Black Politics: Black Republicans – Misunderstood or Sellouts to the Cause
The third installment of the Black Politics topic focuses on our attitude towards Black Republicans and the Republican Party and how it effects the Black Community.
The 3 Questions
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
FRONT STREET
Herman Cain was amongst the leading candidates for the Republican Party nomination for President early on in the GOP race. This wouldn’t seem so odd, considering that we now have a Black President, except for the fact that most people who are Republicans and Republican affiliated are “elderly White men.” The principles of the party seem to unabashedly go against the wants and, in some cases, needs of the Black Community. Yet, a Black man was leading in the polls. When asked about the Black vote, Cain replied that Black people were brainwashed into voting Democrat. This, of course, ruffled some feathers in the Black Community but also sparked serious discussion concerning why Blacks really have ceased to vote Republican anymore. Is it possible that Black people actually think that the Republican Party contributes to the destruction of the Black Community?
Please write in and respond to our 3 poll questions or post some questions that you would like to see asked. These question and more will be addressed during the discussion airing on YouTube at Black Republicans.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
I think that probably around the time of the Kennedy and Johnson is when the Democratic Party became so appealing to the community as they pushed forward very important reformative civil rights policies. But, generations later, the trend appears to be to vote for Democrats by default. Clinton did seem to have a remarkable ability to connect and show compassion for the plight of the community, but it’s also important not to forget civil rights moves such as those implemented by President Eisenhower.
There have been notable Black Republicans in public service that don’t seem quite as extreme as Cain, such as Colin Powell, Dr. Rice, and J.C. Watts just to name a few. I’ve read interviews in which they report that their attraction to the party originated with its core message of self-reliance, responsibility, and the value of hard work. The likes of businessmen such as Cain are presumably attracted to the party’s traditional low-tax, pro-business stance. I think in general Republicans’ dilemma is that they believe affirmative action is just another form of discrimination, which is a valid argument in principle but in practice the need for it over the past 40 or 50 years can be too easily argued.
I think it’s unfair to dismiss the views of Black Republicans as bizarrely misguided. To give an open mind and ear to the Republican Party I think would force both parties to pay more attention and more proactively address issues that are most important to the black community.
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
I can’t really speak to that, although I do think that the strong tones of frustration over the inertia of the state of Black America in controversial commentaries from public personalities like Bill Cosby are not unfounded.
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
I think TEA Partiers are true believers in limited government, states rights, low taxes, and free market. Ideas and values like this are just like those at the far left end of the spectrum – they can be argued compellingly in principle, but in practice don’t always prove to work out in the best interest of the country and its people.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
No I don’t. Morally, Black people in general are more like Republicans on issues such as abortion and gay marriage because of the spirituality and religious fervor within the community. However, from a social stand point Republicans stopped meeting the needs of Black people after the “Dixiecrats” evolved into the Democrats. Republicans don’t take fairness, from a historical perspective, into account at all when they take their stances. This again slights the agenda of Black people. An example of this is shown on debates over Affirmative Action, food stamps, and all of a sudden voter registration.
The reason why Affirmative Action even exist is because Black people, or anyone but White males, couldn’t get a job because the employer, usually a White Male, didn’t want to hire them. These rejections were on the basis of race, not skill. Affirmative Action still doesn’t guarantee anything except that you get a proper chance of getting the job; and these people are qualified, it’s not taking a janitor and making him a CEO just so it looks good from the outside as people are made to believe. Why would Black people vote against that?
In terms of food stamps, it’s true that depending on how you look at it Whites need it just as much if not more than everyone else. However, food stamps and welfare have become synonymous with Black single mothers. This image has been tattooed into the brain of society, especially the Republicans who often trout out the common slogan “lift yourself up by your own boot straps.” When the financial crisis of 2008 hit and White middle class families needed these programs to get by, the stigma and reporting on the issue all of a sudden changed from lift yourself up to a hand up. This has been Black people’s argument for years, whether they personally needed it or not because it is not an issue of laziness or greed, but an issue of morality. It is recognition that hard times come to us all and at some point we all need a hand up. Republican voters need it now more than ever and still, Republicans believe that providing this service is too much. Why would Black people vote for that?
