by Jackson, Reginald T. Afrohttps://afro.com/
James Carville encouraged Democrats to rope-a-dope in February, only one month into the Trump presidency. Allow Trump to swing himself till he is exhausted. Don’t engage in every conflict. Hold off until the following election cycle. Most importantly, allow the Republicans to fall apart under the weight of President Donald Trump’s appalling policies.
I now know what strategy is. I have sat at negotiation tables and led marches. Additionally, I admire Carville’s dedication to his party and the outstanding candidates he assisted in electing to office. But let me put it bluntly: That type of thinking is a product of privilege.
This tactic might make sense to some in places where barriers have been put up between the wealthy and common working Americans, like the safe, revered corridors of Capitol Hill, K Street’s favorite steakhouse, The Palm, or even some of the more gentrified parts of New Orleans.
However, as the enactment of Trump’s alleged One Big Beautiful Bill has shown, this inaction tactic has serious consequences, particularly for African Americans. The physical blows are being delivered to us.
Blacks aren’t arguing strategies out here in Baltimore, Charlotte, South Atlanta, St. Louis, Detroit, and Newark. Our only goal is to live. Our people’s lives are being torn apart by Trump in real time. It isn’t abstract. It isn’t hypothetical. Now, a terrible blueprint is being implemented that targets the backs of the working class and impoverished. Additionally, Black people are targeted once more.
First, let’s talk about healthcare. We no longer have Medicaid, which covers one in five Black adults and three out of five Black children. As though our people aren’t already juggling several jobs, providing care, managing disabilities, and overcoming systemic obstacles on a daily basis, Trump has linked eligibility to an 80-hour work requirement per month. When you factor in co-pays and administrative hassles, you’re left with a system that’s meant to drive people away rather than attract them. There are around 12 million Americans who could lose their Medicaid coverage, and you can bet your bottom dollar that we will be the first to go.
And then there’s food aid. Nearly 30% of Black households rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to help them put food on the table. Trump’s budget completely destroys it. a decrease of 30%. This is a contrived hunger crisis in a nation where the cost of consumables is already higher in our communities.
The best route to opportunity in our nation is education. Trump, however, wants to make it more difficult for us to enroll in and continue our education. Borrowing on federal student loans is limited. Even opportunities for deferral for those in need are being eliminated. This financial noose is tightening around the necks of our future generations of Black students, who already bear the greatest loan burdens in the country.
We are also the focus of environmental rollbacks. Trump’s elimination of clean energy tax subsidies impacts Houston’s Fifth Ward more than places like Aspen. Every town is already suffering from hurricane flooding and vehicle fumes. These are not emerging problems; rather, they are everyday occurrences, as we seen in Texas just last weekend. Researchers refer to the areas where we live as sacrifice zones, and this bill is asking us to make even greater sacrifices.
Not to be overlooked is civil rights enforcement. The Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department, which is responsible for looking into discriminatory policing, housing discrimination, and voter suppression, has been starved by Trump.
The fact that this One Big Bill shuts doors, especially for Black Americans, makes it ugly.
I worry that it will be too late and that the doors that are being closed before our eyes will be deadbolted and the keys thrown away, even if Carville is correct and voters remove Trump and his bigoted MAGA party from office in three years.
Therefore, we cannot afford to wait, Mr. Carville. This campaign trail week is not a horrible one. Black life, Black futures, and Black dignity are being attacked on several fronts.
Fortunately, Carville’s viewpoint has not been embraced by everyone. In particular, we should applaud the legislative floor activities of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.), but we need to do much more.
Trump’s policies and behavior have been as damaging as certain Democratic Party members’ quiet. We are tired of the urgent social media posts, the talking points showcased on MSNBC, and the texts asking for donations. If you don’t mobilize, you can’t develop public will. Where is the push to educate people? Town halls are where? Why haven t we seen coordinated messaging across communities most at risk? Why is it always up to pastors and parents to carry the burden of explaining what s coming?
What happens while we wait? Medicaid vanishes. SNAP collapses. Our students drop out. Our families go hungry. And by the time the strategists say now s the time, there might be nothing left to fight for.
Blacks know this playbook. We ve seen what happens when Black people are told to wait. We waited during Reconstruction and witnessed its dismantling. We waited during Jim Crow and buried our children. We waited during Katrina and watched the water rise.
Our faith doesn t give us the option to sit this out. Romans 12:11 says, Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. James 2:17 reminds us, Faith without works is dead. This isn t just about policy it s about our moral obligation to act.
Our churches must rise now. Our people must organize now. We need voter registration drives, policy teach-ins and loud, public pressure on every member of Congress Democrats and Republicans alike. We need our young people, our elders, our workers and our warriors. We need a mass moral movement that makes clear: If you target our survival, we will target your seat.
So, with all due respect to the strategists, the pollsters, and the professional rope-a-dopers no. We will not sit back and let Donald Trump swing freely while our communities get battered. We will not play dead while he dismantles the progress we ve made since the days of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and John Lewis.
We will rise, and we will resist. Not because it s convenient. Not because it s strategic. But because it is necessary. Because our lives depend on it. And because, with God s help, we still believe in a future worth fighting for.
It has been four months since Carville suggested the rope-a-dope strategy. We have seen the outcomes, and we have waited long enough. We are fighting a true-life Rumble in the Jungle for our great democracy, and we do not have the time to allow this fight to go the distance. Like Muhammad Ali in Zaire, it is time to unleash a flurry of punches that will bring an eighth-round knockout victory.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.
