Posted on 01/31/2006 12:08:58 AM PST by AZRepublican
A promising new black political figure is emerging in Ohio -- Ken Blackwell, a solid, pro-life conservative who has fought for lower taxes. He is seeking the Republican nomination for governor of Ohio and polls indicate that he has substantial support.
Unfortunately, Ohio's Republicans are a lot like Ohio's Democrats -- both are for higher taxes. On this and other issues, Blackwell is described in the current issue of City Journal as "often at war with his own party as well as the Democrats."
The Republican Party has not had much success attracting black votes in recent decades and conservative blacks have not had an easy time in the Republican Party.
Blacks have voted so overwhelmingly for Democrats for so long that Republicans have few incentives to try to gain black votes -- and little success when they do.
Political inertia can be powerful. The "solid South" voted consistently for Democrats for more than a century. Today, the Jewish vote is just as automatically for Democrats as the black vote is, and with even less reason, since Jews have little to gain from the welfare state and Israel's strongest supporters are religious conservatives.
When Republicans from time to time try to reach out to blacks, they tend to do so ineptly, if not ridiculously. For reasons unknown, they seem to want to appeal to black voters in the same ways that Democrats appeal to black voters, by adopting a liberal stance.
Why would anyone who wants liberalism go for a Republican imitation when they can get the real thing from Democrats? Republicans do not have a snowball's chance in hell of winning the votes of liberal blacks.
Nor are they likely to win a majority of the black vote as a whole any time soon. But if Republicans can get just a fourth or a fifth of the black vote nationwide, that can shift the balance of power decisively in their favor.
It is not rocket science to see that whatever chances the Republicans have of making inroads into the black vote are likely to be better among more conservative blacks.
Black religious groups opposed to abortion or homosexual marriage are an obvious group to try to reach. So are black business owners or military veterans.
Does anyone think that President Bush's awarding a Medal of Freedom to Muhammad Ali was likely to appeal to such groups? Yet this continues a pattern in which Republicans have tried to approach black voters from the left.
Back in 1997, when black Republican Congressman J.C. Watts denounced people like Jesse Jackson and then D.C. mayor Marion Barry as "race-hustling poverty pimps," House Speaker Newt Gingrich took it upon himself to apologize to Jesse Jackson.
To apologize for what another man said is to treat that man as if he were your child or your servant. Gingrich then added further insult by inviting Jesse Jackson to join him in his box for the Clinton inauguration for his second term as president.
Pulling the rug out from under your friends, in order to appease your enemies, may seem like clever politics to some people. But what could possibly have led Republicans to think that pro-Jesse Jackson blacks were ever going to vote for them?
Did they think that conservative blacks who might have voted for them were more likely to do so when Republicans embraced Jesse Jackson? Did they think that conservative blacks who might have considered becoming Republican candidates were more likely to do so after seeing how J.C. Watts had been treated?
Another conservative black Republican who had the rug pulled out from under him was Michael Williams, when he was in charge of civil rights at the Department of Education. Mr. Williams ruled that setting aside scholarships exclusively for minority students was racial discrimination in violation of civil rights laws.
This courageous ruling was over-ruled in the first Bush administration, leaving Michael Williams with egg on his face.
Ken Blackwell's candidacy for the Republican nomination for governor in Ohio is a golden opportunity for Republicans, not only in that state but on the national political scene as well. Still, Mr. Blackwell would do well to watch his back.
"Didn't the Founding Fathers want regular citizens in government?"
Yes, but they were all ministers, generals, and politicians. I am not arguing that Swann's lack of experience disqualifies him. I am just stating my impression of him as a potential candidate and governor.
Thomas Sowell is making sense. Again, and again and again...
Medal of Freedom to a draft dodger is a disgrace. I though Bush was just ignorant.
We need a new "Underground Railway" for Blacks to escape the Democrat Plantation.
You sure there weren't any farmers also? Bankers, teachers?
The only way for Republicans to win in blue or purple states is to run as 'Conservatives'.
My list wasn't all-inclusive. I should have put businessmen on there to encompass those professions, and ministers were like teachers in many ways back then. Calling Jefferson or Madison "farmers" is a bit of an understatement though. They owned enormous plantations and were extremely wealthy. My point was that I think it is kind of a myth that the country was founded by ordinary citizens. It was founded by the elites of that society. They were citizens, but not ordinary citizens.
Well, ordinary citizens rarely do anything extraordinary, do they?
Sowell forgot one thing. JC Watts himself came out the next day and apologized for his remarks. Maybe he was pressured, I don't know. But my estimation of him went down after he apologized. Stand by your comments, especially if they are true.
Worth a look. They did a nice job :)
What does it take to be governor? A lot of the job is communication in ceremonial and leadership roles.
When you are in these chat rooms, mention the "I have a dream speech." Let it be known that the theme - and most of the text - of the speech was first used in the 1952 Republican Convention by another black preacher. Also mention that the majority of the civil rights bill was stolen from Ike's civil rights plank from the 1950's.
I'm not the one arguing against Swann as governor. I am all for it. What does it take? What are the qualifications as set down as who can run. That is what it takes. There is no one person who can do it all. You hire and have people you trust to give you the right information and then you make the decision. That should be the overriding qualification. Can you make a decision and then stick by it without putting your finger to the wind. I think the Founding Fathers did not want professional politicians but wanted the people to more or less run themselves. For the most part, people can do this.
You're doing fine....don't get caught in the 'explain every little thought' to anyone looking for an argument.
Would you have wanted Reagan to run for governor?
I actually thought he said "poverty pandering pimps"? Maybe that was another time. I lost respect as well.
Good examples of this has been shown by church denominations over the past 10-15 years. Those that lowered the bar are paying the price as will/are the Republicans.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.