Is there any wonder why a political sect who calls itself the “Grand Old Party” is not a magnet for Blacks (or any minority for that matter)? Whenever you see a Republican convention or a Republican campaign gathering, all you see is a sea of white faces. This is not so with the Democratic Party. When you see one of their campaigns or conventions, you see what America is all about, sea of diversity—Blacks, Whites, Hispanics, Asians, and everything in between. Why is this? What must the Republicans Party do to reach out and win the hearts of minorities? Are they willing to do it?
I know that the Republican Party is called the Grand Old Party, or the GOP, because it is one of the longest standing political parties, founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists. But how many minorities know this about the Republicans? How many know that Abraham Lincoln, someone Barak Obama refers to often, was a Republican? When most minorities think Grand Old Party, they likely think “Grand Old Times” when blacks were slaves and white ran everything. The name may hearken back to a time when things and people were segregated—an idea reinforced by a sea of white faces. In fact, up until the mid-to-late 20th Century, must Blacks were Republican.
So, what changed? What changed is what is set in the mindsets of those who are now Democrats. The Republicans were made up of the whites who endorsed segregation. They enforced rules of Blacks riding in the back of the bus, separate water fountains and separate restrooms. They were mainly the ones who chased down and killed those who were opposed to change. These “Gentlemen” were the ones who lynched blacks and burned crosses, all the while wearing sheets over their heads to hide their identity and protect their standing as upstanding citizens.
Democrats, on the other hand, offered equality for Blacks. Presidential candidates like John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B Johnson offered hope for minorities going as far as to enforce school integration and passing the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act. With these enticements, minorities migrated over to the Democratic Party and have largely been part of the Democratic demographics ever since.
Because of strong maternal influence, a large number of minorities are church-goers, although this number is decreasing with each generation. However, because of the church’s influence, many minorities have a strong since of morality and values. In fact, I am willing to go as far as to say that many of their values are the same or closely related to the values of conservative Republicans. Speaking from what I know, most Blacks believe in the sanctity of marriage, prayer in schools, God in America, are either against homosexuality as a class or believe it is up to the individual but not a matter for law, and believe in smaller government and lower taxes. Most are for immigration laws and tougher penalties for crimes.
Therefore, with so much in common, why are most Blacks, as well as, other minorities Democrats? Personally, I believe it is because most Blacks see Republicans as rich white folks who don’t want Blacks to have anything. As spun by the media, Republicans don’t want to pay their fair share of taxes but what to add more of that burden on the backs of the poor, the have-nots, the minorities. They see Republicans as people who want to cut programs like Social Security and Medicare yet not cut their own salaries, which most of them don’t need because they’re rich already. Republicans have endorsed two wars overseas leading to the deaths of over 4,000 American soldiers. Republicans are responsible for giving tax breaks to corporations that outsource jobs overseas, jobs that are primarily held by minorities, thereby leading to higher unemployment. In short, Republicans are interested in only protecting their interests which are contrary or contradictory to those of minorities.
So, what can the Republican Party do to correct this and get more blacks in their ranks? First, they need to change their image. They need to be seen as a party who care for everyone and not just the rich and the middle class. They need to work to get better paying jobs in this country—perhaps those green jobs Obama spoke of in 2008. If the Republicans want to get rid of or decrease dependence on welfare programs, they should provide more funding for better education and hold people responsible for their actions. If people have children, they need to take care of them. That is not society’s job. (It may take a village to raise a child, but the village doesn’t have to pay for it.) Republican leadership should have an open and candid talk with Hispanic leadership to discuss how best to tackle immigration laws. In the end, not everyone will be pleased, but something has to be done. In short, take care of home first.
Taking care of home first means balancing national security with the needs of the home. We need to be safe and feel safe but national security is not mutually exclusive to balancing the budget, improving education, creating jobs, and securing our borders. Like anyone else, Blacks are going to give their allegiance to those they perceive are meeting their needs. Perception is everything.
Will the Republican Party do any of these things? Will these middle- and upper-class Caucasians embrace their minority brothers and sisters? Will they seek to convert them to the ‘true’ party line? Time will tell. They will do something better than they did if they sincerely want Obama to be a one-term president. A black RNC chairman won’t be enough as Ron Steele has already shown.
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