Going into the 2018 midterm elections, the Democratic Party has clearly indicated it has no intention to drop its obsession with intersectionality and identity politics as a means of cementing support among minorities.
Of course, Republicans have been trailing Democrats in building a minority coalition for the better part of the past 50 years — and there’s no question as to why. Many blacks still remember the country club Republicans of old who wouldn’t let certain groups of people to share the same golf courses with them, and it’s hard to convince them that times have changed.
However, there’s one issue prospective conservative lawmakers can and should double down on if they have any hope of illustrating that the GOP is not just the white man’s party — the 2nd Amendment.
In a recent column penned for the National Rifle Association’s America’s First Freedom blog, AWR Hawkins cited a 2015 poll conducted by National Public Radio that revealed gun rights enjoy considerable support among black Americans.
According to the poll, support for gun ownership among blacks in the United States jumped from just 29 percent in 2013 to 54 percent in 2015. While this might seem like a slim majority, that’s a 25 percent boost in just two years. By contrast, it took issues like marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage half a generation to become as popular as they are today. Clearly, support for 2nd Amendment protections is rising quickly within the black community.
These polling results shouldn’t be surprising. If there is a single demographic in America that needs gun rights more than anyone else, it’s blacks.
According to U.S. Census data, the majority of blacks in America live in 10 cities, including New York, Chicago, Detroit, and Philadelphia. Coincidentally, many of these cities are also the most dangerous places in the country to live.
Detroit, for example, is a city with just over 713,200 residents. According to Forbes, the violent crime rate affects 2,137 people per 100,000 residents. Most of these crimes are gang-related, and include murder, rape, theft and assault. While this rate fell 10 percent from the year before, the Motor City’s violent crime rate still sits at five times the national average.
Ironically, cities like Detroit, Chicago, New York and others are also home to the strictest gun control regulations in the country. This essentially renders law-abiding black Americans defenseless against the scourge of gang violence that has afflicted their homes. This is where pro-2nd Amendment conservatives can really drive their message home.
It should be noted that the Republican Party has already began to improve their standing with blacks. In the most recent presidential election, President Donald Trump outperformed 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney in black support, but the numbers are still dismal. According to NBC News exit polling data, Romney netted just 7 percent of black voters, while Trump scored 12 percent. This is still a positive for the RNC, but Republicans clearly must do more to communicate their message with demographics that have traditionally opposed them.
It is imperative that political operatives leading the RNC do not replicate the DNC’s mistakes. Hillary Clinton’s chief reason for her staggering upset at the hands of Donald Trump was the Democratic Party’s eroding relationship with white, blue-collar workers. By placing intersectionality and identity politics on a pedestal, many whites in America found they simply could not relate to the DNC’s messaging. They essentially traded white support for minority support.
By remaining the champion of 2nd Amendment freedoms, which essentially guarantee all other freedoms bestowed by western civilization’s understanding of liberty, Republicans can expand their support base without leaving anyone behind.
~ Liberty Planet
