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Star power: Watch this poor California district and its reborn challenger [Star Parker]
WORLD ^ | 3/27/10 | Marvin Olasky

Posted on 03/12/2010 5:03:01 PM PST by rhema

This year's campaign for Congress looks to be the liveliest since 1994's "Contract with America" explosion. And, unless she has a last-minute change of heart and mind, Star Parker, president of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education, is announcing this month her candidacy to represent a poor, heavily Democratic, majority-black congressional district just east and south of Los Angeles.

Parker, born in 1956, is a Republican who hasn't held political office before, but we joked last month that she had a ready reply if attacked on grounds of inexperience: You're wrong. I've stolen. I've lied. I know how to do wrong. Indeed she does. Drugs, armed robbery, four abortions: "I was very flirty and promiscuous, and several bouts with sexually transmitted diseases didn't stop me."

Parker, on welfare, learned that "welfare policy hurts the very people we're trying to help. It boiled down to, 'Don't work, don't save, don't get married. We'll take care of you.'" She wanted extra cash that wouldn't be reported, but when she applied at one Los Angeles business headed by "really good-looking guys," they refused to pay under-the-table and also said that her lifestyle was "unacceptable to God."

They didn't hire her but they did keep calling her, asking her to go to church with them, and she finally did—"and things started changing. I felt equipped to make proper decisions. I could say no to junkie friends. I could say no to the guys I knew." Parker went off welfare, took a job answering phones in the basement of a food distribution company, learned that she had a gift for selling, gained a degree in marketing, and started her own business.

The business was a magazine that spotlighted church-sponsored events of interest to singles. It did well but crashed in 1992 when Los Angeles (including many of her advertisers) burned in the Rodney King riots. Parker began speaking out against those who thought "that even these riots were somebody else's fault. I had been hearing for so long the rhetoric that everything that happens to blacks is because of somebody white."

Parker particularly spoke out on two issues within her own experience. One was education: After balking at a fifth abortion, she gave birth and by 1992 had a child in the sixth grade—"and her school was horrible."

She became a strong advocate of education vouchers and soon was nationally known. The other issue was welfare reform: She and I were involved in that in 1995 and 1996, and I saw her epignosis—knowledge from personal experience—filling in the blanks for members of Congress who had previously moaned about costs without adding up the human toll.

We were both disappointed by the Bush administration's voucher-less education policy and its faith-based initiative: TeamBush used social service vouchers sparingly and dropped its early plan for poverty-fighting tax credits, while maintaining the Democratic system of bureaucratic grant-making to favored charities. Parker sees that in education, "Rich people can afford to send their kids to private schools, but poor people are forced to send their children to broken schools." Her clear prescription: "Money should follow the child."

Is her story part of the "only in America" stream? In part, yes, because in this country, as Parker says, "the rule of law and protection of private property" has allowed those with "a healthy family life and education" to break out of poverty. But her change is mainly an "only in Jesus" story, because her family life and early education were not healthy. Christ had to transform her.

Now, will she be able to transform the politics of the 37th District, which includes Compton, Carson, and the inland portion of Long Beach? The incumbent, Laura Richardson, co-wrote the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in California and has been a stalwart Democratic vote in Washington. She has defaulted six times on home loans, according to the Los Angeles Times.

For two decades no Republican has won more than 25 percent of the vote in California's 37th, and in 2006 and 2008 Republicans didn't even run a candidate. But by her own admission Parker has "a big mouth" and Richardson has big problems. If the GOP invests some big money in this year's race, it could be competitive.

Will Republicans compete in or concede poor districts? Will the Massachusetts miracle of January be the exception or the rule in November? California 37 will be a test.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections; US: California
KEYWORDS: 2010midterms; blackrepublicans; ca2010; compton; laurarichardson; losangeles; starparker; urban
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1 posted on 03/12/2010 5:03:01 PM PST by rhema
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To: Caleb1411

2 posted on 03/12/2010 5:03:45 PM PST by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema

And more power to her.


