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How GOP can win black vote: African-American voters who supported Bush, GOP doubled in 04
WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Tuesday, November 9, 2004 | How GOP can

Posted on 11/09/2004 1:00:06 AM PST by JohnHuang2

Tuesday, November 9, 2004



How GOP can win the black vote

Posted: November 9, 2004
1:00 a.m. Eastern

By Star Parker


© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

Black voters joined with the rest of the nation in 2004 to give a vote of confidence to our president.

Getting blacks to vote Republican is no small accomplishment. Yet they did so in sufficient numbers to play an important role in re-electing George Bush. The challenge now for Republicans is to understand what worked and to keep it up. It's essential for African Americans and for the nation.

President Bush got 11 percent of the black vote, up three points from the 8 percent he got in 2000. Given the work we've put in to get the conservative message to blacks, and pre-election polls showing black Republican support upward, I was disappointed.

But there's more to the story. Black voter turnout surged by 25 percent. So President Bush got 11 percent of a black voter turnout of 13.2 million voters compared to 8 percent that he got of about 10.5 million black voters who turned out in 2000.

The net number of blacks supporting George Bush doubled in 2004.

Black votes for President Bush in key battleground states proved to be crucial. In the pivotal state of Ohio, critical for a Bush victory, the president got 16 percent of the black vote, up 9 percent over what he received in 2000.

Not incidental to the strong black support for the president in Ohio is the fact that Ohio was one of 11 states that had a ballot initiative to ban same-sex marriage. All the initiatives passed, and certainly the initiative in Ohio helped coax out the black vote and helped motivate those black voters to vote Republican.

The same-sex marriage ban has polled strongly all over the nation – however, the issue has been even stronger in the black community than in the white community.

Pundits are writing that this was an election about values. I agree, and the black Republican vote echoes this. However, there remain important differences between the black Christian vote and the white Christian vote. Attention to these differences provides clues to the work that needs to be done to broaden and grow Republican support in the black community.

In particular, the gains that have been made among blacks are almost exclusively on the social agenda. Republicans have made little progress in this community on domestic and economic issues.

Here is my "to do" list for the care, nurturing and growth of black Republican support:

We have much to do but we can and must do it. Blacks should love George Bush the way they love Bill Clinton. His agenda of traditional values and ownership is the only way out for our community. Fortunately, there are many blacks who are getting the message. But too many still are not.




TOPICS: Editorial; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: blackvote

1 posted on 11/09/2004 1:00:06 AM PST by JohnHuang2
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To: JohnHuang2
Illinois provided the perfect candidate: Alan Keyes. Black voters chewed him up and spit him out.
2 posted on 11/09/2004 1:05:25 AM PST by endthematrix (CRUSH ISLAMOFACISM!)
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To: JohnHuang2
"The challenge now for Republicans is to understand what worked and to keep it up. "

One thing Repubs do. . .is they treat them like they are American's first;not the 'hyphenated version' that Democrats prefer.

What Repubs do NOT do; is go into Black churches and insult the Congregation.

3 posted on 11/09/2004 1:07:16 AM PST by cricket (Don't lose your head. . vote Republican. . .)
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To: endthematrix
Illinois provided the perfect candidate: Alan Keyes. Black voters chewed him up and spit him out.

Whatever it is you're smoking, be sure to pass it around. Keyes has never been, is not now, nor will he ever be a "perfect candidate."


4 posted on 11/09/2004 1:12:22 AM PST by rdb3 (The Black GOP vote numbers are up, and they WILL go higher. -- rdb3 "Hip-Hop FReeper")
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To: rdb3

If you look at national approval rankings, Colon Powell, Rudi Giuliani, President Bush, and Arnold Schwarzenegger trade the top rankings based on day/month/poll. Frankly, that just tells me that popularity is race-neutral. Keyes' support or lack thereof is therefor independent of his race.

5 posted on 11/09/2004 1:21:45 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: rdb3

Put thomas as chief justice, change Powell with Rice in State department.


6 posted on 11/09/2004 1:22:43 AM PST by lulo_08
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To: JohnHuang2
"Understand that the messenger is as important as the message. One reason Bill Clinton gets the affection he does from blacks, despite the truth that he represents everything destructive to our community, is that blacks sense that he cares. Nothing gets done without trust, and the truth is that there are few Republican leaders who can walk into a black church, even with the best news in the world, and be received with trust. Black religious leaders need to be courted by Republicans they can trust and feel comfortable with."

Sadly, that's still a valid criticism of the GOP. We're getting better, though.

7 posted on 11/09/2004 1:23:26 AM PST by Southack (Media Bias means that Castro won't be punished for Cuban war crimes against Black Angolans in Africa)
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To: JohnHuang2

Let’s look at the math again:

Bush received 8% of the 10.5 mil black votes in 2000 = 840,000
Bush received 11% of the 13.2 mil black votes in 2004 = 1,452,000
The increase in black votes in 2004 was 13.2 mil – 10.5 mil = 2.7 mil

So Bush received 1,452,00 – 840,000/2.7mil = 22.6% of the new black votes in 2004

I focus on the 22.6 %, not the 11%.


8 posted on 11/09/2004 2:01:38 AM PST by kipita (Rebel – the proletariat response to Aristocracy and Exploitation.)
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To: kipita

Excellent point. It spells progress. No, we're not going to go from 8% to 50% of the black vote in just one election cycle, but I have no doubt we will eventually.


9 posted on 11/09/2004 2:07:55 AM PST by JohnHuang2
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To: rdb3

Granted "perfect" was an overstatement, what are your thoughts relating to his platform and the points in the article?


10 posted on 11/09/2004 2:27:05 AM PST by endthematrix (CRUSH ISLAMOFACISM!)
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To: kipita

Where does the 11% figure come from? I suspect it is higher. I work in Detroit and was surprized that a number of large black churches that endorsed Bush (mainly because of the moral character, values and gay marriage). I believe Bush has made serious inroads and the RNC will hopefully follow thru with outreach the next election.


11 posted on 11/09/2004 3:27:34 AM PST by Cruz
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To: JohnHuang2
....We need Republicans whose hearts hurt as much as black pastors' hearts hurt about the problems in the inner cities.

Most do. But someone needs to be looking to know that.

12 posted on 11/09/2004 3:33:08 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: Cruz

I agree, since votes cast are color blind, it must have been estimated based on something less accurate.


13 posted on 11/09/2004 3:33:55 AM PST by kipita (Rebel – the proletariat response to Aristocracy and Exploitation.)
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To: endthematrix
Granted "perfect" was an overstatement, what are your thoughts relating to his platform and the points in the article?

Ms. Parker is correct in what she is saying. It's nothing more than common sense.

Alan Keyes mailed it in as soon as he came out in support of reparations. That was downright stupid. Although he is absolutely correct on his stance regarding abortion, his obvious play to American blacks by swingly wildly leftwards on reparations failed for two reasons. First, he was trying to out-Democrat a real Democrat. Second, his support of any type of reparations more than likely dampened enthusiasm for whites to vote for him.

Again, he is an abomination as far as being a candidate. It's a wonder why he has any toes left due to his shooting himself in both feet all the time with his mouth!


14 posted on 11/09/2004 4:15:22 AM PST by rdb3 (The Black GOP vote numbers are up, and they WILL go higher. -- rdb3 "Hip-Hop FReeper")
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