It Was All A Dream: How Democrats Enabled Donald Trump

Written by Rodney Allen Parker

I’ve been Black for a long time.

41 years to be exact and nothing truly shocks me anymore. 

In that time, I’ve voted in several presidential elections, the first of which was in 2004. In the halcyon days, G.W. Bush was on the ballot and he was pitted against a very dry candidate the Democrats force fed the electorate named John Kerry. As was the case this year, the electorate regurgitated said force feeding. In those days, the candidate that “presented presidential” won. 

I vote because my grandparents lived in an America that required a “poll tax” for Black Americans to cast their vote. I vote because I sincerely believe my voice should be heard. I vote because I still (some would argue naively) believe in the idea of America. I vote because I’m a dad. I vote because I believe that if it weren’t important, certain entities wouldn’t try their best to deny certain groups suffrage. 

This election meant more to me than 2016 or 2020 because I was so confident that America had moved past the tomfoolery that is Donald John Trump. Then I got what the late comedian Paul Mooney would refer to as “the Negro Wake Up Call” and was adamantly reminded of what nation I live in. Donald Trump is not some sui generis aberration, a fluke that was inadvertently elected eight years ago because the electoral college failed us — no, no — he is the embodiment of what this country is. He is America’s gluttonous, avaricious id. Trump was born white and wealthy in a nation where both qualities are greatly rewarded. He is brash, unctuous and is proving too big to fail. He is the symptom of a nation that has never atoned for its original sin of slavery nor has it done well by the descendants of the people that were enslaved. This nation will continue to produce politicians like him so long as we continue to avoid a case for atonement. 

The opposition party, the Democrats, suck. They don’t know how to win a presidential election anymore. They literally raised over a billion dollars for Kamala Harris’ campaign and couldn’t muster the means to defeat a convicted felon at the ballot box. Not only do they pander to and shame their most loyal voting bloc (Black Americans) every four years, they couldn’t sell crack to a crack fiend!

Although she received my vote, I sincerely believe Kamala Harris was not ready for prime time. Joe Biden was wrong for not allowing the party to have an open primary whereby a candidate that could go toe-to-toe with Trump could come out of the process. The Democrats are a party out of touch with a great deal of the electorate and should spend the next four years doing some true soul searching.

Kamala Harris didn’t lose solely because she’s a woman of color and anyone who uses that cop out is missing the point. She lost because she wasn’t the right candidate. Joe Biden’s hubris and narcissism is much to blame as well. There was an intrinsic understanding among Democrats that Biden would bow out after his first term and pass the torch to a new generation of candidates for the presidency; nonetheless, it took a disastrous debate performance this past June to force the party to make Biden exit stage left. In Kamala Harris, the nation saw a candidate and a party that gaslit the nation about Joe Biden’s mental fortitude and the reality of the economy. And although there was a jolt of excitement about her candidacy at its onset, she could never fully escape the specter of President Joseph Robinette Biden. 

So where do the Democrats go from here? If they spend the next four years bellyaching about this loss and not learning from it, they will not win again in 2028. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought the Democratic candidate for president in 2024 would lose every single swing state…but here we are. What’s more, as I’m writing this piece, the Democrats may have lost Congress as well giving president-elect Donald John Trump a perceived mandate. If he acts on his insane campaign rhetoric, we’re in for a helluva ride. I’m a millennial, the biggest voting bloc (by age) among the American electorate, a bloc that was once loyal to the Dems that might be veering right permanently. The Democrats need to speak to their disparate support groups as opposed to wagging fingers and talking at them every four years. They also need to understand that the language and mannerisms of politics have shifted (in America) forever. The electorate has spoken and will continue to speak as such: they’re willing to blow this shit up in order to protest the status quo when it doesn’t work for them. 

Hope springs eternal that the levers of our democracy inhibit Trump and his acolytes from enacting some of his most draconian postulations. I pray that it was all talk and when he’s sworn in as president on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025, he comes to the realization that this second term can cement his legacy for the better. Then again, I’ve been Black for a long time: that’s all a dream and one I pray doesn’t become a nightmare.

If you enjoy Rodney’s writing, be sure to follow him on Instagram. Not only is Rodney a talented writer, he’s a terrific tailor as well. If you need a suit for a special event, Rodney is your guy.

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