SiriusXM host Sonnie Johnson got into a heated debate with a caller on this week’s episode of Sonnie’s Corner over her need to call out the 60-year failure of Republicans and conservatives to win over the black community.
As Sonnie explained to the caller, it is not enough for conservatives to simply point to the disastrous track record of the Democrats’ progressive policies in the black community. Conservatives need to win over black people by addressing their concerns in a way that resonates with them so that “they feel welcome” and “feel like they actually have a place” in the conservative movement.
LISTEN:
The following is a partial transcript of Sonnie’s exchange with the caller:
CALLER: A lot of your problems seem to be with conservatives first, Republicans second, and then white people third. And really, based on everything that I hear you say you could lay directly at the feet of the Democrat Party.
SONNIE: Oh?
CALLER: And I don’t hear that coming from you. I’m hearing, “Conservatives are not doing this and conservatives are not doing that.” Now, what I have learned from being a member of conservatism is that we have three principle issues that we stand on. Our stool of [three] legs is number one: limited government; number two: fiscal responsibility; number three: individual liberty. Those are our principles. And, not, you know, we don’t get so dug into the minutia of these other areas. And, you know, so I scratch my head, I listen to this, and I’m thinking, you know, you’ve got to be calling out the people who are really responsible for this. The inner city problem that you seem to have, that is an issue—and it’s a serious issue—all those political offices in those cities are held by Democrats, not Republicans. So, you need to be calling those people out.
SONNIE: Okay, you’ve been doing that for 60 years. How’s the track record?
CALLER: I haven’t been doing it.
SONNIE: The conservative movement has been doing that for 60 years.
CALLER: Has been doing what? What have we been doing or failed to do?
SONNIE: That’s what I’m saying. Have ya’ll not been calling out the Democrats for 60 years?
CALLER: I’m talking about yourself now.
SONNIE: But that’s the point. I am coming in late. So I have gotten to see what ya’ll have done for 60 years. Ya’ll have done that for 60 years. For 60 years you have focused on the Democratic Party instead of black people. So I come along and I say, “No, we’re going to focus on black people—the issues, the concerns that are facing black people.” You tell me, “No, talk about the Democrats.” See, I’m not telling you how to beat the Democrats. I am telling you how to win black people. Which one is more important to you? That I give you a progressive pound of flesh, or that I actually bring black people over into this movement because they feel welcome and they feel like they actually have a place here?
CALLER: So you’re saying that there’s not, that we’re not welcoming? Again, when you go to, when you understand the conservative—
SONNIE: I am a black conservative. I am a black conservative. I am on the conservative side of the aisle. I am telling you that we are not welcome over here because as soon as we talk about addressing our issues, we get told to focus on the Democrats. We cannot come to the conservative movement and say, “Hey, we have a different way we can message this. We have a different way we can get this in there. We have a different way.” So we don’t get those opportunities. Instead, we get people that are picked by the conservative movement to go out and keep on saying the old talking points that haven’t worked for 60 years. So what keeps constantly coming back to me is that I’m supposed to focused on the Democrats. I’m never supposed to check my own army. I am never supposed to hold my own conservative leadership accountable. Now, let’s go to those three issues that you say conservatives are champions of. You said conservatives are champions of limited government. Have they given you that?
CALLER: No, but that doesn’t mean you give up the fight.
SONNIE: Okay, here we go. Of fiscal responsibility—have they given you that? We are 20 trillion dollars in debt. Have they given you that? No. Personal Liberty? Have they given you that? No. Trump had to come in and deregulate so you could get anywhere close to that. So, even on the issues that you say, as a conservative, are important to the conservative movement, they failed on those issues too. Why don’t you want to hold them accountable on those issues? [SILENCE] Yeah, I didn’t think so.
Sonnie’s Playlist for This Week:
La-Di-Da-Di by Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick
Fight the Power by Public Enemy
A Nightmare on My Street by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
I Ain’t No Joke by Eric B & Rakim
Slam by Onyx
Bust a Move by Young MC
Monie in the Middle by Monie Love
It Takes Two by Rob Base & DJ EZ Rock
Express Yourself by N.W.A.
Whatta Man by Salt-n-Pepa
Back to Life by Soul II Soul
Sonnie’s Corner broadcasts live on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 on Saturday’s from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
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