Finally we come to the renewed argument over photo ID to be able to vote. On the surface this makes perfect sense, why wouldn’t you show your ID to vote? Think about this, if you were born in the US any time before 1940 and were Black you couldn’t get service at a lot if not all legitimate hospitals. This is important because hospitals have records and send these records off so that you can get a birth certificate and a social security number/card and so on. Let’s say you were born in the house you grew up in with no doctors or records and so on. You need a birth certificate to get any kind of ID let alone a license. You need a license of some sort in order to prove who you are. These things cost money and time that most people don’t have and it overwhelmingly affects Black people who were denied rights for so long on bogus rules such as this. Why would Black people support that? They wouldn’t and that’s why Republicans can’t win our vote.
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
I think that Black people in general recognize that at some point everyone needs a hand up. Considering how far a lot of Blacks have had to come from just to get to where we are shows our fortitude in terms of what we can accomplish with our own works. However, at least to me, the government’s role is to protect its citizens, whether that is through military action or welfare programs. Are these programs abused, yes, but the system can be tweaked to make sure the people who use it are progressing in steps to get out of that system and on their own. However, to not have system at all would be devastating to all people.
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
Let me start by saying that they are allowed to say whatever they want and that they are allowed to have their own opinions and views on every issue. I applaud the fact that they have made their voice heard and that they are helping stir the conversation. With all of that said, I hate the TEA Party! My biggest beef with the TEA party is where the hell were they in 2000 when Bush stole the election? Where were they when we fought a war based on a lie that cost 1 billion dollars a day? Where were they when they extended the national debt limit x amount of times under Bush? Where is the consistency? I just want them to be consistent. They make it seem like all the problems in America started on January 21, 2009 when the truth is that things happening now are in response to the policy of President’s prior to and including the current one. All of a sudden people are saying don’t tread on my rights, even though they haven’t been violated. They are saying keep your hand off my guns when nothing has been done to take them. They are promoting the founding fathers, even though they were blatant racist slave owners who(although brilliant) at best were morally misguided and in many cases not “Christians” like they proclaim them to be. I feel that they are dangerous because they don’t believe in compromise. Without compromise nothing gets done and when nothing gets done we all suffer. Not to mention they would let someone die rather than have national health care and let someone starve rather than have welfare. Bottom line…I hate the TEA Party!!!
Correction to P.O.G.
The Tea Party started under BUSH in protest to the October 2008 Banker Bailout – Rick Santelli, in a now famous rant, called for a 1773-style Tea Party on the Chicago trading floor on CNBC.
It did not start under Obama. It got more PRESS under Obama because the establishment media wanted to paint them as racist – which became a self-fulfilling prophecy..
Free Black Girl
That may be the first time the idea of a “Tea Party” was mentioned but no rallies were held until a month after Obama took office. Truth be told, not including people like yourself, most people still attribute the Banker Bailout to Obama and not Bush.
