A Woman for Trump

It is pretty obvious, simply based on the sea of white faces I am surrounded by in this photo, that the Republican Party has an image problem. It is not for a lack of qualified marketing staff, nor the willingness to portray the diversity of thought that is the party itself. But a picture is still worth a thousand words and many of the ones this photo conjures up are not pleasant. Not pleasant even though it is filled with women, educated, successful women who represent diverse backgrounds, unique talents and abilities, both mothers and grandmothers all united in a single cause for the mere betterment of their communities. That is what Women for Trump represents. Yet, to some, this group, this photo even, is an attack on their very existence.

How does one reconcile the intention to how a photo like this is received by a significant portion of the very society the women in this picture are hoping to help by supporting our President? It answer is a sticky one — which is why I only provide my perspective on why I am a Woman for Trump.

“Follow the money,” it’s been said. Chase the dollar even. Get that paper. Cash rules everything around me. These are all street colloquialisms for “money makes the world go ‘round.” While no one really likes this truism, they cannot deny that whether you are a ‘have’ or a ‘have not,’ money is part of your daily life, conversations, worries, and delights.

But our Republic, with its grand mantras and ideals, its pathway to capitalism, has been in debt for quite some time. Our management of money has saddled the next generation with an anchor around their proverbial necks. With no end to the Congressional spending in sight, America’s global rating dropped significantly over the past twenty years and we find ourselves looking for that person who can cauterize the economic wound bleeding us out.

When former President Obama ran his tagline of “Yes, we can,” it was the promise of hope — a hope based in the urban struggle, the local-boy-done-good category of common folks (or at least people who have some ties to common folks) taking back their government from the bureaucrats who have all but bankrupted it. The problem was realized when after eight years of a majority administration, “blacks and browns” were still struggling, still broken, still compromised in the systemic blight that is poverty.

There is no doubt that when an American person of color was first able to cast a ballot for someone who more resembled them in appearance, it was a good feeling. It was for some, myself included, the realization of a dream that began back in time— a dream called equality. And it shattered the common Tupac sentiment that America was not ready for a black president. Obama’s inauguration did great things for the identity of black people — his presidency reignited a cultural spark that meant renegades would step out of the shadows and ‘say it with their chests’ again. It brought pride to black men who had been targeted for extinction by special interest groups posing as civic and healthcare organizations. Obama gave the nation the optic it needed; but that’s where the list of accomplishments ends.