3 posted on 03/12/2010 5:07:37 PM PST by Psycho_Bunny
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To: rhema

She’s an amazing example of what God can do. I always enjoy reading her columns.


4 posted on 03/12/2010 5:08:27 PM PST by fkabuckeyesrule (Climate-gate is here so can Darwin-gate be far behind?)
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To: Psycho_Bunny
Her campaign kickoff is scheduled for the week of April 1.
5 posted on 03/12/2010 5:11:26 PM PST by rhema ("Break the conventions; keep the commandments." -- G. K. Chesterton)
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To: rhema
If the GOP invests some big money in this year's race, it could be competitive.

fuggeddabouddit. The dumb GOP bastards have no money for charismatic conservative black candidates. They just don't fit in at the Club.

6 posted on 03/12/2010 5:11:55 PM PST by hinckley buzzard
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To: rhema

God be with you, Star, and your family.


7 posted on 03/12/2010 5:13:21 PM PST by This Just In
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To: hinckley buzzard

We don’t want those “at the Club”.

Praying for Star Parker and her family.


8 posted on 03/12/2010 5:14:56 PM PST by This Just In
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To: rhema

Time for FReepers to get their checkbooks ready.


9 posted on 03/12/2010 5:17:02 PM PST by Caleb1411 ("These are the days when the Christian is expected to praise every creed except his own." G. K. C)
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To: rhema

Her book ‘Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats’ is a great read.


10 posted on 03/12/2010 5:17:08 PM PST by Hoosier Catholic Momma (Arkansas resident of Hoosier upbringing--Yankee with a southern twang)
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To: rhema

Good for her.


11 posted on 03/12/2010 5:17:58 PM PST by HANG THE EXPENSE (Life is tough.It's tougher when you're stupid.)
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To: rhema
Star is a Pro-America, Christian. That's a great combination. I wish her well.
12 posted on 03/12/2010 5:22:29 PM PST by Realman30 (If 10% is good enough for Jesus, it ought to be enough for Uncle Sam.)
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To: rhema

YOU GO GIRL!!! I really like her insight....


13 posted on 03/12/2010 5:27:51 PM PST by hstacey (An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure...)
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To: rhema

Add me to the list of someone who appreciates what she writes and is thankful for her redirected life. God bless you Star and give you victory! We’ll be watching and cheering.


14 posted on 03/12/2010 5:33:44 PM PST by brushcop (SFC Sallie, CPL Long, LTHarris, SSG Brown, PVT Simmons KIA OIF lll&V, they died for you, honor them)
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To: rhema

Glad to see the lovely and gracious Miss Parker getting into politics.


15 posted on 03/12/2010 5:34:27 PM PST by Free Vulcan (No prisoners, no mercy. 2010 is here...)
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To: Hoosier Catholic Momma
Her book ‘Pimps, Whores, and Welfare Brats’ is a great read.

So is her first book, Uncle Sam's Plantation.

16 posted on 03/12/2010 5:38:53 PM PST by SeeSharp
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To: All

I’m a conservative because we have all the pretty women (ok, I’m not really that shallow...)
God Bless you, Miss Parker...


17 posted on 03/12/2010 5:39:43 PM PST by Maverick68 (w)
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To: hinckley buzzard

Actually, there are quite a few conservative black candidates running this year, including Rangel’s opponent. And I’m going to be contributing to them!

:)


18 posted on 03/12/2010 5:43:05 PM PST by Daisyjane69 (Michael Reagan: "Welcome back, Dad, even if you're wearing a dress and bearing children this time)
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To: rhema

Someday, the GOP needs to figure out that there are a lot, and I mean a lot, of “minorities” out there who are hardcore, conservative Americans. They just don’t like country club Republicans. You can see them at the TEA parties.


19 posted on 03/12/2010 5:54:45 PM PST by FlingWingFlyer (A proud American-American since 1949.)
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To: rhema

Go Star Parker! Been reading her for years.


20 posted on 03/12/2010 7:13:29 PM PST by backwoods-engineer (No more RINOS; I will vote my conscience, even if I have to write "Sarah Palin" on the ballot!)
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