John Burnett is very clear about where he stands. He did not have a political conversion as many have and is clear that he has remained firm in his views and values, as the political parties around him have shifted.
Many now former Democrats say that they did not leave the party, the party left them.
“I was a Democrat, but there was no conversion. I've always been conservative in my values. So switching from Democrat to Republican didn't change my values. Didn't change my perspective. It was only paperwork.”
Burnett is First Vice Chair for the New York State Republican Party, Managing Director and Founder of 1 Empire Group, and a Newsmax Host. The youngest of seven children in a family with a preacher father, Burnett has a strong foundation and well-considered values that guide him.
“If Democrats or anyone else value diversity then placing people into categories is antithetical to diversity. At the root of diversity is freedom and placing people in boxes or profiling them is not freedom. Freedom is freedom of thought, freedom of movement and I don't mean physical movement,” said Burnett. “I'm using movement referring to the movement of thought with regard to positions on policy. Going with your own personal best interest. If each person acts in his or her own best interests, we will ultimately get to what is right.”
Talking about how the Left often tries to put Blacks, Hispanics, women, gays, and other groups into ideological boxes Burnett says, “When this happens, people become trained or controlled through those categories and then it is the small group who can consolidate power moving things toward their will and not the will of the people.”
Burnett was clear that true diversity is diversity of thought, choice, and free will. “No one should be politically profiled” because of some characteristic they were born with.
Asked what he thinks was appealing to traditional Democrat voters about President Donald Trump, Burnett said it's about ‘how” Trump approached people as much as the “what” of policy alignment.
In an era when the concept of “toxic masculinity” has been accepted by so many, Burnett points to Trump’s definitive, bold, and confident in his convictions and communication style.
“Democrats have convinced a people that when a man speaks up definitively and boldly it is toxic. That could not be further from the truth. Trump’s boldness and not having fear or anxiety of how the media was going to portray him gave him freedom,” Burnett said.
Trump’s ‘freedom’ unlocked diversity of thought in others. What Trump said was already on the hearts and minds of the people trapped in those ‘categories” whether black, white, Hispanic, or Asian. Trump spoke with common sense. The people said, ‘he's making a very good point’.”
Burnett spoke about how traditional Democrat voters captured their own courage and voted in their own best interests. “Once you approach people with logic and reason, you are on the path to winning them over. Trump was able to generate enough cognitive dissonance where people could not ignore the truth any longer.”
Burnett closed out his interview with The South Shore Press with a powerful metaphor. He spoke about how Trump’s plain speaking gave people “a little lift so they could speak openly about what they believed. I am a preacher’s son and one story we must always remember is that the Devil convinced a third of the angels to go with him.”
“The angels were in the presence of God - seeing all truth and all power, but the Devil still convinced them to follow him. There is a strong power of deception among us. That’s why people must always hold on to truth and common sense because if they don't, they will be convinced to believe a lie,” said Burnett.