(Todd A. Smith)
To paraphrase the late baseball icon Jackie Robinson, why would Republicans do anything for Black folks when they know they will automatically not get the Black vote?
Likewise, why would Democrats do anything for the Black community when they know they will automatically get the Black vote?
Texas state Rep. James Talarico, who is running against Texas’s Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, is catching something close to hell from Black voters as he tries to convince them to help make him the first Texas Democratic politician elected to a statewide office in three decades.
To make his job harder is the fact that approximately 80 percent of Black Texas voters voted for Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) during the contentious 2026 primary.
Although Rep. Crockett was more qualified on paper than state Rep. Talarico, many non-Black Democrats voted for Talarico because they believed a White man was more electable in a general election.
Furthermore, many Black voters were upset that Talarico spent more time courting White and Hispanic voters and not Black voters.
Black voters, especially Black women, have proved to be an influential voting bloc over the past few years, meaning Talarico cannot ignore Black issues and automatically believe he will get the Black vote.
In Houston, a Black woman let Talarico know that he needs to address Black concerns if he wants to beat A.G. Paxton, and that he will not win without the Black vote.
Although many critics online and on social media believe the lady was planted at Talarico’s town hall to create controversy, her statements are still true.
However, Black voters must not be too hard on the Democratic Party while letting the MAGA Republicans get a pass as they erode rights and powers that our parents and grandparents fought for generations ago.
While the Democratic Party has become synonymous with the Black vote, it should be no guarantee for Democratic politicians, especially after President Donald Trump and his MAGA movement are no longer on the world stage.
The current Republican Party and President Trump are completely against Black people and Black advancement.
Therefore, they should get no Black votes.
But in the future, Black voters must be free agents.
And every two, four or six years, our contract is complete, and we should begin negotiating a new agreement.
And like a free agent pro athlete, we should sign with who gives us the best deal.
But Trump and the current GOP should not be able to finesse naive Black voters to come over to the political right with sneakers, mugshots and pardons for rappers like Lil Wayne and Kodak Black who have never done much for Black people except create music that glorifies violence, drugs and misogyny.
Furthermore, Black voters should not be swayed by GOP overtures like Trump saying what do Black people have to lose by voting for him or that Black voters should leave the Democratic plantation because the last time I checked, Black people have no rights and power on the plantation.
Black people had no voice or “open doors” on the plantation.
And it is Trump and the Republicans who are attempting to diminish the Black voice and opportunities by getting rid of programs that opened the doors wider for people of all walks of life to walk through.
Many Black voters are mad that Democrats have not gotten enough votes to pass reparations for the descendants of slaves.
But the answer to that anger is not voting for the MAGA GOP who wants to give reparations to Jan. 6 thugs who violently attempted to overthrow American democracy and steal the 2020 election from former President Joe Biden.
The answer to combating the racism that Black people still face is not to vote for Trump acolytes who believe, like him, that White men are the real victims of discrimination and racism in America.
The current Republican Party is totally against Black advancement.
But on the other hand, many in the Democratic Party have become apathetic to the Black plight because they know they can depend on us when November rolls around.
The Democratic Party has often treated the Black community as that faithful spouse that stays with their cheating partner no matter how foolish that person makes them look.
A smart person would try to hold their cheating partner accountable.
But if they never change their ways, sometimes the best thing to do is move on.
However, a smart person does not just leave a marriage all willy-nilly.
They get their ducks in a row first.
They do not just hook up with the first person they meet after the breakup because rebound love never ends well.
They make sure their money is in order before they break up.
They make sure they have another house or apartment to live in.
Then they move on to greener pastures.
But the key is to make sure the pasture is actually greener naturally and not just spray-painted green to trick you into making a major move that you may soon regret.
In Texas, Talarico has much work to do to get Black voters out in mass in November.
But make no mistake about it: Black Texans have no better choice in November 2026 than Talarico because a vote for Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or a no vote ensures that overt racism will still reign supreme.
After all, Talarico’s GOP opponent is the worst of the worst when it comes to morality and protecting our sacred democracy.
And while Talarico might not address all the concerns in the Black community, his opponent will certainly be an active opponent against any form of Black advancement like his idol in the White House.
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