DV Journal

Roslyn Ross Williams is coming to Malvern, Pa. on Thursday with a question for Black and Hispanic voters in the Delaware Valley: What has the Democratic Party done for you lately?

“A lot of Black Americans are facing up to the fact we’re not getting anything from supporting Democrats,” Williams told DVJournal. “Now you’re seeing this [Biden] administration dump money and pour money into immigrants, and some of these resources that are given to immigrants are needed right here in our own country.”

Williams is southeast regional coordinator for the free-market group Americans for Prosperity. She’ll be joined by Jennie Dallas,  strategic director with The LIBRE Initiative for a Keystone Town Hall event Thursday night at the Desmond Hotel.

“Issues like inflation, fentanyl deaths, and the ongoing invasion of our nation are causing more of us to question the narratives we have been told to believe. This is a great time for Americans to come together to better understand how different American communities are beginning to look at these issues and the politicians who cause them,” said Gary Heasley, Keystone Town Hall leader.

While both Blacks and Hispanics have traditionally voted Democrat, a Gallup poll released in February showed the Democratic Party’s lead over Republicans among Black voters shrank by 20 points over the last three years. Democrats’ margin over Republicans among Hispanics age 18 to 28 dropped nearly as much.

“I had one gentleman who I spoke to while we were calling individuals, seeing if they’re planning on voting for the U.S. Senate election,” Williams said. “And this gentleman asked me, ‘I don’t want to be offensive to you, but is it true that Black people are switching parties?’ Because he watches TV and he’s heard a lot of different rumors, that Black people are switching away [from the Democrats] that they voted for or years, and he wanted to know if it was true.”

“I thought his question was very interesting,” Williams said. “And I was able to let him know that it is true based off the individuals that I am engaged in, on a daily basis and from various events I’ve attended.”

Dallas said the economy is the main concern of the Latino people she talks with.

“The economy is pretty much hitting all Americans right now but it’s hitting the Latinos much harder because Latinos have less savings. Their median income is lower, actually, by $20,000.”

Jennie Dallas

Asked why she thinks Blacks are switching parties, Williams said, the economy “has a lot to do with it.”

“Definitely with the way this inflation is going,” she said. The “dynamic for many people, especially in my community, it’s not just working for al of us.”

“It’s so rough right now,” said Williams. “I go out to the market (and ) spend $100. I’m going to come out of there with four or five things. It’s crazy right now. There are a lot of individuals, particularly in Philadelphia who are struggling…It’s gotten tremendously worse. Before you could kind of make ends meet. But now it’s extra hard.”

Dallas said, “When we’re talking about inflation, it’s hitting the Latinos pretty hard and I’m hearing…they just can’t take it anymore. They need a break. They can’t afford food, groceries, things they would normally buy. They’re having to cut back and gas has been an issue for quite some time.”

Family values are also an issue for many Blacks. Some of the social programs pushed by Democrats have resulted in unfortunate consequences for Black families, Williams said.

“You cannot get welfare unless you had no man in the house,” Williams explained. “You couldn’t have a man in your house to get public assistance. That’s not my story, but that is the story of many Black Americans. And many people are realizing that just being a single woman and not having your husband, your children’s father, in the home to help you raise the children because now the children raise themselves. Because in single-parent homes, the parent has to work all the time…I think some of the violence and stuff we’re seeing now is the result of that.”

“Many Black Americans have been awakened to the fact that we’ve been hoodwinked, and we’ve been bamboozled by the system,” said Williams.

Dallas said Latinos are also concerned about family values.

“The conversations are always about God, our family, and our freedom,” said Dallas. “That’s what the LIBRE Initiative is. The policies that we are most interested in is our freedoms. I don’t believe that most Latinos are feeling like the Democratic policies are what they actually believe in.”

On immigration, her organization believes the border should be secured, but also the entire process needs to be reformed.

The LIBRE Initiate is not “an extended arm of the Republican Party,” she said. They also back Democrats if they agree with their policy goals. They talk to Latinos about policies, she said.

“We’re trying to empower the people,” Dallas said.  “We’re educating Latinos and empowering them to live the American Dream.”

They’re also interested in quality healthcare and better schools for children, for parents to be able to “send their children to any school that they want,” she said.

“We’re advocating for freedom,” said Dallas. “And we want lower taxes. Prosperity is our main focus.”

The Keystone Town Hall will be Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. at the Desmond Hotel, Third Floor Amphitheater, One Liberty Boulevard, Malvern. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

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Grassroots conservative activists are gearing up to work for victories in 2024.

