It’s the racism, stupid, although the pundits point to the economy
From Nixon’s call for law and order to Reagan’s welfare queen
To Bush’s Willie Horton to Trump’s birtherism and ape memes
Every election in my adult life has swung from this hinge.
In the midst of a great upheaval against white supremacy
Demanding that Black Lives Matter in ongoing mass demonstrations
Uniting millions of people of color and white allies like never before
Rising up against police oppression and systemic racism
Electoral politics this year takes the stage in the larger context
Making the contest into a proxy vote that will have consequences
Making it imperative to defeat the openly racist Trumpist politicians
Despite knowing their opponents aren’t that much better.
What is essentially a choice between the iron fist of repression
Promising to crush the rebellion or the velvet glove of false hope
Promising sympathy and understanding and little change
Unless we mobilize independently to force real change
The white supremacists have their rigged setup for minority rule
With schemes for voter suppression tactics and mass incarceration
With billionaire big money running the show no matter who wins
Buying mouthpieces and misleading advertising to confuse every issue
In the face of the racist fascist sexist homophobes against us
Strutting their pro-slavery pro-police flags and Trump banners
With their vile champion spewing hatred from the hole in his face
The lesser evil candidates will not push back hard enough if at all
But as I heard tell from a good friend in the aftermath of Obama
Who represented the aspirations of the disenfranchised
Whose message of hope turned out to be mostly more of the same
Don't think everyone who voted for him was stupid
As many knew full well what they were getting was problematic
Presiding like any other imperialist politician serving the state
And yet it meant something entirely good to put a Black man in office
The same way we hope to celebrate the defeat of Trump.
