Black, Republican and Lonely

[riley1992]

Politics
Black, Republican and lonely
African-American conservative explains why he chose the road less traveled

By Matthew G. Davis / Special to The Detroit News

Matthew G. Davis

About the author
   
   Matthew G. Davis is senior associate for media strategies at the Sterling Corp. in Lansing, a former public information officer for the Michigan Department of Corrections and a former Lansing reporter for the Detroit Free Press.
   



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   There is nothing more difficult about being a black Republican than trying to figure out why more black Americans aren't Republicans, too.
   Indeed, given the fact that for decades the Democrats have neglected, abused and taken for granted black voters, trying to figure out why the black electorate keeps coming back for even more disgraceful treatment is downright vexatious.
   Some might claim that Republicans or GOP officials have failed to reach out to black voters and give them a reason to switch sides, but that would be wrong. The GOP has made a tremendous effort and continues to do so.
   What it has not done is to abandon its core principles, including personal responsibility, individual achievement and family values for the sake of attracting votes. Therein lies the answer to the riddle: Most black voters are not willing to support public policies that encourage these values, or the candidates who promote them, even though most blacks would agree that they ought to be practiced.
   The tendency to engage in such paradoxical behavior -- where long-term interests are continually shunned -- is a uniquely black American phenomenon. It would hardly be believable except for the existence of so much evidence that it is true.
   The greatest example of failed policy by black liberals is in academic achievement.
   Black parents invest countless hours of attention and love into their children, insisting on educational excellence. But the majority support lawmakers who would lock kids into failing schools and give the parents no choice but to remain there.
   Conservative ideas, like charter schools, which are independent public schools overseen by public groups such as universities, have resonated with many black voters.
   "I'm against any effort to eliminate or limit educational choices," says Bishop George E. Brown, senior pastor of the Living Truth Temple on Detroit's lower east side. "Historically, the Detroit public school system has not had a great amount of success educating our children. To be able to give black parents an opportunity to educate their children in a better environment, it would be unfair to take that away."
   The result of black liberal educational policy and culture -- which only supports traditional public education -- is especially interesting when compared with certain immigrant cultures, such as the Hmong, who are from Southeast Asia.
   Many thousands of Hmong came to the United States with very few material goods and even less in the way of understanding American life. Yet educational achievement -- in the same city schools attended by blacks -- is often greater than that of white suburbanites.
   The Hmong started out with far less than inner city blacks, yet by adopting and adhering to the same core values espoused by Republicans, they succeed where the black children could not. Why? It's because the Hmong culture places a premium on education and self-improvement.
   More shameful -- and much more menacing -- are the frequent apologies offered up by liberals on crime.
   Blacks, proportionately, are victimized by crime more often than any other racial or ethnic group. Yet the vast majority of criminals who prey upon blacks are other blacks. A rational person would want the criminals, black or white, to be locked away, disabling their ability to commit another crime.
   But the paradox of black liberalism kicks in: The black criminals are really victims themselves. Their criminal behavior is entirely due to the circumstances that the majority white culture has imposed on black people. On top of that, they claim, the criminal justice system is rigged against black people -- just look at the disproportionately high number of black prisoners.
   For a painful and horrendous example of these blatant falsehoods, look no further than the murders of children in Metro Detroit, primarily by drug traffickers.
   Did these children die at the hands of minions of the Ku Klux Klan? Were the killers unleashed from conservative Christian colleges? Did the stereotypical bogeyman of black liberals, a cold, callous white male corporate executive, pull the trigger?
