Unlike almost every one of her Republican rivals, Hillary Clinton is not ignoring the Black vote. It’s likely mostly because she recognizes she can’t without it, but at least give her props for acting on that reality. This week, while the Republicans made it clear that their party is in desperate need of a leader that can inspire voters – unless you consider that individual to be Donald Trump, Clinton appeared on the Rev. Al Sharpton’s radio show to make it clear that she would include Black voters, women and people of color overall in her presidency. After all #BlackVotersMatter.
The Washington Times reports:
Hillary Rodham Clinton wooed a key demographic in her election strategy Thursday when she called in to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s nationally syndicated radio show, making an early appeal for black voters to turn out and help defeat Republicans, who she said wanted to “turn back the clock” on civil rights.
The appearance by the Democratic presidential front-runner on Mr. Sharpton’s “Keepin it Real” talk-radio show coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, which Mrs. Clinton said was under attack by Republicans who wanted to disenfranchise black voters.
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“The best way to repudiate this,” she said, “is for people to turn out and vote. That is the best way to demonstrate that these efforts to turn the clock back will not succeed.”
Mrs. Clinton has courted black voters aggressively as she tries to reassemble the coalition of minority, young people and women who propelled President Obama to two White House victories. She can expect a built-in advantage with all of these groups, but she needs to lock down support from black voters and get them to the polls to secure a win.
The former first lady, senator and secretary of state has moved to drive a wedge between black voters and her chief rival for the nomination, Sen. Bernard Sanders, the Vermont independent and avowed socialist who is gaining on her in polls.
Mr. Sanders has faced criticism from activists in the Black Lives Matter movement for treating racial disparity as an economic issue. Mrs. Clintonhighlighted Mr. Sanders‘ disconnect with black voters in an on-camera forum with South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Jamie Harrison that was posted online.
“There are some who say, ‘Well racism is a result of economic inequality.’ I don’t believe that,” she said. “They are asking us to face these hard questions, and shame on us if we don’t do just that.”
Clinton also raised the issue of voter suppression, something her Republican rivals are loath to bring up, probably because most of them, as Clinton pointed out, have been involved in it in one way or another.
“It is so nakedly partisan to try to limit the electorate, to try to pick and choose who among our fellow citizens should be encouraged or discouraged from voting. It is part of their electoral strategy,” she said.
“I can tell you, whoever I sit across from in the debate in the general election, I’ll be raising it because this is such a fundamental constitutional right,” Clinton told The Washington Times.
Clinton also found time to take a selfie with Kim Kardashian West and her husband, Kanye West at a fundraiser at Scooter Braun’s home. Braun is Justin Bieber’s manager.
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