Before black voters in Florida lose their voices cheering over the election of liberal Democratic, and semi-socialist, Andrew Gillum with hopes he will become Florida’s first black governor, they should remember what they got from Barack Obama, the first black president — little to nothing.

Other than playing the race card when it was convenient to rally the black base, Obama ignored the plight of blacks trapped in inner city schools, gang violence in urban areas — including his own Chicago — decreased government business with black businesses, and oversaw an economy devastating black income, jobs, and home ownership.

So, who did he help? He focused on catering to white liberal activists like environmentalists, the abortion lobby, assisting so-called “Dreamers,” and illegal immigrants to name a few.

Blacks got food stamps, but were not able to keep their doctor or their healthcare plans under Obamacare as they had been told.

Urban issues and violence were all but ignored. Now we have Gillum, a liberal far left Democrat in Florida. He won because of an exceptional turnout of black voters, support and far left progressive money from people like George Soros and Tom Steyer.

He also won because of a key endorsement from socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, IVt.

The question is whose interests will he represent as governor — the blacks who got him elected, or the white left-wing progressives who funded him?

Whose agenda will he implement — one that assists black education, business, and employment opportunities in Florida or, the far-left socialist agenda of his financial backers.

Remember the old saying “he who pays the piper calls the tune?”

From his rhetoric, it looks like he isn’t marching to the tune of the black Floridians who got him over the primary finish line. He is marching to the socialist tune ravishing Cuba — and more recently Venezuela.

He is responding to the socialist agenda of his left wing sponsors — free healthcare for all, open borders, and elimination of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

That same agenda also includes a 40 percent increase in corporate taxes, and free health care for all regardless of cost.

He will also be expected to support, advocate, and where possible implement, all aspects of the progressive agenda including: attempting to eliminate or restrict funding and scholarships to allow poor students to attend private schools to please the teachers’ unions; and, oppose any legislation that would restrict abortion at any time.

That helps the left but certainly is of no benefit to his black supporters.

On his promise to increase corporate taxes, Christopher Harris, executive director of Unhyphenated America.org told Tucker Carlson of Fox News that Florida has the second highest number of blackowned businesses in the country — over 250,000.

Do they want a 40 percent increase in their taxes? I doubt it.

On legalization of marijuana, the last thing Florida’s black communities and youth need is more drugs in their neighborhoods to add to the current epidemic of gang violence in South Florida.

Abolish ICE? How do Gillum’s black voters benefit from open borders and illegal immigration which harm their employment opportunities and threaten their families’ safety? When you take a close look at the Gillum agenda and rhetoric, you see very little about jobs, job training, student education opportunities, or safe streets and neighborhoods.

On the latter, that’s probably because his city of Tallahassee has the highest crime rate in Florida.

Speaking of Obama comparisons, remember how former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Obama supporters used every opportunity to play the race card and say that any criticism of the black president was “racism,” or “racist?”

When Gillum’s opponent Rep. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., used the term “monkey this up” to describe what Gillum’s “socialist agenda” would do to the state, Democrats went ballistic accusing him of racism.

It seems that “monkey” is a racist term — only when used by Republicans. Not much was made of the following monkey related comments by Democrats: • On Sept. 4, 2008, Barack Obama said “Democrats have been known to monkey around with elections.” • On Sept. 23, 2016, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said “No one has ever been allowed to monkey around with our electoral system.”

• And, just last year, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said that “Donald Trump threw a monkey wrench with the wall.”

In an Aug. 30, 2018 post, Townhall listed several other examples of prominent Democrats using various versions of “monkeying around” and then asked “Are these Democrats also using racist bullhorns? Or are they just politically opportunistic hypocrites?” And what about that 1960’s television show “The Monkees” featuring Davy Jones. I don’t recall that ever being called “racist.”

My message to DeSantis is stop being defensive.

There was no need for a semi-apology or “clarification” — it was a figure of speech.

Just say so and accuse those, including Gillum, of jumping the gun and playing the race card. The problem is most Republicans and conservatives just do not know how to handle race and racial issues. Rep. DeSantis can’t let Democrats and the mainstream media define and trap him.

He had better realize that both want Gillum to be governor and he had better get ready for the fight of his life. They will go after him with a vengeance.

One thing is probably certain — you can bet that Floridians who have fled Cuba, Venezuela, and other countries ravaged by socialism won’t be rooting for a Gillum!

Clarence V. McKee is president of McKee Communications, Inc., a government, political, and media relations consulting firm in Florida.