As far as the media coverage goes, I don’t think CNN, MSNBC, or even Fox News (maybe LOL) were handing out any racist signs to the protestors. The truth of the matter is that you had a fringe of mostly older, mostly white, people scared that they were losing their standing as the leaders of America. White people throughout history have often times used this type of fear to do unspeakable atrocities to others, however in this case they brought signs that harken back to when we first started to integrate schools in America. I am not mad at them because they don’t like Obama, 45% of the nation will never vote for him no matter what. I am more upset that they didn’t decide to hold rallies and get involved until Obama got in office. They had plenty of opportunity to have this issue brought to the forefront but they selected to do so a month after the election of the first Black President. All I’m saying is be consistent.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
1. Honestly I feel that “brainwashed” might be too strong of a word to describe the tendency for most Blacks to overwhelmingly vote democratic, regardless of how abreast they are on where candidates stand on any certain issue. After thinking of the question for a few minutes, I really can’t think of another word that really describes this tendency though. I also think it also has to do with blacks being expected to stay true to party that has historically been the most sympathetic to minorities. The very idea of voting Republican if you are a middle class (or below) Black American is unthinkable for most of us. Is it just a case of being close minded? Perhaps. I’m black, and I voted for Bush the second time. Why? Because we were in a dangerous point in American history, and I didn’t have full confidence that Kerry had the wherewithal to finish the military campaigns that we were already committed to. Whenever I tell other Black Americans my Bush voting choice, they tend look at me with immediate disapproval, but can rarely tell me anything about John Kerry that you couldn’t gather from a bumper sticker, or what in his campaign ultimately led them to vote for him. I’m not saying that I’m any better… Prior to that one vote, I had never dreamed of voting Republican, and grew up helping my grandmother drive senior citizens to the polls to vote. I grew up with the voting model ingrained in my head “blacks vote for democrats”, as I’m sure many other did, and still do. Through it all, I try to vote based on how I feel about the issues most important to me, with some issues such as social programs, immigration, and defense topping the list. Even with that being said, and the fact that I try to read as much as I can subjectively, I still tend to vote Democratic. So maybe being “brainwashed” as a child made me remember the struggles that my family had to endure to make ends meet, and which party my grandmother thought most helped us make it through the day.
2. I grew up on food stamps, ate free lunch at public school, and even got free christmas toys from “Toys for Tots”. I grew up in a home where we didn’t have very much at all, and without those social programs, we might not have made it. My story is not unique, and these programs have helped thousands of other families. As much as they help Black Americans, they are also heavily abused and can, in some cases, lead to a cycle of dependence which discourages self improvement. I was raised by my grandparents who survived on social security, and with the help of other government sponsored programs. This is not true for others that I personally know that are currently dependent on social programs to feed their families, pay the majority (if not all) of medical related expenses, and even to help them pay their utilities. Everyone needs help sometimes, but its certain individuals that are on these programs for an extended period of time that are perfectly capable of attempting to find work, or seeking educational improvement to better themselves, but choose not to that gives these much needed programs a bad name. People have grown tired of having their tax money go to people that are young, and fully capable of contributing more to society. I’m torn by this question, because I have witnessed first hand the good these programs can do, but I’ve also seen how they can lead to a certain section of our society (not just Blacks either) taking advantage of the system, and using these programs as a buffer and safety net to continue to make the same mistakes in life over and over again.
3. The Tea party to me is the most dangerous political entity that has existed since the 1970’s in America. It’s the party’s lack of fundamental understanding of the legislative process that really makes them dangerous… even to the loosely affiliated Republican party. The “my way or the highway” mentality in which they attempted to handle the budget deficit bill shocked me, as well as a lot of other Americans. They didn’t understand, nor did they want to understand the consequences their demands associated with fiscal policy would have on the function of government. They are a band of inexperienced and reckless politicians that have done nothing but hamper progress in this country over the past two years. Its goes back to Americans sometimes not fully understanding how complicated some of the responsibilities of government truly are. The American people demand, they vote, and then the elected officials try to execute. The Tea Party embodies the most extreme version of a political group that is unwilling to compromise for the sake of their fellow citizens nor for the sake of our country. They just starkly demand, and repeat the voters… even when some of our demands are effectively unrealistic. Experienced politicians know the value of compromise. This seems to be foreign concept to the Tea Party. Dangerous… dangerous indeed.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
Yes absolutely. Most people blindly align with a political party. Once you identify with one, it is almost impossible to switch. it’s like being in a Street Gang. I also think a lot of black people are deterred from the Republican party even if they agree with, support or value, the Party’s views on certain issues. Mainly because the stigma attached to Black Republicans and how they will be treated from the majority of the black community.
