Does the 'Black Lives Matter' Movement Help Democrats?

Republican political consultant Ed Rogers said no, it doesn’t. In fact, it hurts them. From his post on the Washington Post’s PostPartisan blog.

As the Black Lives Matter movement increases its profile, I am reminded of Occupy Wall Street. The Occupy Movement quickly swelled in size and garnered a lot of attention, then entered an awkward era where it couldn’t really think of what to do next. And beyond a retro, reminiscent-of-Woodstock destruction of some public parks, the Occupy Wall Street movement and its “We are the 99%” slogan didn’t go anywhere.

The Black Lives Matter movement appears to be louder and more pointed, but is perhaps even more aimless than Occupy. In fact, the Black Lives Matter protesters have contorted their message into a political statement meant to intimidate politicians from even acknowledging that “all lives matter.”

Some of us conservatives believe the “Black Lives Matter” narrative merely is a convenient tool to guilt politicians into taking more of our hard-earned money. If black lives truly mattered to these disgruntled liberals, that concern would encompass the voiceless, the defenseless, the most vulnerable: black babies in the womb. If you don’t include the unborn or even mention the disproportionate crime rate among blacks, the cause is disingenuous.

[I]f Black Lives Matter protesters are already disrupting Democratic candidates for president in their appearances across the country, it’s only a matter of time before they show up at GOP events. Republicans should not take the bait. The Black Lives Matter movement is misguided, much like Occupy Wall Street. Their dishonest, anti-police views belong exclusively in the Democratic Party. Gasp! Yes, I said it. I won’t pretend their movement is anything more. Anyone who contorts their politics in a way that brings us to a state where saying “all lives matter” is wrong can no longer be considered legitimate. They are aggravating racial divisions rather than promoting coherent solutions and they have moved beyond the harmless, eye-rolling political correctness that permeates America’s liberal politics.

I hope Republicans don’t take the bait. More important, it’s my fervent wish that no GOP candidate becomes intimidated into backing away from the podium as protesters shout in his face about how “racist” he is. Stand your ground, and concede nothing.

Rogers, like some conservatives, acknowledges that Donald Trump has stirred things up. Star Parker recently noted that Americans are frustrated with the way things are going, and “Donald Trump is touching issues that people are concerned about.”

Rogers said the Black Lives Matter crowd’s supposed anger is “confused and pointless” and “is a turn-off for the swing voters the Democrats will ultimately need in 2016, even though Democratic candidates won’t say so.”

Let’s hope they remain silent.