“Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on [political] offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.” – Thomas Jefferson

A primary goal that I attempt to achieve with every blog article I write is to challenge people to think, regardless if they happen to agree or not with my point of view.

The reason I titled this blog Thinking for Myself is, as much as one person can through such a medium as this, to help deconstruct the widely-accepted view that all black Americans share, or should share, the same worldview simply by virtue of the fact that we are black.

Challenging others to step outside this “group think” paradigm is a goal about which I am especially passionate as it relates to politics and the various issues associated with that particular arena of black society.

Nevertheless, I will confess that the “all blacks think alike” stereotype is not entirely unfounded.

As with any stereotype, there is a modicum of truth to the notion that black Americans identify politically only as Democrats, particularly when you consider the degree of support black voters have traditionally provided to the Democrat Party over the last half-century.

I mean, let’s be honest, okay? When statistics consistently show that more than 90 percent of black voters support only Democrat candidates during major election cycles it’s not a stereotype anymore, it’s an unarguable fact.

But, stereotype or no, that any one political party, be it Democrat or Republican, can boast of having held such a monopoly for so long a period of time is not something of which black Americans should be proud, particularly in light of how the liberal policies espoused by the Democrat Party have so adversely impacted blacks over the last 50 years, particularly in the inner-cities.

In pointing this out, I am not arguing that blacks should vote Republican. Not at all.

Again, my goal here is simply to provide some objective food for thought. Not to mention that the issues facing black Americans today are far more complex than can be resolved by merely switching political alliances. To even proffer something as simplistic as that as a “solution” to the ills that are plaguing black families and communities, is to completely discount the fact that the same woeful outcomes can just as likely result from Republican leadership as from Democrat, as the same temptations that entice the one politician likewise seduce the other: selfishness and greed.

And therein lies the rub (as I see it, anyway.)

Why is it that 50 years of documented failure isn’t enough of an impetus for blacks to make an honest self-assessment of our loyalty to the Democrat Party, considering that such loyalty has served only to benefit the elected officials themselves? As far as I’m concerned, given the one-sided benefits of such unwavering political devotion, this degree of fealty would have to be described as blind at worst and willfully ignorant at best.

I can think of no other dimension of black society where blacks would continually – and volitionally – reward people for doing absolutely nothing for them in return.

Nothing.

As long as blacks remain content to turn a blind-eye to the truth that Democrat policies are, and have been for almost 60 years now, of absolutely no material benefit to us but, quite the contrary, have been of substantial material benefit to those we elect, we will continue to get more of the same – nothing. An outcome for which we will have only ourselves, not Democrats, to blame.

As I’ve already said, I’m not advocating a shift in political party alliance. That, in and of itself, is not the answer. But just look at the results of the policies Democrats have implemented over the years as being “helpful” to blacks and the communities in which we live, and judge for yourself if it makes sense that 9 out of every 10 black voters continues to support what can only be described as abject failure.

Now, I will readily, and unashamedly, admit that I am conservative in my political, social, economic and theological ideology. In fact, I was the first and, to my knowledge remain today, the only person in my family ever to vote Republican, and I’m cool with that.

The irony, however, is that it is to my own upbringing in the downtrodden Dixie Hills housing projects of southwest Atlanta that I attribute my conservatism, having been reared by a father and mother who, despite our material poverty, worked extremely hard and instilled within me an appreciation for faith in a sovereign God, and in the principle of persevering regardless of circumstances; believing that God, in His omniscience would ultimately, in accordance with His divine will, work out all things for my good (Romans 8:28), even if “my good” meant that things would not necessarily go as I had planned.

So, no. That I am black and conservative has nothing to do with “privilege” (as is often assumed by many about people like myself.) I had it hard growing up. Very hard. As a child, there were many a night when my siblings and I went to bed hungry and, likewise, with the utilities shut off.

I don’t say any of that in an effort to establish some kind of “street cred” with anyone. I’m only attempting to add some context because, contrary to popular myth, not all black conservatives were born with the proverbial “silver spoon” in their mouth. In fact, I don’t know any who were. To this very day, that I happen to be in opposition to liberal Democrat political ideology has more to do with what my parents taught me than with anything else.

It’s just that simple.

I will not hide the fact that I could not disagree more vehemently with the agenda of President Barack Obama.

As we near the end of his second term in office, I struggle to understand how the President’s economic and social platforms have  tangibly improved the station of the tens of millions of blacks who voted for him in the hopes that he would do just that; hopes which, by any objective measure, especially economically, have since proved to be in vain. And yet, despite the evidence, black voters remain unmovable in their support of President Obama and the Democrat Party. It’s as if we collectively feel we owe them something for some reason.

We don’t.

What have Democrats actually done to warrant the support of black voters to the extent of more than 90 percent?

That’s right. Ninety-plus percent.

Do the math.

That means that nearly every black person who casts a vote in an election – almost 10 out of every 10 – casts that vote for a Democrat.

Just marinate on that for a moment.

How in the world is the Democrat Party having a near-100 percent monopoly on black votes politically advantageous to blacks?

Is half a century of failed policies not enough to cut the political umbilical cord?

What more will it take before we begin even to consider, let alone comprehend, that real political power lies not with black voters maintaining a myopic, monopolistic relationship with one political party, but in being actively involved across the broader political spectrum?

It is those who hold the monopoly that have the power, not those who are monopolized.

In other words, it does blacks absolutely no good whatsoever to continue putting all of our political eggs into one basket, especially when that basket has time and time again proven to be full of holes!

To continue to do so is just not smart. Not smart at all. In fact, it’s stupid.

So, to my Democrat brothers and sisters, it’s time to take a look in the mirror. A deep look.

Seriously.

Because as long as the Democrat Party realizes black voters will continue to blindly vote for Democrats regardless the results, nothing will ever change for the better for black Americans.

Why would it?

Indeed, why should it?

Darrell