At a Keystone Town Hall meeting at a Malvern hotel last week, Gary Heasley led a discussion with Chester and Delaware County residents. He said they are focused on making sure people vote and that the elections are run fairly. The new group, Keystone Town Hall, is focused on messaging and voter turnout.

Keystone Town Hall will bring meetings to Philadelphia, Montgomery, Delaware, Berks, and Lancaster Counties.

Chesco United remains focused on election fraud, making sure voter rolls are updated and that no one is stuffing ballot boxes. The groups also work with Keystone Insights, Pioneer PAC, Keystone Fair Business Partners, and Moms for Liberty.

“Everybody’s trying to be more effective this year because they know this is the fight,” said Heasley. “This is the big fight. If we lose this year, we lose. I don’t think there’s a round two.”

Heasley and audience members discussed many topics, from the economy to foreign policy to illegal immigration. The discussion was free-ranging, with people commenting as Heasley gave his talk.

While by some indicators, the economy might be doing well, people in the U.S. have racked up more than $1 trillion in credit card debt, and “families have eaten through all their savings,” Heasley said.

“We’ve got people talking about not being able to buy food,” said Heasley. “And if you’ve been watching TikTok videos that pop up from time to time …kids, mostly young girls, talk about not making enough money to pay their bills, and they don’t see how to get out of ‘this economic trap.’

“Wages are going down in real dollars,” he said. He showed a slide from 2021 that said 37 percent of Americans faced challenges getting enough food. People are looking to the government now for food and housing, he said. But, he added, “It’s OK if (the government doesn’t) defend the country.”  In October 2023, 44.2 million households had difficulty getting enough food, including 13 million children.

From when Ronald Reagan was president through former President Bill Clinton, there was a time of great economic expansion. But now, the middle class is declining.

“That’s changed,” he said. “A lot of people are doing really, really well. And a lot of people aren’t. What’s going away is that group in the middle.”

Now, 56 percent of Gen Z are worried about making ends meet; 51 percent of Millennials, 37 percent of Gen X, and 25 percent of Baby Boomers are worried about their household budgets.

“The ground is shifting a little bit,” said Heasley. “Millennials are starting to say, ‘Maybe I have to pay attention’ and ‘Maybe what I’ve been believing isn’t true.’ Young voters are taking it seriously, 18 to 32 (year olds). They don’t know. They’re starting to wonder.”

Heasley says about 60 percent of Americans, including moderate Democrats, believe in the country and are persuadable to vote for GOP candidates.

“They know there’s a problem,” he said. But others who are either “highly indoctrinated” or careerists either don’t or don’t care “as long as they get their beach house.”

An audience member said younger generations are expressing resentment against Boomers, who’ve lived through comparatively good times.

Independents are seeing the light, Heasley said.

“We need allies to win. The patriots. The disaffected Democrats and even establishment Republicans,” he said. “What we showed in 2022, issues get people to vote, not mail-in ballots,” Heasley said.

An audience member said, “Whoever the candidate of the Republican Party is, we rally to him or her. A bad Republican is better than a good Democrat any day of the week in the general (election). You can do whatever you want in the primary. We don’t make any protest votes. We don’t say, ‘Out of principle.’ Because it’s a numbers game. You’ve got to do it.”

Heasley said, “In 2022, significant elements of the Republican Party abandoned (the state). We put up candidates that the voters wanted, a candidate for governor who got more votes (in the primary) than anybody since 1964, really popular, a very successful candidate. They refused to fund him. They sent money to (Gov. Ron) DeSantis that he didn’t need and didn’t spend and denied it to Pennsylvania.”

“Now (the state committee is) saying we’ll select the candidate, and the voters have to go along with it,” said Heasley.

Another man said the Democrats could “put up a tree” and their voters would vote for it. “Or a dead guy,” someone chimed in.

Heasley said, “Enthusiasm is required to get people to vote by mail or in person.”

A woman asked, “What’s wrong with a robust primary?”

“Sometimes the voters pick someone that power brokers don’t like,” said Heasley. “And that’s why the party abandoned Pennsylvania in 2022 and sent money to Florida that we desperately needed to save this state. I think a robust primary is a good decision. A good marketing tool. The party has to stop picking people because they’re somebody’s pal. They have to pick people the people are going to support.”

Next month, Keystone Town Hall will hold a meeting with the Amish in Lancaster County.

“We’re not texting them,” said Heasley, saying the group is running an ad in a popular publication that reaches Amish readers.

“I don’t think (the Amish) are going to vote for Marxists. They want to be respected and left alone,” said Heasley.

People are saying, “We want our freedom back. We want our prosperity back,” he said.

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