Black Democratic politicians who flip parties after they
are elected and join the MAGA Republicans are
betraying their voters in a cynical,
power-hungry and hazardous game of
bait-and-switch. These dangerous political
games come at an equally hazardous time for
Black people, precisely when the Republican
Party is the most racist and hostile it has
ever been to Black lives and aspirations.
The most recent example of this
phenomenon is Dallas
Mayor Eric Johnson, who, after successfully winning a
second term, announced his switch to the
GOP. Borrowing from the time-tested
trope of urban crime, Johnson claimed Democratic
policies have made crime and homelessness
worse, and “lawless” cities need Republican leadership. Johnson
— who may have tipped his hand by enjoying
financial support from the white
conservative business elite and having Clarence Thomas’
billionaire donor Harlan
Crow on his steering committee — invited
Republican Senators John
Cornyn and Ted Cruz to the inauguration, with Cornyn
swearing Johnson in a few months before the
party switch.
After declaring himself a Republican, the
Dallas mayor met with then-House Speaker Kevin
McCarthy and more recently with Sen.
Tim Scott, R-S.C., who apparently believes “America is not a
racist country” — except when white donors get into
his personal life and specifically ask about
his marital
status. All of this comes in the midst of a
highly corrupt Texas Republican Party
protecting a most corrupt Texas Attorney
General Ken
Paxton.
Wanting their refund, Democrats have
accused Johnson of defrauding
Dallas voters and called on Johnson to resign and
have waged a campaign to recall him. “On the surface folks may
think this is simply Democrats v. Republicans
but this is much deeper than that. This goes
to the heart of why so ma[n]y folks in this
country are so cynical” tweeted DNC chair Jaime
Harrison on X (formerly Twitter). “They hate
politics and detest politicians because they
can’t trust them. Sadly, you have become the
latest & best example of that cynicism- a
cancer destroying the body politic. For you
sir, I hope it was worth it.”
Two other prominent Black politicians who
switched sides in recent years are former and
current Georgia state representatives Vernon
Jones and Mesha
Mainor. Jones endorsed Trump for president in
2020 and became
a Republican. Jones ran for governor in the 2022
primary against Brian Kemp — flanked by
supporters Rudy
Giuliani and Bernard Kerik at his announcement, which tells
you all you need to know — and dropped
out. Then Jones ran for Georgia’s 10th
Congressional seat and lost
in a runoff to U.S. Rep. Mike Collins. Earlier this year, the Black MAGA
Republican was ordered by a federal judge to
pay $45,000
for blocking a constituent on Facebook and silencing his criticism while
serving in the Georgia legislature.
State Rep. Mainor, the only
Black Republican state legislator in Georgia, claims she left the
Democrats because of her stance on school
vouchers and disciplining prosecutors.
Further, the once lifelong Democrat claimed
her former party “relentlessly tried to
sabotage every single thing that I have done
for District 56” and “publicly slandered me in
every way imaginable.” Mainor believes
Democrats should reevaluate their party’s
values. But the values of her newly adopted
party is the problem.
The Republican Party was once the party
of Lincoln and the party of choice for most
Black people, with 2,000
Black officeholders during Reconstruction. But that was
a very long time ago. Since that time, there
has been a major realignment, and long story
short, the GOP has emerged as the party of
white American fascism, anti-Blackness and
domestic terrorism. Unable to gain support
from the majority of the population, the
Republican Party has resorted to snatching,
seizing and stealing power — by
legislation and through armed insurrection.
Trump, the leader of the GOP, has more
indictments than a mob boss and openly
encourages violence and calls for assassinations. He wanted to shoot
and kill Black Lives Matter protesters outside the White House and has
promised to incarcerate
political enemies if he becomes president again. And
right-wing groups plan to dismantle
democratic government and make Trump a far-right
dictator.
Republicans stand in the way of Black
progress and actively endanger us. Viewing our
existence as a threat to white Christian
straight men with means, the GOP works hard to
prevent us from voting, from having our local
elected officials represent us, from going to
college, from controlling our bodies, our
reproductive health and our sexuality. The
Republicans would prohibit us from reading
books about us, living a life without police
violence and even receiving venture
capital funding.
It is possible to both have a critique of
the Democratic Party’s shortcomings and the
flaws of the two-party system and to also
acknowledge the Republican Party is a toxic
threat to our future. The GOP is a party of
alligators, and Black people most certainly
are the intended alligator
bait. Why would Black politicians subscribe
to this foolishness — and most of all, right
now — but for personal gain, fame and fortune,
political contributions, clicks and attention,
and all out of self-hate?
Then there is the corruption of it all,
particularly when election switching has a
decisive impact. Take, for example, when North
Carolina state Rep.
Tricia Cotham — a white Democrat and
self-proclaimed supporter of abortion rights —
switched parties to give the Republicans a
veto-proof majority to restrict
abortion in the state. Such bait-and-switch
moves smell of election
fraud, not to mention Russian
strategies to overturn democratic
governments.
Once again, the question remains: Why would a Black
politician switch to a Republican Party that
is at its most hostile and most lethal to
Black people ever? Is there a bag of money
sufficiently filled up to justify selling out
your community, your voters or your own soul,
and was it worth it?
This commentary is also posted on TheGrio.com.
