Mere weeks before the November midterm elections, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has released a mini-documentary that sharply criticizes the policies of Donald Trump’s Administration and urges African Americans to vote in response.The nearly four-minute documentary is titled “We Have Lost a Lot.” Various issues are highlighted via a montage of news clips and commentary: the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination, the push to end Obamacare, racially divisive rhetoric after the White nationalist rallies in Charlottesville, and more. The documentary features African American voices, among them, CBC members Reps. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Terri Sewell (D-Ala.), Karen Bass (D-Calif.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). “There is no question that our community – and the country – are worse off now than they were before President Trump took office. If we don’t want to lose more than we’ve lost already, we must vote in the next election and future elections,” said CBC Chairman Cedric L. Richmond (D-LA) in a statement. “Our grandparents and great-grandparents fought and died for the right to vote and we should make sure we exercise that right. …The stakes couldn’t be higher right now.” On the presidential campaign trail back in 2016, then-candidate Trump famously asked African American voters: “What the hell do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump?” in reference to his candidacy. According to data and various exit polls, Trump received about 8 percent of the overall Black vote in 2016. Hillary Clinton received about 88 percent. A few months after his inauguration, Trump met with CBC leadership in March 2017. At the time, the group presented the president a 130-page policy document titled: “We Have A Lot To Lose: Solutions to Advance Black Families in the 21st Century.” The CBC (which currently has 48 members, most of whom are Democrats) says the Administration never responded to the solutions offered, and failed to facilitate meetings between them and key cabinet officials as promised. The CBC declined a second invitation to sit down again with Trump in June 2017.In August 2018, a Rasmussen Reports poll indicated 36 percent of Black voters approved of Trump. That same month, an ABC News and Washington Post survey by Langer Research noted 93 percent of Black voters disapproved of Trump.In his State of the Union speech in February, the president touted the economy and job creation while noting, “African American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded.” However, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the gains made in Black employment happened under Barack Obama’s Administration.You can watch the CBC mini documentary below:
