Is the GOP 'scared of black voters'?

Question

Anyone who follows my Q&A on Y!A knows that I pledge allegiance to NO party, though I lean to the right.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/25/roland.martin.gop/index.html

I found this article quite interesting. Here is an excerpt of it:

The GOP keeps blowing a big opportunity by ignoring blacks. And what about the debate sponsored by Spanish language TV station Univision? Only McCain accepted the invite.

Today's generation of blacks and Latinos shouldn't be seen as the same as their parents. An increasing number of people are refusing to identify themselves with a party, and looking at issues. Latinos have been a huge part of the Republican outreach, but the immigration debate is turning that in a different direction.

Why should the GOP talk to black voters, and what would they talk about?

First, I can tell you that immigration is huge in the black community, and gets folks riled up in a hurry (you ought to see my talk show lines when this comes up). Education and health care are also major. And every GOP debate has been about faith in the public square, and we know that plays well with black voters.

**Would I call them scared? Probably not, but I do think both blacks and Republicans need to establish some kind of dialogue, because the 'ALL blacks vote for Democrats' myth has got to be put to rest**

Michael F, you are one of the many here on Y!A who don't read but resort to meaningless rants.

Please start reading before answering.

Thanks.

Answer 1

While I think it would be good for them to speak to the minorities of the country I also feel like it keeps people segregated....I mean for as long as we have a "Spanish" debate and a "black" debate I do not feel we can come together as a nation...this keeps people in their own "group." I think once we just start holding plain ol debates it will be better. I could say that the Dem's are just trying to one up the repubs b/c they are holding these special debates to cator to one group of people....I think that once people understand we are all AMERICANS regardless of our color or we came from (legally) then there can be real debates. I think its sad that in America we have to hold "Spanish" debates and "black" debates.......these people are very welcome to come to the other debates. Why does everything have to be sorted into color or where you came from.

Answer 2

Its a great question BC.

I think to directly answer your question: The GOP feels they have lost the Black vote and it would be too much trouble getting them back. I also think that is wrong.

I think previous economic policy makes the GOP feel like they have alienated the Black community.

Also, the perception of the Democrat's support of the Civil Rights movement has a lasting heritage with Black voters. However, it was Eisenhower, a Republican, who made the greatest strides in Civil Rights. Perhaps a defining moment for this misconcieved conception was when Martin Luther King Jr was jailed and Nixon refused to contact King in jail when Kennedy had done so. I think that one act put a wedge between Blacks and the GOP.

There is a perception, wrong perception, that the Black community holds tightly to the welfare state mentality and the GOP has largely been anti-welfare.

The GOP has always been percieved as the party for Whites and they have done little to suppress that opinion. Reaching out to the White Religious establishment, who have a history, at least in the south, as being suppressive of Blacks, made many Blacks feel left out in the could, I believe. However, the emergence of the black evangelicals as a potent political force has been a boon to the GOP, and a nightmare for Democrats. The great untold story of campaign 2004 was that black evangelicals helped tip Ohio and the White House to Bush.

Jadkiss asked, "Why vote Republican if you're Black?"

I'll tell ya. The GOP has long been the party of self-determination. That has gone away abit with the assention of the "New Right" but it is still more valid than saying the Democrats believe in self-determination. The Black voter should embrace the ideology of opportunity and reject the welfare mentality that has kept many of their community mired in poverty. The GOP has long supported building buisness and opportunity instead of handouts, this should appeal greatly to Black voters.

The Democrats have long been the party of blame and excuses and unfortunately it is the perception of many that the Black community also perpetuates the blame and excuses doctrine. That generalization as I have seen is mostly a fallacy but in some cases, certainly in the most outspoken voices in Black leadership, that is the image that is portrayed.

We do not hear enough from guys like Denzel Washington and Lynn Swann and too much from Kanye West and Jesse Jackson.

One of the primary reasons the Republican Party came into existence was because of its opposition to the Democrat Party’s support and promoting of The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. This act repealed the Anti-Slavery Missouri Compromise Law. The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to halt the spread of slavery beyond a certain point in the Louisiana Territory

The first Black congressman Hiram Revels was a Republican.

The perception that the GOP is not the party for the Black community is flawed, in fact I believe the Black community has closer ties to the Republican base than certainly the Democratic base, these days.

Answer 3

No. I think it has more to do with the fact that during a primary, you talk to your party's base. And with a 90% support of Democrats, blacks (as a whole) aren't a significant part of the Republican party base.

Why spend the time and money on campaigning to people who aren't going to be giving campaign contributions or voting in the GOP primary?

Would the Democratic Party candidates go to a NRA sponsored debate? Would they go to a debate on Fox News?

But the basic question, and the basic thing that, IMO, needs to be said by the Republicans is that the party does not recognize that any particular group of Americans should receive any special consideration from government based on identity politics.

They've missed their opportunity to say this many times now; I wish someone would have the guts to talk frankly.

Answer 4

The GOP doesn't excludes blacks, it includes them as Americans and doesn't distinguish the difference. In an open debate all issues are on the table (National security, equality among races, fiscal management, immigration, etc). Why does every group (sexes, races, social minorities) want separate treatment? Shouldn't being American be the number one defining characteristic for everyone no matter what race?

Also the GOP has placed more blacks into powerful govt positions than the Dems ever have. The Dems pander for votes from the minorities with false promises. Minorities have been voting for Dems for 50 years, but has inner-city schools improved? Has minority poverty levels risen? That's what I mean by false promises.

Answer 5

I agree the term "scared" might be over the top.

If we look at recent history every GOP candidate that speaks in a minority forum gets severely heckled. NAACP Chairman Julian Bond even called the GOP "Nazis".

The GOP needs to establish talking points about how the DNC has treated them like "victims" and are pitied by the DNC NOT respected by them. The GOP needs to promise AND deliver support for minority owned small business, adult education and training programs and urban education. I would term this as "SELF ENTITLEMENT PROGRAMS". Once enacted they would then make the choice simple. Do you support the party that keeps you a slave to the government by giving you just enough handouts to stay poor OR do you support the party that gave you the opportunity to better yourself and pull yourself out of the ghetto? (obviously not all blacks are poor or even lower/middle class but everyone benefits from decreasing poverty and the effort will be noted)

(You have a talk show?)

Answer 6

The GOP should be colorblind. They should talk to black voters the same as asian, indian, hispanic or white voters...as bloody PEOPLE! There is no need for special forums or caucauses...more than enough time has passed for people to quit whining about the past and get on with life!

And as a block, no, the GOP isn't "scared" of black voters, as blacks only make up 12% of the population and have a much lower per capita rate of registering and voting...they are marginal (strategically) at best.

Answer 7

That was definitely an interesting article. I kind of wonder if it's at least partly because of the Republican politicians' stance on affirmative action and hate crimes legislation. Perhaps they're afraid that they may be asked about their position on those issues and they would be put in an awkward position because of their audience. Also, the Republican Party has the support of a lot of white voters largely because of their stance on affirmative action and hate crimes legislation, and perhaps they're afraid that if they make a play for the black vote, some of their white base will be put off by this and they will lose some of their support.

Answer 8

I dont think so I think the Democratic party has been saying what black voter what to here and acomplished nothing for the black voter.

I think a good question to ask is what has thier party acomplished for black voters.

I do know one thing that the Republican party was founded based on anti-savery beilifs.

The Republican Party was born in the early 1850's by anti-slavery activists and individuals who believed that government should grant western lands to settlers free of charge. The first informal meeting of the party took place in Ripon, Wisconsin.

The first official Republican meeting took place on July 6th, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. The name "Republican" was chosen because it alluded to equality and reminded individuals of Thomas Jefferson's Democratic-Republican Party.

In 1856, the Republicans became a national party when John C. Fremont was nominated for President under the slogan: "Free soil, free labor, free speech, free men, Fremont." Four years later, Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican to win the White House.

The Republican Party also played a leading role in securing women the right to vote. In 1896, Republicans were the first major party to favor women's suffrage. When the 19th Amendment finally was added to the Constitution, 26 of 36 state legislatures that had voted to ratify it were under Republican control. The first woman elected to Congress was a Republican, Jeanette Rankin from Montana in 1917.

Republicans have a long and rich history with basic principles: Individuals, not government, can make the best decisions; all people are entitled to equal rights; and decisions are best made close to home.

The symbol of the Republican Party is the elephant. During the mid term elections in 1874, Democrats tried to scare voters into thinking President Grant would seek to run for an unprecedented third term. Thomas Nast, a cartoonist for Harper's Weekly, depicted a Democratic jackass trying to scare a Republican elephant - and both symbols stuck.

Answer 9

I usually like to offer sources for my answers, but this one is stictly opinion. It seems to me that the mainstream candidates are using the Hispanics and blacks for votes only. They NEVER mention race issues except to condemn the random acts occuring on a sporadic basis. The immigration issue only creates soundbites for TV news but nothing has really changed at all. But the black voters can be such a huge block of support. They are complicated, they have history, they have been treated, even in recent elections, poorly at the poles. On one hand, they should be treated like the everyday normal AMericans that they are. But I also think the black community demands that candidates make promises exclusive to the black community that many perceive to be a demand for special treatment. Yikes where am I going with this . . . .?

Answer 10

I think Black Voters are more "scared" or suspect of the GOP. This is unfortunate, considering that the GOP ofton agrees with the average Black Voter on a host of issues. The Democrats have done a remarkable marketing job on the black community...Remember desegregation...I do...I also remember that the politicians that promoted separation of whites and blacks were DEMOCRATS. Go figure.

Answer 11

I do find increasingly more black conservatives, but when the GOP snubs a debate for them that doesn't send a good signal. I was disappointed that they did this, and that they didn't offer any good reasons as to why. I support McCain, I'm glad to see he accepted the invitation, but then again he needs any support he can get right now.

The GOP should talk to black voters to see what issues concern them. Racism is slowly dying in this country, there are many wealthy and faith-based black communities that would make a good addition to the Republican party. This would be a useful step in ending the stereotype that blacks vote Democrat only for welfare and government handouts.