   The children died because black liberals, who continually espouse "protecting children," have come to accept a certain death toll every year as a permanent reality. The culture of black liberalism does not even advocate lengthier terms of incarceration for drug traffickers -- even if that means children will die because repeat offenders will be freed to eventually prey again.
   Affirmative action is another example of a policy that is not in the long-term interests of blacks. Forget for the moment the indefensible prospect of using race to weigh someone's eligibility for admission to a school or employment. Implicit in the idea is that the student or job candidate would not be hired or allowed admission, but for this program.
   Most black parents work diligently to avoid placing the clouds of inferiority into the mental skies of their children (as Martin Luther King Jr. put it). Black liberals, though, turn around and promote the very embodiment of black inferiority by supporting affirmative action.
   Aside from inconsistencies with regard to public policy, a cultural paradox exists, too.
   Few successful black men would soberly disparage a woman as a "ho" or accept it as a useful reference in a professional setting. But many popular black (and white) musical groups still categorize women as little more than sexual chattels.
   What is the reaction from many successful, educated black liberals?
   The excuse is that by using "street" language, wearing certain attire and focusing on anything other than academic success, the musicians are simply trying to build themselves up by "keeping it real." Or they are merely expressing the rage that they feel because they don't have decent job prospects, they argue. Hey, it's hip.
   Notwithstanding the fact that black women deserve the same level of respect as white, Latina and Asian women, how can these liberals complain that Fortune 500 boardrooms are whites-only clubs when they condone corn rows, earrings and monosyllabic vocabularies? Is Ebonics, the guttural bastardized English once promoted by black liberals as a cultural norm, about to become common parlance on Wall Street?
   Is it hip to be unemployed?
   Perhaps the most inexplicable inconsistency of black liberals is the alliance they have with white liberals.
   White Democrats have proved over and over that they will swiftly abandon their would-be black allies and their positions to win elections. A glaring example has occurred this election cycle in the gubernatorial race in New York.
   The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, H. Carl McCall -- the only black gubernatorial candidate in the country -- had to humiliate himself by publicly pleading with Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Terry McAuliffe for more campaign funds after McAuliffe had refused an earlier request because he doesn't think McCall can win. The DNC had promised $500,000, but disbursed only about half that amount as McCall's standing in polls appeared ominous.
   In this case, white Democrats abandoned black concerns, simply because it was politically expedient to do so. Even former President Bill Clinton, albeit while kicking and screaming, signed a welfare reform law that was anathema to black liberals. His administration opened a dialogue about "mending but not ending" affirmative action -- not necessarily because he believed it was the right thing to do, but because he and his party risked losing the votes of white, unionized blue-collar workers.
   Yet, despite this record, most black voters will probably support Democrats on Tuesday.
   Kevin Fobbs, second vice chair of the Michigan Republican State Committee, says if black voters follow their usual pattern, they are not entirely to blame. Republican policies are far better in the long run for the black community, he argues. Getting that message to black voters, though, has been nettlesome, at best.
   "We're good on policy," Fobbs says, "but not good about communicating the policies' benefits.
   "Do we get it? Yeah, if we hear or know about it."
   Fobbs says if the GOP is to connect with black voters and recruit more of them to support Republican candidates, then the party definitely cannot abandon its core principles -- because those principles are also important to black parents, homeowners and taxpayers.
   "In spite of the kinds of challenges African Americans have, they want to see their children succeed and their family succeed," Fobbs says. "(We black Republicans should be) reminding folks about what our values are."
   The only other difficulty, of course, will be in trying to convince the majority of the black electorate that conservative policies are in in their best interests.
   

