Black Republican Goes Undercover at a Democrat Party Picnic

On a bright and warm Saturday afternoon, I gathered at Drake Park in West Bloomfield, MI with other activists to talk politics and hear from elected officials. It’s nothing I hadn’t done a dozen times before, but this was the first time at an event with the Democrat Party.

I wandered a bit, then took a seat in the middle of the Oakland County Democrat Party’s picnic. From experience, insults like “Uncle Tom” or even “coon” were a possibility. But that never happened, not even a “Candace Owens” comparison. After all, I never revealed that I was a blood-red Republican.

The small talk was pleasant. I was honest about my life; where I went to school, where I lived, background about my family, hobbies, and details about my profession. I was treated kindly by other people who were vastly different because we all care about our communities and families. On a surface level, we could achieve so much more if we recognized the shared humanity in each other.

One of the newly elected leaders happily greeted me, then mentioned the need for diversity. I was a little surprised that seemed to be an area of concern, since “diversity and inclusion” is the mantra of the left. I suggested it might be the area, and she agreed. They invited me to eat and enjoy myself.

I had a pleasant time talking one-on-one, but a few overheard conversations disturbed me. “Trump doesn’t care about people. He doesn’t care about anyone.” Obviously, an absurd absolute—a sign of confirmation bias—but it followed a trend.

I don’t recall seeing American flags, perhaps there were a few. No one opened up the program with prayer or a moment of silence, the pledge, or with a patriotic song. I honestly thought of volunteering my voice; it seemed so odd.

Justice Richard H. Bernstein excitedly addressed the crowd, remarking he isn’t normally asked to speak. He enjoyed being with “like-minded people” who “actually want to make the world better.” He said, “The thing that I love so much about you, this organization, about this event, about our chair, about being a Democrat, is it really comes down to one simple thing: Democrats care about other people. Democrats care about more than themselves.”

Justice Richard H. Bernstein addressing a crowd of Democrat activists.

I’ve been to quite a few exclusively Republican events with conservative judges, from the county and MI Supreme Court level. I had never heard any of them utter such a tremendously partisan statement.

But the crowd clapped and cheered on, agreeing. In politics, you need an enemy. Division motivates the base to help those in leadership amass more power. If you’re trying to make the world “better” while your opponents lack any sort of empathy, it’s easy to imagine them as monsters. And if you’re a monster slayer, any sort of retribution against your opponent seems justifiable.

It was appalling to hear a Michigan Supreme Court Justice make such a hysterical assumption and sow seeds of division, especially since he believes “life experience” is the most important quality of a good judge. He said it’s not academics, intellectualism, or your ability to write and publish. He believes through life experiences, you’re able to empathize and connect with those you serve. If Justice Bernstein concludes half the population doesn’t care about anyone, and empathy is his most valued quality as a public servant—over the love of law—how are Michiganders supposed to believe they’re being justly served?

Oakland County Executive David Coulter said when Democrats are elected, you get a government that “follows the science, that follows compassion,” and fights against climate change and equity across the county. “Equity” concerns me. Equity over equality is how you get Governor Kate Brown in Oregon dismissing requirements to prove competency in reading, writing, and math to “help” minority students. Compassion is a good quality for leaders to have, but “freedom” was uttered far too scarcely throughout the day, if at all. An oppressive government will feel justified doing just about anything to its citizens if they market their control and power as kindness.

Attorney General Dana Nessel, Governor Gretchen Whitmer, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at Drake Park for the Oakland County Democrat Party Picnic.

Governor Gretchen Whitmer remarked about the craziness of the past couple of years, laughing off a plot to kidnap her. She also mentioned the pandemic, a recession—which was enforced by government rule—floods, and so on. She mentioned the “racial reckoning” sparked by George Floyd’s death. Whitmer also thanked Attorney General Dana Nessel and Jocelyn Benson for having her back through it all.

Of course, she’d thank Nessel, who was right beside the governor as she oppressed Michiganders with misused powers. Nessel made sure to place the government heel on business owners who wanted to put food on the table for their kids.

Secretary Benson spoke a lot about protecting democracy, and I understood the cheers in the crowd. After all, I remember back to 2016 when I had to participate in a baseless recount because Democrats wouldn’t accept the results of the election. Republican volunteers certainly felt as though we were protecting democracy, and our system upheld the results. Desperate souls from out-of-state begged electors to defect, and protestors showed up inside the halls of the state capitol to change the results while butchering songs like “We Shall Overcome.” President Trump was sworn in, regardless.

What I find unacceptable is Benson’s insistence that 2020 was Michigan’s “most successful election” in the state’s history. Considering the chaos and disputes, how can she continue to say this with a straight face? A judge even struck down Benson’s policy (after the election) that encouraged clerks to be very flexible while reviewing signatures on absentee ballots.

Benson also boasted voter registration on election day, claiming the vast majority were under the age of 30. If a young person is registering to vote on election day, what are the odds that person is a highly informed voter? That isn’t a requirement, of course, but Democrats often tout the turnout rather than having an informed electorate. I definitely heard “empathy” more than “facts and data.”

I never heard a peep about Afghanistan, which didn’t surprise me.

Before I left, I felt compelled to confront Jody Job, the OCDP Chair. She mentioned a few times the importance of getting people involved with the school board because Republicans were using mask mandates and critical race theory to build momentum.

I asked her if critical race theory was a hill Democrats were ready to die on, warning the suburban white voters that Trump lost would return. She told me, “It’s racism.”

“No,” I firmly said, “critical race theory is racism.”

She claimed it wasn’t being taught in schools, which I debunked. Kimberle Crenshaw, one of the creators of CRT was recently a part of a group that hosted teachers explaining how they were teaching “insights” of CRT. I also admitted Republican parents don’t always articulate CRT in the best way or understand it perfectly, but they’re not wrong.

She admitted to not having read up on CRT. After going back and forth a little more, Job told me, “It’s racism.” The people who show up at these school board meetings are racists, “foaming at the mouth.” She believed racism was their motivation, and that was that.

I looked at her stunned for a few seconds. I’ve researched CRT, spoken many times online about it, and have spoken to concerned parents. They fight against it for the love of their kids. Even if Democrats disagree with the conclusion of Republicans about CRT’s teachings, why assume such malice?

“Can’t you look beyond the people and look at the issue? The issue is CRT. If it looks like Republicans are against it and Democrats are for it, you’re going to lose voters. Is this what Democrats want to stand and fight for?”

Job then admitted, “We just need people to get on the school board.” She then asked if I would like to run. She kindly gave me her card, complimented me on my youthful appearance, and encouraged me to stay involved, even if it were to push back against a county chair.

I grinned hard, thanked her, and left.

Overall, I met some nice people I genuinely enjoyed talking to. I wouldn’t mind grabbing chicken shawarma with them in the future. It saddens me that assumed politics—not even true policy—deeply divides Americans today. I’ve heard Republicans say some off-the-wall and judgmental things before. I don’t mind calling out my own side and pressing my team, especially when attitudes could ruin outreach or victory. But Democrats are going too far. Racism is evil, and it’s thrown around too frequently to win debates, diluting its meaning and preventing productive conversations. If you can’t even analyze an issue because your enemies oppose it, we’re living in a dangerous time. Democrats cannot be the “party of science” if they are a party beyond reason.