Clinton Isn't Entitled to the Black Vote, And Trump Isn't Entitled to the Republican Vote

It really is as simple as that.

Trump is right, although despite what his followers would like to believe, he is far from the first person to raise this point—Hillary Clinton, or any Democrat, is not automatically entitled to the African-American vote. For too long Democrats have taken the nearly unanimous support of the black community for granted, and while it has paid dividends for Democratic politicians, the overall standard of living in the black community has suffered. It’s time for that community to try something new.

Unfortunately Donald Trump is not the one to offer anything new, or to represent a clear contrast with failed Democratic policies. Meanwhile, while the Trump campaign makes noises about minority outreach, it demonizes and scapegoats those Republicans who continue to oppose Trump’s candidacy, calling their opposition a betrayal.

Until Election Day (or, with early voting, Election Month) both Trump and Clinton have exactly the same number of votes: zero. Neither candidate is entitled to the black vote, the Republican vote, the Democratic vote, or really the vote of any person at all. Not a single person in this country has taken a legally binding pledge to support one candidate or the other, or one party or the other. If Ivanka Trump suddenly decided to throw her support behind Hillary Clinton, she would have every right to do so. If Chelsea Clinton decided to vote for Donald Trump, her good friend’s father, she would be equally able to do so. Until the moment a vote is actually cast, it is truly committed to no one.

Trump, specifically, has been making the case that minority voters are not bound to any single candidate, but the same message applies equally to both campaigns, and both parties: You are not entitled to a single person’s vote. Every person is an individual, and they can do with their vote as they see fit—vote for one of the two major party candidates; or a third party, independent, or write-in candidate; or decide to simply not vote at all—regardless of skin color or party affiliation. If one group is not bound to a candidate, then no group is.