Sometimes political candidates take their audiences for granted in the United States. Most voters don’t appreciate this arrogant tendency. Politicians should strive to earn our votes, don’t you agree? Black Americans should consider these five top reasons why Republican candidates deserve your attention (and perhaps the honor of your vote) this year:One: The Party of Abraham Lincoln Stands For Racial Equality

The United States has become an exceedingly racially and ethnically diverse nation. Yet modern society developed only after years of injustice and civil rights abuses. The Republican Party traces its inception to the struggle to abolish slavery and promote racial equality and voting rights. For example, during the 1860 presidential election long ago, Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln to run on a platform dedicated to ending slavery. Democrats at the time largely resisted this change. President Lincoln’s election precipitated the Confederacy’s attempt to leave the Union. In fact, for generations after the end of Reconstruction, states in the Deep South governed by bigoted White politicians voted in Congress as a solid block. (Known for their openly segregationist and Jim Crow views, these Democrats became known colloquialy as “Dixiecrats”.) Should anyone in the United States today take the vote of an African-American citizen for granted during the upcoming midterms? No!

Two: President Trump’s Economic Policies Benefit Middle Class Voters

The President has implemented a number of economic measures calculated to strengthen the Middle Class in the United States financially. These strategies ultimately benefit households who fell into poverty in the wake of the “offshoring” of well-paid manufacturing jobs. Today Black Americans comprise the largest racial minority in the USA. They account for 12.7% of the total population. (Hispanic and Latino Americans have become the single largest ethnic minority, accounting for 17.8% of the U.S. population.)(1) The recent reforms significantly lower the income tax rates paid by the majority of lower and middle income Americans, including African-American taxpayers. The tax reforms also benefit minority-owned small businesses.(2)

Three: Previous Administrations Failed to Create Jobs For African- Americans

A 2015 report issued by the Census Bureau during the Obama Administration revealed the desperate economic plight of many African-American families in the United States. Over a quarter of this group (more than 1 in every 4) lived below the poverty level! African-American unemployment then stood at 11.4%, twice the rate of non-Hispanic White unemployment, but lower than the March, 2010 figure of 16.8%. By working to stimulate investment in the U.S. economy, the President helped create more jobs. Lower and middle income Americans urgently needed this assistance. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals the current Administration helped decreased the African-American unemployment rate to 6% in September, 2018.(3) Black Americans today enjoy the lowest rate of unemployment in 16 years! Who has really served these households better, President Trump or his predecessors?

Four: Vigorous Immigration Law Enforcement Assists Working Class Americans

Every nation on Earth promulgates immigration laws and regulations. Yet today, some critics of the current President imply racism underlies these policies. Nothing proves further from the truth! By insisting all workers in the USA possess documentation, the ICE protects citizens from exploitation at work (including citizens classified as members of racial and ethnic minorities) and foreign-born legal residents. The Trump Administration helped promote rising African-American employment rates by vigorously enforcing immigration laws. Poorly paid low income voters in the United States benefit directly from rising wages and more job opportunities when employers cannot hire illegal workers instead.

Five: The Trump Administration Has a Successful Track Record in Assisting Americans Detained Overseas

Yet another reason many African-American voters should consider Republican candidates during the upcoming midterms relates to the safety of Americans abroad. The current Administration has developed one of the most successful track records in terms of obtaining the release of citizens held unjustly by terrorist groups and dictatorial regimes. While more Americans still await release, U.S. diplomacy has recently freed citizens from detention in countries including Afghanistan, North Korea, and Turkey. Some of these people suffered detention on account of their religious beliefs.