New faces in the Republican Party.
AP Photo/Julio Cortez
Does the name Kim Klacik ring a bell? If it doesn’t, it likely will soon. Kim Klacik is someone you should know.
She’s running for Congress in Maryland’s 7th congressional district – which partially encompasses Baltimore. The Maryland 7th is the seat to which the late Elijah Cummings was elected 13 times.
Three things to know about Kim Klacik. She’s black. She’s a Republican. And she has produced one of the best campaign ads in a generation. In a brilliant performance, Ms. Klacik walks through a dilapidated, burned out Baltimore as she tells viewers how that beleaguered city has been run by Democrats for more than 50 years.
The ad is a compelling indictment of the kind of one-party Democratic rule that has impoverished once great American cities like Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago and many others.
As Ms. Klacik walks among decimated, abandoned, boarded-up buildings on a godforsaken Baltimore street, she says this:
This is Baltimore. The real Baltimore. This is the reality for black people every single day. Crumbling infrastructure, abandoned homes, poverty and crime. Baltimore has been run by the Democrat Party for 53 years.”
The title of the ad is, “Black Lives Don’t Matter to Democrats,” and it’s a tour de force. It is well-produced and Ms. Klacik delivers the message flawlessly. She goes on to say:
The Democrat Party has betrayed the black people of Baltimore. If the politicians walked the streets like I do, they would see exactly how their policies and corruption affect us. But they don’t want to see it. They don’t want you to see this.
“The worst place for a black person to live in America is a Democrat-controlled city.”
The black vote is arguably the only true remaining voting bloc in American politics. Hillary Clinton got 91 percent of it in 2016. But that may be changing. Slowly, to be sure. But changing, nonetheless.
To the extent that such change is underway, the argument can be made that the ball got rolling four years ago last week at a Donald Trump campaign event at which, in an appeal for support from black voters, he asked,
What the hell do you have to lose?”
The unchecked mayhem being allowed by Democratic leadership in cities like Minneapolis, Seattle and Portland has not gone unnoticed by many of the black voters who suffer disproportionately from the destruction and chaos. Nor did Joe Biden’s condescending assessment that if you don’t vote for him, “…you ain’t black.”
Still, Kim Klacik has an uphill battle for the congressional seat that she seeks. No Republican has ever held it. And Trump cannot even dream of receiving a majority of the black vote in 2020.
But he knows that he doesn’t have to. Trump knows that if Republican presidential candidates can consistently garner 15 percent or more of the black vote, it’s game over for Democrats. And thus Trump’s break with “expert” GOP orthodoxy in affirmatively reaching out to black voters.
It’s an outreach that appears to be bearing fruit.
Very good. We do have good news from time to time.
Very powerful, touching, inspiring, and equally important, ACCURATE!
I wish more were as informed and involved.
She has a huge uphill battle in that neighborhood. We can only hope the decades of oppression and broken promises from Democrats don’t blind the voters to her.
Wow! What a powerful message! I have friends in Baltimore. I know what a sink hole Antifacrats have made of it, especially in recent years. President Trump is so right to ask black voters, “What the hell do you have to lose?” if you vote Republican for a change. If every minority person–nay, EVERY person in Baltimore–saw this ad, Ms. Klacik would get every single vote short of the moron vote. I was so impressed that I sent Ms. Klacik a hefty campaign contribution. I encourage you to contribute as well. Come election time, I’ll be watching and praying on Ms. Klacik’s behalf AND on behalf of the good people of Baltimore.
Insightful column Mr. Gleiser.
Ms.Klacik, a Republican, will be an excellent Representative. Her Maryland district needs leadership and someone citizens can trust that has their interest foremost in mind.
She definitely has “a shining on a hill” vision of what Baltimore can become for all its citizens and the CAN DO spirit to accomplish it.
Godspeed to her.
corr: “a shining city on a hill”
If she stands strong , she will be great
TRUE. But to join the Republican Black Caucus, she needs to get elected. And she never would’ve survived a Democratic primary. And she’s an attractive candidate, “a get” for the outnumbered Maryland GOP. Their AOC.
Now — after all the damnation of “Democrat-run” cities and states — the voters decide.
If she loses the election, a Fox News gig likely awaits. I wish her well either way.
So what if she wins? What then?
Even if Ms. Klacik does not win her congressional race, as Paul suggests, her campaign may just get people in that district to begin realizing that their poor circumstances are directly related to the poor representation of the Democratic party. When the Republican party offers clear and credible alternatives, maybe citizens of districts in large cities around the country will consider a different governing philosophy. This possibility is not escaping the Democratic strategists; why else would they be fighting so hard to block construction of a wall on our southern border? Very simple…….. this inconvenient structure is hindering their efforts to register new and reliable voters.
