Find the Courage to "Swing"
#swingyourvote
Blacks in America Have a Cultish Devotion to the Democratic Party - and the Dems Exploit their loyalty.
I’ve always known that I wasn’t a solid Democrat. I was primarily blue because my parents were Dems and before them, their parents.
There is a rumor that my mother voted for Reagan - she will neither confirm nor deny it. Still, when my father levels the accusation, she merely smiles. My mother is non-political, but I suspect she is more conservative-leaning than my father.
The Black church has a long history of galvanizing members to vote for Democratic candidates. Of course, I was loyal to the Dems because I was conditioned since childhood to believe they had our backs.
I would hold my nose and down-ballot every election, check the blue box.
In law school, a classmate cornered me, and we began examining political ideologies. He was a Black conservative, the first one that I had met. He was married, had a large family, was vegan, his wife had beautiful locs, and they homeschooled their children. I was fascinated by his lifestyle, but I remember telling him; that there was no way I would ever become a Republican – the party is full of racists.
My Journey to the Republican Party Felt Like A 12-Step Recovery Process
I found my courage; I could admit I was conservative-leaning, but swinging away from the Democratic Party would be a life-long endeavor.
But he planted a seed, and I began to look at my core values. They lined up squarely with the Republican Party.
But instead of facing reality. I started to bargain with myself; maybe I’m a Blue Dog Democrat? Well, I can be a swing voter… Twenty years came and went before I would finally Swing My Vote.
I love politics, and for as long as I can remember, I knew I would throw my hat in the ring one day. Or at least be near the ring in some capacity. I remember watching the RNC conventions, the sea of white folks, and cowboy boots. I entirely bought into the stereotype that the RNC was full of racists or sellouts and dismissed the idea of conservatism. While at the same time being conservative.
I watched the cycle of Dems courting Black voters every four years, only to ignore them once the election season passed. I took inventory of how black urban areas have failed to improve under each administration. I made excuses for Obama’s failure to do anything of substance for the black community. But I made a mental note of it all.
The Final Straw Was the Biden Administration.
I remember when my 13-year-old asked me if I knew “all that bad stuff” about Biden when I voted for him. I was ashamed to look my children in the eye and justify the Democratic party.
There have been illusions but minimal tangible benefits to struggling communities. The Biden Administration has been an utter failure for the entire United States. Stuffing an administration with “the most diverse staff in history” and platitudes has not helped the American people. Further, progressive policies have systematically oppressed the black community for decades. My next article will explore how progressivism is the common enemy.
I claimed “politically independent” for a while, and then I read the old Libertarian platform. I immediately ordered 10-15 libertarian books; I devoured the ideology but never thought to investigate the national party. I fell in love with the concept of liberty, and in hindsight, it’s a good thing I performed my research in solitude without the lens of social media.
By the time I saw the shenanigans – I was already hooked on the idea of Liberty. I had found my platform, but not sure about my people. I felt more at home in the LP than I ever did being a Dem, but something was missing. I became libertarian-leaning, lowercase intended.
One more word on that law school classmate. Life is funny; never say what you won’t do. I became a homeschool mom, with locs, plant-based, and married to an extremely conservative but non-political man.
The ink didn’t dry on my Libertarian Party identification card before I realized it wasn’t a good fit. I am a true conservative: pro-life, small government, and secure borders. Libertarians believe in open borders and that all drugs should be legal. I have many stories about my u-turn in and out of the Libertarian party, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
I stumbled into a couple of Kari Lake’s coalitions and found my people. I am an America First Republican. I've never been more at home than among ruby-red Arizona conservatives. Kari’s brand of conservatism spoke to me, ignited a fire, and gave me a sense of belonging.
The Democratic party has had a stranglehold on the black community for decades. The definition of insanity is believing that this time the Democrats “will have their backs.” However, harsh words and demonizing blacks who haven’t found the courage to break away are not the solutions.
My goal is not to tell anyone to walk away from the Democratic party into the arms of the Republicans.
I will share my story with you and why I chose to be a Republican. Progressive policies have failed our communities for too long. I plan to urge all Americans to #swingyourvote away from the Democratic party. Whether you swing Republican, Independent, or Third-Party, the choice is yours to make.
Welcome to the adventure. It’s time to Assemble Humanity, one story at a time.
Christy Kelly is a Wife, Mother, Pepperdine Law Grad, Mediator, Fathers’ Rights Advocate, Writer, Liberty-Leaning Conservative, and Proponent for Swing Your Vote™. Humanity Assemble is a 501C3 and Swing Your Vote is a 501C4. She tweets at Kelly4Arizona.
Wow!!! I’m so happy to have read this! You are truly inspiring. The moment I realized I was more conservative was when I watched the world attack trump and asked myself, how could they call good evil and evil good? Something is seriously wrong here. The man wants to help and is putting his country first! Can they not see it? What is going on? I also looked at the behavior of the members of my family, delusional, narcissistic, always looking to dominate or fight. I knew I was different, I knew god put something else in Me. It’s a scary world we live in and I’m just glad I can still find my people. God bless you!!!!!!
I think it was Ronald Reagan who said, "I didn't leave the Democrat party; the Democrat party left me." I can certainly sympathize and maybe you can too. I am the same person with the same views I had 30 years ago when Democrats called me a "conservative Democrat" but today Democrats call me a "far right fascist white supremacist." If Democrats think that being for the little guy and against big government means I am all those bad things, then I hope they never call me anything else. One last bit of advice: be careful about embracing the Republican party. Neither party is what it used to be and few in the leadership of either party give a hoot about the little guy. And to them, all of us are little guys.