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
This isn’t a Black issue to me…this is an American Issue. A lot of Americans are too dependent on government services and abuse them. they are not intended to be permanent…they are intended to help those who need it…not reward those who don’t want to work.
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
I don’t know enough about their ideology to confidently have a judgement, but from what I’ve seen, they seem to be irrational, closed-minded, extremist, racist and anti-government. I want nothing to do with them.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
Yes. I think that’s the reason that the Democratic party doesn’t really appeal to the plight of black America. If there was a real third-party that would give people a choice, things would be better for all of us. However, we’re stuck in a system where we’re almost forced into our vote.
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
I would say no. There are a number of groups that are dependent on services the government provides, including a number of corporations that we all do business with. It’s a convenient excuse to say that Keisha and Tasha and their multiple children out of wedlock are the main recipients of government aid, when there aren’t even enough black people in the country to exhaust the system at the rate we are accused.
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
I associate Republicans in general with racists and folks who want to take advantage of the middle class and poor. The Tea Party, I associate with folks who are upset that a black man got elected President. Routinely, they are exposed as ill-informed and the fringe element.
1. Do you feel that Blacks are brainwashed into voting Democrat?
Past history shows that the way to survive in the south is to vote the way the white southerners tell you to vote. If you voted for anything other that democrat you may get your neck stretched. Since votes are power, I think that blacks were manipulated into voting for democratic (Dixie-crat) candidates.
During the great migration (1950’s and 60’s) un-fascinated blacks that migrated north brought those voting ideals with them. If a black or white candidate wanted to win (north or south) he had to join the Democratic Party to get the black vote. And offer more free stuff.
Does this benevolent slave master (Democratic Party) really care for his former slaves? Does he really supply all their needs? He took care of his children and baby’s mother. (For a price I might add). All they want was your vote. But, they always had a hidden agenda.
Today, the Dixie-crat no longer exists. But the democratic tradition still exists within the black community. The Dixie-crat has transitioned to a super liberal party. Malcolm warned us about the liberals http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hm8wXZmRD8 . Not that he loved white conservatives either. But, genocide !!! Occurring within the black community. And black democrats are willing to overlook abortion to support Obama. That is really self hate.
2. Are Black people too dependent on the government and the services they provide?
I always said that when the emancipation proclamation was read many were happy.Others were scared. “What mean we free?” ,”What we gonna do?”
The truth is, and it does hurt, some of us can’t handle freedom. We some couldn’t handle it in 1864 and can’t handle it today. If government (massa) did not help feed my children and baby mother. Oh lordy!
It appears to be on a family basis. Those families with a tradition of high moral character, handled freedom better than those who did not. Socialism requires dependence on government to control results. While holding back those who use their god given talents to achieve. Remember, Nazi Germany was a socialist government.
3. How do you feel about the TEA Party Republicans and why?
I listened to JFK’s Berlin (1960’s) speech a few weeks ago. He stated that many in his day thought that communism was the wave of the future. We who are adults, need to ask our selves, do we want our country to go the way the world is going?. Rejecting those Judaic traditions that has truly brought civilization to the world. And turning away from those Christian-Judaic traditions that America is based on.
TEA party folks see the United States going in the wrong direction.
If we lose America, where do we go to seek freedom.
I believe that America is that Shining City on the hill.
Where you are free to succeed or yes, free to fail.
For many black conservatives, the key mission is to bring repair and success to the Black community by applying the following fundamental principles:
– The pursuit of educational and professional excellence as a means of advancement within the society;
– Policies that promote safety and security in the community beyond the typical casting of a criminal as a “victim” of societal racism;
– Local economic development through free enterprise rather than looking to the federal government for assistance;
– Empowerment of the individual via self-improvement (virtue), conscience, and supernatural grace.
Black conservatives may find common ground with Black Nationalists through their common belief in black empowerment and the theory that black people have been duped by the Welfare state.
From wikipedia