Pissing Away the (Possible) Black Vote
Posted by Mark Radulich on 10.02.2007
The GOP continually shows itself to be strategically inept at national elections as well as unsympathetic to blacks. This is no way to beat Hillary folks!
Conventional wisdom has it that most black folks will stand solidly behind Hillary Clinton next November. Blacks and Democrats have gone together like beans and cornbread for decades now due to a variety of issues not the least of which is that many Democrats speak to black communities while on the campaign trail (what they do in office is another matter).
That is not to say that there aren't black Republicans. You have former OK congressman JC Watts, Michael Steele, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice and :::shudder:::: Alan Keyes. There are more black power figures in politics and that should translate to more black votes seeing as many in the black community have traditional values, especially when it comes to religion.
In addition to that, you also have a rising black middle and upper class. There is more black ownership of businesses and property than there ever has been in America. Contrary to what John Edwards thinks, "…pretty soon we're not going to have a young African-American male population in America. They're all going to be in prison or dead. One of the two," it is a fact that there are more young African-American men in college than in prison. In 2005, according to the Census Bureau, there were 864,000 black men in college. According to Justice Department statistics, there were 802,000 in federal and state prisons and jails; between the ages of 18 and 24, however, black men in college outnumber those incarcerated by 4 to 1. (credit)
There is room in this country for blacks to migrate over to the GOP if only they would actually try and make some overtures. The problem is, while the GOP does not stand in opposition to black Republicans, it also does not go out of the way to earn more black votes either. In other words, if blacks just suddenly appear out of the ether, that's fine, but the GOP doesn't seem interested in putting any work into garnering black votes or grooming black power leaders for the benefit of winning future elections.
Hillary doesn't need to woo black voters, as she already has them. This leaves her plenty of time to target moderates and independents that are unhappy with the current Republican Party. It is those same moderates and independents that are the key to winning this election, as they were in 2004. It seems to me that the GOP has resigned itself to losing if it won't even challenge Hillary where she is strongest. No war was ever won by allowing the enemy to sit comfortably on unchallenged territory. But that is exactly what the GOP does when it comes to black folks for some inexplicable reason. Nothing makes the stereotype of a snobbish, elitist, racist Conservative ring true like snubbing 12 percent of the total US population.
However, the GOP is doing just that.
It was blatantly obvious that the top Republican presidential contenders were absent from the Tavis Smiley-moderated All-American Presidential Forum on PBS Thursday night. It was obvious when Tom Joyner, host of the nationally syndicated "Tom Joyner Morning Show," noted the absence in his opening remarks. It was obvious when Smiley noted the lecterns left empty because Sen. John McCain, former Gov. Mitt Romney, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Sen. Fred Thompson chose not to show.
Most obvious, however, was the opportunity they missed—an opportunity to show they care for more than their base voting bloc.
A popular assumption is that McCain, Romney, Giuliani and Thompson skipped the Republican All-American Presidential Forum because their conservative viewpoints would not be welcomed. From the start of the debate, however, which was held at historically black Morgan State University, it was clear they missed an opportunity to pay homage to and therefore be a part of black achievement. They missed an opportunity to show they are leaders willing to meet with folks different from themselves. And they missed an opportunity to speak to black voters and shape the perception they hold beyond the rhetoric of their Democratic opponents.
You would think this crowd would have learned from the Fox News Joint Press Conference of Fear debate that Thompson no-showed, that if you snub a forum, you will be targeted by the moderator and those candidates who do show up.
Smiley's first question asked the Republican candidates why they chose to attend and what they thought about their fellow GOP contenders' absence. All of the candidates took the opportunity to say the absences were deplorable.
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback scolded their fellow absent Republicans the most. "I want to be president of the United States, not the Republican [party] ... I'm embarrassed," said Huckabee. Brownback added, "I apologize for the candidates not here. It's bad for our party."
In total, six of the 10 Republican contenders for president appeared at the All-American Presidential Forum, and they often received applause. In addition to Huckabee and Brownback, the attendees included California Rep. Duncan Hunter, Texas Rep. Ron Paul, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo and former Ambassador Alan Keyes, who is black and has the distinction of being the only non-white-male Republican candidate.
If Huckabee wins in Iowa or at least places second or third, it will be because of performances like this. Candidates win elections because of their broad based appeal or because the vast majority believe in their vision for America. The only other way to win is for the other guy (or gal) to have pissed off enough people that you can win by simply not being them :::cough cough Bush VS Kerry cough cough:::::
There is no good reason for the frontrunners to avoid debates anyway as it makes you look weak. After the initial entry into a race, people start to listen to what ideas you have for when and if you become president. If you are not championing these ideas at public forums such as debates and town hall meetings then you rightfully earn the moniker of having lots of flash no substance. Not to mention that a candidate should not go about annoying his critics, such as the four frontrunners did with this PBS debate. This was a gift to all those journalists and bloggers who are looking for a reason to dub the GOP as racist.
This election is the GOP's to lose if they continue to believe that this country is only populated by rich WASPS and Southern Evangelicals.
STAY CURRENT