[riley1992]

I hit post without finishing. This article is from The Detroit News and can be found here.

[Unknown Freeper]

bump for later

[Willie Green]

ping

[Aracelis]

A bold and engaging article. Thanks for posting!

[chasio649]

very good read...thanks!

[FreedomPoster]

rdb3 says Republicans need to spend some/any time getting their message in front of the black electorate. He's probably right.

I'd say that before any registration drives, that the message needs to be delivered.

[xJones]

Republican policies are far better in the long run for the black community, he argues. Getting that message to black voters, though, has been nettlesome, at best.

"We're good on policy," Fobbs says, "but not good about communicating the policies' benefits.

"Do we get it? Yeah, if we hear or know about it."

Fobbs says if the GOP is to connect with black voters and recruit more of them to support Republican candidates, then the party definitely cannot abandon its core principles -- because those principles are also important to black parents, homeowners and taxpayers.

You all might want to get in here. The Republican party has to un-demonize itself and reach out. The core values are the same - and not DESTRUCTIVE like the Democratic values. Sheesh, what will it take?

And Willie, our borders must be secured and your anti-Nafta articles are good reading, although the argument that Americans WILL shop for cheaper prices over American-made goods has me stumped.

[stevem]

Therein lies the answer to the riddle: Most black voters are not willing to support public policies that encourage these values, or the candidates who promote them, even though most blacks would agree that they ought to be practiced.

I find it hard to believe that most blacks feel such values ought to be practiced. To think otherwise is to assume they are simply stupid. I am generally Republican and conservative in my sympathies. Yet I won't knowingly support a Republican that is more liberal that his foe. I will conceed to making mistakes in my life (Nixon v. Humphrey was the most egregious). Yet I'm not insane, and I don't think I'm more stupid that your average voter. You can't keep doing the same thing year in and year out and expect different results. You have to believe in the object of your support.

The only thing that makes any sense to me is blacks don't have a belief in a strong family. They don't believe in a good education for their kids. The same is true in any issue you care to name. I refuse to accept that the majority are simply stupid.

[riley1992]

You're welcome. I thought it was a great piece, too.

[D. Miles]

AMEN!

[mhking]

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[keats5]

Good article. Doesn't the trend with black voters tend to be increasingly towards the right now, especially with the young?

[riley1992]

I'd have to disagree with you on that. The majority of blacks I've known do believe in and think those policies ought to be practiced and do practice them in their daily lives. I think the problem may lie more with people not seeing the larger scope of what their vote may actually bring about in the long run.

[Willie Green]

And Willie, our borders must be secured and your anti-Nafta articles are good reading,

Thank-you.

Here's one hot off the presses: U.S. Army Mulls Outsourcing Jobs

[jackbill]

The Republican party has to un-demonize itself and reach out.

I strongly disagree. I believe that the blacks must un-demonize themselves.

Look at what President Bush has done - Powell, Rice, the Sec. of Education, etc., etc.. What will he get for it in 2004? Maybe 10% of the black vote.

Look at the Republican candidate for governor here in Maryland, Bob Ehrlich. He picks a black as his Lt. Gov.. Who does the liberal darling of the blacks pick? A white Republican. What will Ehrlich get for it? Maybe 10% of the black vote.

I really don't know what more Republicans can do. Or should do. If the blacks want to stay on the DemocRAT plantation, let them. Maybe someday, they'll get the message.

[GOPJ]

What liberals have done to black communities is a crime. White parents have been better at fighting liberal ideas with their own children, because of the strong influence of Republicans in our communities.

Let's pretend liberals could do to whites what they've done to inner city blacks:

First they would offer teenage white girls a free apartment and the same income their parents lives on. The catch: the teen has to have a child out of wedlock. ( What works in the short run destroys the persons life in the long run - but teens don't understand this).

Then, because young men aren't needed, liberals set up programs for them. Being a surplus person can lead to drug use, which leads to more crime, which leads to more programs, and more jobs for liberals.

There is one former KKK member in congress and he's a democrat.

Did these children die at the hands of minions of the Ku Klux Klan? Were the killers unleashed from conservative Christian colleges? Did the stereotypical bogeyman of black liberals, a cold, callous white male corporate executive, pull the trigger? The children died because black liberals, who continually espouse "protecting children," have come to accept a certain death toll every year as a permanent reality. The culture of black liberalism does not even advocate lengthier terms of incarceration for drug traffickers -- even if that means children will die because repeat offenders will be freed to eventually prey again.

[another cricket]

I think the problem may lie more with people not seeing the larger scope of what their vote may actually bring about in the long run.

I think it is more fear then anything else. A myth has been built up about the GOP and it is reinforced through popular entertainment. I didn't realize how much so until I was reading a (fiction) book recently and was quite surprised when the bad guy was a democrat female and the republican male was the good guy.

It has been woven into almost every thing, humor, movies, books, music and TV. After being subject to relentless propaganda it is a wonder that any stop repeating the "four legs good, two legs bad" mantra.

How do you reach out to a community who honestly may believe that you mean them harm?

a.cricket

[MHGinTN]

How do you reach ou t them? I don't know, butas George Will has said, 'it is shame the black community blindly donates their votes to a party (despotic power lusting democrats) that takes them completely for granted and thus doesn't have to bargain with them before or after elections.'