Up until the assassination of McKinley and the take over of the Republican Party by Teddy Roosevelt, Republicans were “progressive” and blacks voted for Republicans almost exclusively. The ONLY historic analysis that will benefit conservatives will include this fact- that the Republican Party’s original humanistic impulse has been subverted.
In a society whose values are formed by electronic media, a non-humanistic, anti-empathic infantile narcissistic camouflaged sadism is not going to play well on prime time. Why there is not Republican clamor for the heads of the Federal Reserve and their oligarch handlers is beyond me. They have destroyed the lives and incomes and retirements of hard working ethical people. Where is the empathy for that injustice? Where are the bonds of community that would turn thousands of conservatives out onto the streets in a movement that would dwarf “Occupy”.
I don’t know what it would take to get conservatives off their asses, but “enlightened self interest” doesn’t seem to be cutting it. Conservatives better start to learn how to fight for the “little guy”. Conservatives have been on the ropes for 3-4 generations, since the ‘60’s caught them asleep at the wheel in the game of media literacy, which, BTW, is the only game in town in the modern electronic “global village”. Time to generate some empathy for those who suffer, empathy that demonstrates results, not because it is politically savvy, but because of a sense of Christian compassion.
Is this accurate? McKinley was said to be to the right of TR, but the terms "right" and "left" weren't used then, were they? Blacks stuck with the GOP until 1936, when FDR stole them away with the promise of federal largesse. Both McK and TR look big in comparison to the 2012 "leadership."