bloomberg didn't really address Trump's racism that much. Between the lines, I get the impression Bloomberg is upset about the same thing republicans are always upset about: Donald Trump's ability to upset the financial apple cart.
"I understand the appeal of a business man president. But Trump's business plan is a disaster in the making...do great damage to our economy...erode our influence around the world... [called Hillary] "sane, competent person"
~ Michael Bloomberg
And I don't really care why people vote against Donald Trump so long as they vote against him. I hope the independents, real and johnny-come-lately-s rally around Bloomberg's message: Vote Against Trump. I just want folks, who are not black, to know what most black people already know:
The enemy of my enemy is not always my friend.
Again, black people like myself mostly vote the lesser of two evils.
Since the 1930s that has been the democratic party. But there have been exceptions to the lesser of two evils vote. If I'd been able to vote when Jimmy Carter was president, I would have with a good feeling in my heart. I was happy to cast my vote for President Obama too, though he's a little too cautious and political for my taste at times.
Yet, anybody who tells me they are "independent", that they stand halfway between the democrats and republicans instead of trying to pull away from the democrats on the side directly opposite the republicans, probably shouldn't brag in my general direction. I'll probably laugh in their face. Republicans do have good ideas sometimes. And while I can vote for a republican idea, they're better with spending money efficiently when they're not trying to rob poor people to benefit "the middle class". But the people in the republican party pretend they don't see fairly high levels of racism.
Yet, anybody who tells me they are "independent", that they stand halfway between the democrats and republicans instead of trying to pull away from the democrats on the side directly opposite the republicans, probably shouldn't brag in my general direction. I'll probably laugh in their face. Republicans do have good ideas sometimes. And while I can vote for a republican idea, they're better with spending money efficiently when they're not trying to rob poor people to benefit "the middle class". But the people in the republican party pretend they don't see fairly high levels of racism.
They're not just ineffective and slow and not putting racism as a high enough priority and paternalistic like white democrats. The white republicans have defended and attracted the KKK, skinheads, etc since 1964. I am not standing halfway between the republican PEOPLE that are nominated for positions. I stand as far away from the republican PEOPLE as I can. I don't stand between the democrats and the republicans. I stand on the other side of the democrats, on the side directly opposite the republicans.
Bernie Sanders is on the side directly opposite the republicans. And I haven't heard one idea Sanders has espoused that I don't agree with. But I was never convinced, not even for a minute, that he had the ability to execute. He openly made too many enemies too openly. But he did have a very positive effect of pulling Hillary left. And I wish he had begun his campaign earlier and pulled her harder.
So, I hope Bernie Sanders continues to have some influence on Hillary.
I also hope Bloomberg can move the independents to Hillary's camp, but after that Bloomberg can go jump.
Bloomberg's short speech is here
Bernie Sanders is on the side directly opposite the republicans. And I haven't heard one idea Sanders has espoused that I don't agree with. But I was never convinced, not even for a minute, that he had the ability to execute. He openly made too many enemies too openly. But he did have a very positive effect of pulling Hillary left. And I wish he had begun his campaign earlier and pulled her harder.
So, I hope Bernie Sanders continues to have some influence on Hillary.
I also hope Bloomberg can move the independents to Hillary's camp, but after that Bloomberg can go jump.
Bloomberg's short speech is here
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