I’ve previously said that given that many (Southern) blacks are actually social conservatives (and often fiscally conservative as well) that the Republican Party should be able to capture a larger share of the black vote.
Yet, they don’t. Why? Many many reasons, not least of which many blacks still view the Republican Party as racist. I’ve said before that I don’t think any one political party is more or less racist than another...both have their bad eggs with sh*tty viewpoints, folks just have different ways of expressing it (straight up no chasers à la classic racism or wrapped in a soft cloak of liberal racism). This isn’t to say that all political parties or people are inherently racists. They’re not. Ignorant, yes. Racist, no.
Although I’ve written about Blacks their general aversion to the GOP before, I feel the need to write about it again. Why? Because of gems like this from the one and only High Priestess of Batsh*t Crazy, Ms. Ann Coulter:
The best quote from Ann Coulter during this mess of a commentary: "Our blacks are so much better than their blacks [Democrats]. To become a black Republican, you don't just roll into it. You're not going with the flow...and that's why we have very impressive blacks in the Republican party."
OK this statement right here? It assumes that all other blacks (i.e. the ones who are Democrats) blindly follow like sheep. That to be a Black Republican means you’ve really thought about it and made the choice to join the GOP. That second thought may very well be true. But it’s not necessarily less true of Black Democrats.
I consider myself an independent with both liberal and conservative tendencies. Both of my parents are Democrats. Both are also quite conservative on social and fiscal issues. Both are solidly middle class and my dad in particular is quite educated. Both believe in seeing people as and judging them as individuals. So why do they vote Democrat instead of Republican? A number of reasons, too many to go into in fact. But they didn’t blindly follow the herd and vote Democrat because other black folks do.
If the GOP were willing to actually listen to some of the complaints blacks (and really other minorities across the board...the GOP’s record with non-whites isn’t exactly spectacular) have about the party instead of loudly assuming that blacks who vote a straight Democratic ticket do so because they’ve been brainwashed into it and are too stupid to think for themselves, then perhaps they would be able to reach out beyond and expand their traditional (and rapidly shrinking) base.
Sadly, Ann Coulter and her thought process is the very embodiment of why so many blacks don't f*ck with the GOP. Just saying.
And I’m not even going to address the historical inaccuracy of what she said about the Democrats and slavery. Awww, f*ck it, yes I will. The Republicans of Lincoln’s day were actually more ideologically similar to the Democrats of today. And the Democrats of Lincoln’s day, who Coulter blamed for slavery, are actually ideologically closer to the Republicans of today. How did that happen? See: Strategy, Southern.
4 comments:
To be honest, there are probably a lot more Black Republicans in America than we give credit. This may be due to the fact that conservative Blacks are demonized and labeled as "sellouts" and "uncle toms" so they feel pressured to state themselves as Democrat even though they consistently vote Republican. I'm a centrist, socially liberal yet fiscally conservative to be exact, and my options are always open during election season. Although, to talk about my political affliation openly draws stares, whispers, and even arguments I don't care to have.
My great grandmother and grandparents were old school Republicans who just so happened to be Black. Given the recent racist/xenophobic, classist, sexist, and homophobic,history of Republicans beginning in the early 21st century and continuing to this day to block any legislation that benefits everyday working people, be they whatever so called "race" or ethnic group-or fall short in the systems of power structure (race, class, gender, and able-bodiedness), you are right about why they don't get the majority of the "Black" vote b/c what kinda of special idiots would vote for a party that does not have an interest in them and blaming them for all the ails USA suffers? Remember, Republicans are behind the machine that has ingrained this belief of biological black inferiority and that so-called Blacks are the financial drain on social programs.
About your link to the South Strategy, I have a personal account to share. The story begins in the summer of 1964 at the Democratic National Convention held in Atlantic City, NJ.
It was less than a year after the JFK assassination, and LBJ was determined to honor the JFK legacy by moving landmark civil rights legislation through Congress. Angered Dixiecrats, resenting civil rights as the official party plank, boycotted the convention.
Since it was bad PR to have those delegation seats empty in front of national TV cameras, the DNC decided to recruit young civil rights activists to fill those seats. Why I am personally familiar with this story? I was one of those young activists at the DNC Convention in the summer of 1964 - occupying a delegate seat for the TV cameras.
I don't have a problem with what Coulter said. She is right. Black Dems are kind of dumb. They constantly pander it seems, for more help, but will not look at what they are doing to themselves. Few seems to know that many of our civil rights laws came to fight back the democrats. It is better indeed to be independent.
Tamara
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