Posted on 07/14/2009 10:39:25 AM PDT by bestintxas
“Why write all black voters off? That’s a really STOOPID strategy.”
Who said to write them off? Are you writing them off if you do not parade in front of the NAACP or make amends to Jesse Jackson?
A black American will want the same things as any other American - respect, comfortable living environment, ability to raise one own’s family.
The appeal of the GOP to blacks cannot be done by going thru organizations such as the NAACP or Jesse’s Rainbow Coalition.
It is done by education and display of what conservatism brings to the table - freedom and opportunity.
Treating blacks as a special group like Steele is doing is making the GOP no better than the Dems.
Jesse Jackson can go jump in the lake as far as I'm concerned, but the NAACP, whether WE like it or not, is the premier 'civil rights' organization. It would be stupid to ignore them, and it only plays into the 'Republicans hate blacks' meme.
As I said, there's no need to change ANYTHING about what issues are important to conservatives, because, for the most part, those issues are also important to most blacks, even if they AREN'T important to the leadership of the NAACP. Why not take the issues to the communities, speaking in smaller black churches, where we'll find regular black voters, and where the leadership doesn't usually show up? Don't invite the press, to make SURE the leadership doesn't show up; they won't bother, unless they can get their faces on the evening news.
Each Congressional candidate, especially if there is a large number of black voters in his or her district, should plan to have at least one visit to a black church, or at least have a townhall meeting that's held in an area where the majority of the black people live. That's just courtesy, as far as I'm concerned.
How in the heck do you expect those voters to get any information about that candidate, that's NOT filtered by the MSM, if they don't meet that person, or at least know someone who actually heard the person speak, unfiltered? Personal knowledge goes a LONG way toward breaking down old stereotypes and prejudices, and black voters have been fed garbage about Republican candidates for so many years, that we need to work hard to change that image.
My overall objection to this approach is that it sounds like pandering to me.
How come you or I do not need to see the congressional candidates or to get someone to correct the filtering the MSM is feeding? We make independent judgements of what contains bias and make educated decisions on that basis. Why cannot this group?
I strongly feel that placing this much attention to a group of people just emphasizes their differences, and helps keep them thinking that they need this special treatment more than others in this country.
We are unhyphenated Americans. All of us. The separation of people as to race, religion, the way they practice sex or whatever should not be emphasized.
Candidates speak to ‘interest groups’ of voters all the time. Black voters are simply another ‘interest group’. Why ignore them?
First of all, Steele was most likely invited by the NAACP. It speaks well of them that they invited the RNC chair and he gave a fine speech. I do not care for pandering, but do not see this as such. This instead was an opportunity. I am beginning to like Steele, especially for the humor that he threw in.
This is all about how truly free black folks are, free to make intelligent political choices rather than have them made for them.
Absolutely, and they won't make the alternate choice if they don't know about it.
“Candidates speak to ‘interest groups’ of voters all the time. Black voters are simply another ‘interest group’. Why ignore them?”
Your mindset seems the way that the liberals of the world desire it to be.
Interest group that are racial are not needed. Interest groups that like botany or like race car driving or that are religious are not the same.
Understand that you do not ignore blacks if you do not attend the NAACP convention. What is so difficult to understand there?
You are doing a disservice to blacks by continuously emphasizing their difference from us.
Repeat: We are ALL Americans. We are not hyphenated Americans. We are Americans.
We do not need special groups in this country. We need those who believe in freedom, liberty and the Constitution.
People around the world understand that. That is why they in the past and now strive to get here.
If blacks refuse to understand what that means then pity them, don’t patronize them.
They came from a terrible heritage that none of us are proud of. That is past. Now is the present, and we need to live in it and appreciate this great country rather than segment people in order to pull it apart.
“This is all about how truly free black folks are, free to make intelligent political choices rather than have them made for them.”
And intelligent political choices include a 95% vote for a black person for President?
Who are you kidding? That, my friend was a racial vote if I ever saw one.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.