: Credibility of black conservatism

Minneapolis Star Tribune ^ | 1/14/05 | STAR PARKER

[rhema]

Armstrong Williams' poor judgment in not revealing being compensated by the Department of Education to promote No Child Left Behind is unfortunate. With his stepping into the line of fire and acknowledging his errors, we'll be able to get this behind us and move on. What impact, if any, will this incident have on the ongoing credibility of black conservatism?

Liberals, particularly black liberals, will claim this incident simply confirms what they have known all along. For them, black conservatives by definition are individuals on the make and on the take.

In their view, liberalism is coded into black DNA. It is a genetic impossibility for a black to actually believe that government should be limited and that every person, regardless of circumstance, must take personal responsibility for his or her own life. A black espousing such views, according to liberal thinking, commits an act against nature and betrays heritage and family. The only possible explanation for any black talking like a conservative is that the person is being paid to do it.

What is worse, to continue with this line of thinking, only whites can really be conservatives. So, black conservatives outrage black liberals not just because they are supposedly sellouts, but also because they are selling out to whites.

This mindset is quite common, unfortunately, among the black political class.

I think Williams' mistake will hurt a little as we try to make inroads in the black community with the conservative message. After all, trust is what carries the day in human relations, and trust is the biggest problem that conservatives have in winning over black hearts and minds.

However, I think the setback will be small because, in fact, the importance and relevance of the conservative message to the black community is real . . .

[snopercod]

ping

[Cicero]

What do you want to bet we'll be hearing about this relatively minor infringement of the rules from the MSM for the next 20 or 30 years, like that business about Eisenhower's adviser Sherman Adams accepting a fur coat from a contributor. Just yesterday a column on the presidents couldn't refrain from mentioning Eisenhower's terrible scandal as if it were the most important moment of his presidency. And then there was Watergate, which the Democrats will remember as long as the last one lives. But somehow clinton's scandals are already ancient history.

[rhema]

But somehow clinton's scandals are already ancient history.

Well, there are so many to chronicle that they tend to coalesce into one amorphous blob.

[gulfcoast6]

When I was a very young boy here in the south I can remember older blacks approaching a white man with hat in hand saying 'master' or 'boss man', wrong but it was done. Here we are today, 2005. the elected politicians on the Democrat side still have the blacks bowing to them with hat in hand saying 'master' or 'boss man' as they have them schooled them to depend on their 'help'.

[NeilGus]

I think conservatives must stand strongly behind black conservatives. Black conservatives face additional pressures, white conservatives do not, yet they stand on their conservatism. It shows that they are smart, principled and willing to stand up for the rights things, even under the face of strong pressure.

Kind of like the civil rights heroes of the past.

[Angry Enough]

For them, black conservatives by definition are individuals on the make and on the take. Unlike 'the Reverend' Jackson, Sharpton, et al.

[painter]

Liberals, particularly black liberals, will claim this incident simply confirms what they have known all along. For them, black conservatives by definition are individuals on the make and on the take.

OH YEA!!

What do you call Jesse Jackson!

[CBart95]

Hollow invective. Tired,time-worn slogans. Bill Cosby.Chris Rock?
The train left the station...a long time ago.


The good you take is equal to the good you make.

[Turbo Pig]

this relatively minor infringement of the rules

Was it really an "infringement" on the rules? I haven't seen anything that says it was. In fact, aside from not disclosing, immediately to the public that he was paid for the endorsement, there is no indication the anything unethical, let alone illegal took place. I fail to see where this isn't anything other that another manufactured scandal, used to hurt the administration.

Am I missing something?

[bowzer313]

Throughout this whole Armstrong affair, I've wondered "Who Cares?" Everybody knows that today's "spokespeople" are always paid, in some way, for their advocacy. Why in the world is this any different? So what if Armstrong was paid for his appearances advocating the NCLB act. Don't you think Chappaquidick Ted was paid by the Unions for his involvement in this legislation as well? This whole thing is just another trumped-up and meaningless excuse to bash Bush and the Republicans. What bugs me is few Republican "spokespeople", like Malkin, who stupidly play the game by Democrat rules and chime right in with their feigned outrage at Armstrong.

[conservative-black]

As a republican whom happens to be black, I have seen this view of conservative black by black liberals and others first hand. This view is reinforced by the media. I do not think that in the short term, any change will occur. What will it take? Democrats in leadership whom will fail again to address those issue important to the Black community, then only then, a real effort to by Black Conservatives to not only show how correct some of the ills in the black community but to accomplish real change.

[Reaganghost]

"After all, trust is what carries the day in human relations, and trust is the biggest problem that conservatives have in winning over black hearts and minds."

Actually I would have used the word Truth, not trust. Because liberals (Democrats) have controlled the media, conservatives have had trouble getting their message out since the media would not report it. Worse, those conservatives trying to get the message out were targeted for tarring and feathering or had any character flaws revealed and smeared in public so successfully, that many conservatives simply stopped trying to get the conservative message out. Some conservative politicians were so frightened, they even stopped being conservative.

Here is the way to get the Truth out. When conservatives can successfully report the Truth to the public, conservatives will gain the public's trust.

[mhking]

It is no different than I said when this first broke.

The soul patrol will use this as "evidence" of our complicity in some sort of "conspiracy" against black America. They'll use it to continue to denigrate us as "sellouts" (literally), "oreos," "lawn jockeys for the right" and other less polite names.

And, as I pointed out last week, we will continue to survive and thrive, even in that bitter environment. The biggest two commodities we have here are time and truth.

Life continues.

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.

[Reaganghost]

"After all, trust is what carries the day in human relations, and trust is the biggest problem that conservatives have in winning over black hearts and minds."

Actually I would have used the word Truth, not trust. Because liberals (Democrats) have controlled the media, conservatives have had trouble getting their message out since the media would not report it. Worse, those conservatives trying to get the message out were targeted for tarring and feathering or had any character flaws revealed and smeared in public so successfully, that many conservatives simply stopped trying to get the conservative message out. Some conservative politicians were so frightened, they even stopped being conservative.

Here is the way to get the Truth out. When conservatives can successfully report the Truth to the public, conservatives will gain the public's trust.

[mhking]

It is no different than I said when this first broke.

The soul patrol will use this as "evidence" of our complicity in some sort of "conspiracy" against black America. They'll use it to continue to denigrate us as "sellouts" (literally), "oreos," "lawn jockeys for the right" and other less polite names.

And, as I pointed out last week, we will continue to survive and thrive, even in that bitter environment. The biggest two commodities we have here are time and truth.

Life continues.

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.

[rdb3]

I really do think we're wounded. It's not small. Our ship is now taking on water.

[mhking]

I really do think we're wounded.

It's only a flesh wound. Gimme a band-aid, and keep swingin'!

[Dont_Tread_On_Me_888]

The Clinton White House money fed James Carville for his views on CNN and fed many other radical talking heads.

BFD!

This is status quo. The only difference is Williams is black and does not sing the radical extremist DemocRATic song.

Williams is not under attack here by the MSM for this incident. Conservatism is under attack.

Jesse Jackass has been fed government money for years to scream and squeal the radical leftist song.

The tragedy is the conservatives are not throwing these facts in the face of the radicals. We always lay down and let them stomp on us. Our leaders have no spine.

[EveningStar]

It's only a flesh wound. Gimme a band-aid, and keep swingin'!