Pandering Patrick Backs Reparations [OPINION]

Deval Patrick has taken to calling for reparations for black Americans to jump-start his otherwise failing bid to capture the Democrat presidential nomination. You may recall Patrick drew only two people to his formal campaign announcement speech and had to cancel the event.

The former Massachusetts governor used the occasion of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day to announce his support for reparations.

"The American Dream remains further out of reach of black Americans than other Americans, and because of that, America has not fulfilled her promise," he said. Patrick has decided to use the divisive "us against them" victimization strategy to convince black voters to support his candidacy.

Patrick's idea of delivering the American Dream to black Americans is to issue them a government check. In other words, buy them off. Democrats for the last 60 years have attempted to win black support by issuing government checks, and that is why the American Dream has been more elusive to some in the black community.

The nice part about calling for reparations in the heat of a campaign is that you never have to explain where the money would come from or exactly who would qualify for it.

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson told CBS in December that paying reparations would be "unworkable." Carson suggested that delivering on the American Dream is best done in the here and now.

“I would much rather concentrate on how do we provide the opportunities for people to get into a better economic situation now," Carson said. Yeah, kind of like what President Trump is attempting to do.

Deval Patrick is employing the same divisive tactics often used by his good pal Barack Obama in pitting one group against another through the use of victimization. It is an ugly but typical Democrat strategy. I think Americans are wising up to it.

Be careful, next he'll be promising them a train.

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.