Photo: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)/Photo: Actor Luther Campbell on Jan. 21, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will)/Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden, May 21, 2022. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)/Photo: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., May 5, 2022, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
In 2019, hip-hop legend Luke Campbell seemed solidly on board with the Democrats. But now, the man behind Miami veteran music group 2 Live Crew is openly wondering what the Democrats have done to deserve the Black vote.
In 2019, Campbell wrote an opinion piece in The Miami New Times in which he supported now-Vice President Kamala Harris when she was a presidential candidate.
Initially, Campbell had been critical of Harris but after speaking with the former senator, Campbell came out to support her as a candidate.
“But after I spoke with her, Harris changed my mind. She is the only candidate who can scare Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup. And by having a conversation with someone who trashed her publicly, Harris proves she can work with anybody to lead this country in a positive direction,” wrote Campbell.
The National Association of Black Journalists helped bring Campbell and Harris together. During an interview Campbell did during an NABJ convention, he was asked about his opposition to Harris, which ultimately led to Harris and Campbell talking.
But now on Twitter, Campbell is once again criticizing Democrats.
He recently tweeted, “Give me five reasons why Black people should Vote in the next election. Give me five BLACK promises that has been fulfilled by politicians in the last election.”
Campbell isn’t the only one to argue that the Black vote is taken for granted.
Political observers say Black voters have been so loyal to the Democrats that the Dems take the vote for granted. Princeton political scientist Paul Frymer in a book first published in 1999, “Uneasy Alliances: Race and Party Competition in America,” argued that politicians focus their attention on white swing voters and that the two-party system is structured to push aside the concerns of Black voters because they consistently and overwhelmingly favor one party, FiveThirtyEight reported.
“We generally think all voters have influence,” Frymer told FiveThirtyEight. However, voters in battleground states are more heavily courted during a presidential election, he said, and modern politicians have focused their efforts on “moderate, disaffected whites in the middle — whether you call them soccer moms or NASCAR dads.”
In 2016, Black Americans cast 24 percent of Democratic primary votes — the largest share ever, FiveThirtyEight reported. And, they have continued to turn out for the Dems.
Campbell continued his May 22 thread, “It’s a very simple question you may want to revisit and look at the original tweet Nothing sad about not voting the question was why. five promises that have been kept where is my George Floyd bill. Where is my voters rights bill. Where is my quantified immunity bill.”
Some defended the Democrats against Campbell’s statements.
“It’s SO much bigger than race. That same statement could be said about a bunch of different groups of people. Voting matters big bro. If all you see is race when it comes to voting then you have been misled. I will CONTINUE to vote!” tweeted Justin Larmond.
Campbell replied, “We keep saying it’s so much bigger than Race But yeah we get nothing but false promises. Horrible education Gentrification Less than 2% governmental contracts I can keep going we need to start holding them accountable look at our communities.”
Progressive Democrat Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who represents New York City’s 16th congressional district (much of the north Bronx, as well as the southern half of Westchester County, including Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, and Yonkers), listed five reasons Blacks should continue to vote Democrat.
“1.The ARP made historic investments in black school districts 2. Kentanji Brown Jackson 3. I am the first Black man to hold this seat in US history 4. The ARP cut Black child poverty of 34% 5. Authorizing historic investment in minority business development,” Bowman tweeted in response to Campbell.
The ARP is the American Rescue Plan, which is President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed in 2021.
Ibrahim Tanner called foul on Bowman’s claims. “The ARP did not cut child poverty by 34%, stop telling this numerical lie. These kids and their families are no better off tangibly than before the additional child tax credit. A few thousand dollars per child isn’t taking any family out of poverty,” Tanner tweeted.
Another user chimed in tweeting Democrats “don’t have to promise the people anything anymore,” along with a clip of an old movie in which a white man was promising Black people 40 acres and a mule.
“Why shouldn’t we?…The current Supreme Court make up & all the federal judge appointments 45 made are two big reasons. As far as the President, he is at the mercy of Congress. Voting in the RIGHT people can help with that. That should be the focus, not refraining from voting,” tweeted Nyke Reagan.
Campbell shot back, “Last time I checked we control three branches of government we are the majority in the Senate the Congress which you speak of and the White House which has executive privileges. Please do your homework.”
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Journalist Joel Anderson also questioned Campbell’s comments. “How does the possibility of things getting significantly worse seem to elude even the most fanciful of imaginations?” Anderson tweeted. “This really should not be a black American’s dilemma unless they’ve managed to secure citizenship elsewhere.”
Other Twitter users also weighed in on Campbell’s tweet.
Photo: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 31, 2022. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)/Photo: Actor Luther Campbell, from the film “Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke,” poses for a portrait during the 2012 Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 21, 2012, in Park City, Utah. (AP Photo/Victoria Will)/Photo: U.S. President Joe Biden visits at Seoul National Cemetery in Seoul, May 21, 2022. (Chung Sung-Jun/Pool Photo via AP)/Photo: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., May 5, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