Back in 1995, I was asked to be a member of a Texas state wide committee on hiring in Austin, Texas for our State Government. How my name was selected, I do not know. But, I was and said yes.
After sitting through the introductions and precursory BS, we knuckled down to brass tacks. First rattle out of the box, I suggested simply doing away with the whole page “what race are you” item of all state government hiring packages. Hiring employees is a nightmare in itself; why add a page to identify your race? Does not matter what your race is; what are your qualifications? That is paramount right?! Statement, “Best Qualified”; which can easily be quantified by an interview should do it. NOPE. Can’t do that stated Human Resource managers moderating this event. Why?
Well asking, “Why?” is unacceptable even though one puts forth a proven experiences to explain why. We must track racial hiring and statistics in the workplace for the government; which is code for Federal Guberment. Why? Never answered by HR folks.
So, next time I need to hire. Take a flyer and sample application to all the minority areas (which is a joke); get on the phone to all those minorities who I know and respect from childhood, and put out the word, “State of Texas is hiring….whooohoo!” This is an example of hiring from 1995 to 2011. I get a grand total of 11 minorities applying. After spending, hundreds of hours recruiting, begging, pleading for those who are qualified to simply apply; zip. Those who are qualified; already have good jobs and do not what to change. Those who are not qualified and do not what to work in the heat, cold, rain, and wee hours of the night say, NO WAY. What is a hiring supervisor to do?
HR in our District is adamant on hiring minorities. But, none that meet Minimum Requirements apply; so I cannot hire someone outside of a person of color who does? Answer from HR is, YES.
Well US Department of Labor says otherwise. I have the paperwork and request to file a lawsuit in my files. Plop that down on the HR’s desk and guess what! Oh, you can hire those “White people” who are qualified. No Sheet Sherlock, I knew that all along; but you are drones of the left who needed that kick in the pants to say so?
This is NOT what America is. America is fair, equitable, and we do hire those who are the “most” qualified for a job. I suggested in that state committee to abolish the “race/ethnicity” portion of an application because 99.9% of hiring supervisors do not care what color your skin is; they want THE person who is BEST qualified to do the job and do it safely and efficiently period. But NOOOOOO, Government has to track this because of Leftist policy that does more harm than good. Punishing the vast majority for doing what is right is NOT America. In 2020 the need to call out “Color” of one’s skin is nothing more than victimization and illegitimate. Grow up, wake up, and as a thief who tried to break into my college apartment told my room mate who was cussing him out said, “GET A JOB!” That guy was definitely a Democrat. Who would say such as thing?
Like AOC, she’d get flavor-of-the-week news coverage initially; an all-smiles Swearing-In photo with the Speaker; and, more quietly, angle for committees in-her-lane.
Then, as Robert Redford’s character asked, in the very last line in “The Candidate,” “What should we do now?”
Hopefully, she’ll leverage the attention to advance her agenda, tho many who spoke boldly in 30-second TV commercials go-native in swift Potomac currents.
As much as I hate to agree with you, those swift Potomac currents are more like a rip tide. I really want to feel encouraged by such a seemingly sincere Black female conservative who could get elected in Baltimore. It would be great for the community and the Republican party to inject some sanity into that district. However, not so long ago, I had the same bright optimism about Representative Mia Love from Utah, but sadly, I think she is now working at CNN.
Your attitude Mr. Cooke is defeatist and that “the glass is LESS THAN half empty!” Very poor, very poor indeed sir.
My outlook is that the future is bright and that “the glass is always at least half FULL.” The only way to effect an improvement, is for people like you, to give this lady a chance. And to be clear, she is in no way anything like Ms. AOC who is an avowed socialist/marxist/communist. Or the late Mr. Elijah Cummings, a liberal Democrat who from what life is in today’s Baltimore failed miserably though in Congress for over two decades. Hard to fathom how Ms. Klacik could do worse.
Kim Klacik, to be unmistakably clear, is a Republican who supports the ideals of our Constitutional Republic as Founded [1776].
If she’s elected, the only direction for that district to go, IMHO, is up as in much better for ALL the citizens of her Maryland district.
There seems to be a lot of Blacks that are coming out in support of Trump because they are beginning to realize they have been lied to all these years by career politicians. Herschel Walker made a valid point, several actually, in his speech. Blacks are not required to vote democrat. So did the man who fled Cuba as a young man to escape from what he is hearing the democrats say they want to do here if elected, i.e. socialism! The reason they focus on Trump as a person is because it is their only option. They are having a tough time arguing against his policies with theirs. It failed in 2016, but democrats are known for continued failed policies. Relying on the Black vote to put Joe in the White House is another one.