If You Want to Vote for Change, Don't Use President Trump as a Scapegoat | Opinion

In the wake of the George Floyd murder, we've seen a variety of responses. We've seen thousands engaging in peaceful protests from New York to Los Angeles. Alternatively, there have been extremists taking advantage of the situation, using it as a Trojan horse to engage in looting, rioting, property destruction and more.

But one of the more promising reactions has been an increased emphasis placed upon the importance of voting. Could this be a moment in time where civic engagement by the public truly sees an upswing?

Of course, most of the people advocating for others to get involved and go vote are doing so with one singular purpose in mind: Get rid of President Donald Trump. It's generally not explicitly stated, but the implication is obvious to even the most casual observer.

The fact Donald Trump has only been in politics just over three years is irrelevant. He's the perfect target for the Left to scapegoat.

Forget the fact Donald Trump passed criminal justice reform, helping reduce sentences for thousands of black men who were unjustly put in prison for far too long. Forget that passing criminal justice reform is something multiple other presidential administrations failed to do, including one in which Joe Biden just served as vice president for eight years.

Forget that Joe Biden—someone who spent 40 years in the Senate—authored the 1994 crime bill that was responsible for putting many of those black men and women in jail who were released thanks to the First Step Act criminal justice reform law.

If you view voting as a conduit to cultivating change in America and see those in power, like President Trump, as the ones to hold responsible for current racial injustice in America—vote them out.

But if you think voting out Donald Trump and only Donald Trump will do anything other than make you feel better, you're sadly mistaken. The reality that most Americans don't want to face is that a significant portion of the decisions that actually impact our everyday lives are made by state and local politicians.

It's much easier for the public to hold one singular figure, the president of the United Staes, responsible than it is to spend the time being informed on state and local politics requires. Yet the decisions of those politicians seriously matter.

So, while Donald Trump is an easy scapegoat and target from the media and the Left, if we're establishing a standard of holding politicians accountable, then we're also responsible for examining state and local politicians.

Take, for example, Minneapolis—where George Floyd was murdered. Minneapolis has had a Democratic mayor since the 1970s. Governor Walz is a Democrat, as are both United States senators from Minnesota. Of the entire 13-member Minneapolis City Council, all but one is a Democrat—and those Democrats have now announced their intent to disband the Minneapolis Police Department.

For all the people complaining that George Floyd's murderer wasn't charged quickly enough or harsh enough, look no further than Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, a Democrat. Alternatively, it was President Trump who actively interceded with the Department of Justice to ensure the federal government was involved in investigating and actively pursuing all avenues to bring George Floyd's murderers to justice.

This is not unique to Minneapolis. Of the 15 most populous cities in the United States, 13 have Democratic mayors. These cities are also overwhelmingly represented by Democrats in state legislatures.

And these are not recent developments. Most of these areas have been Democratic strongholds for decades—meaning the situation we currently have is at least partly the result of decades of Democratic policies.

Baltimore and Washington, D.C. have been represented by Democratic mayors since the 1960s. In Philadelphia and St. Louis, it's been that way since the 1950s. Democrats have controlled Chicago since 1931. Houston hasn't had a Republican mayor since the early 1980s. The current makeup of the 51-member New York City Council is 48 Democrats to 3 Republicans. Since 1954, The New York City Council has only had a Republican presiding officer for three total years.

So this fall, when you want to make your anger known at the ballot box, don't forget to hold responsible those who have truly had an impact over the polices you dislike. Voting out Donald Trump might make you feel better, but not holding responsible the Democrats would be foolish.

Evan Berryhill is a lawyer and political communications strategist. You can follow him on Twitter @EvBerryhill.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.