“...and a black man of ‘substance’”
Not a qualifier, in my opinion, and more likely a detractor come 2012. We’ve gone the Affirmative Action route (No offense intended to black leaders who have earned the right to be our leaders, like Herman Cain), and it has been tremendously disappointing. That disappointment is going to have a backlash, especially against a black conservative who will automatically draw the ire of the Democratic Party’s reparation blacks. Our first black president needed to be a great man and president, and maybe Herman Cain would have been that, but we got Obamao, and mistakes like him have consequences.
A black conservative will bring out the slurs liberals always have and with conservatives there will be DISTRUST. Conservatives have been snookered enough with phony BLACK conservatives. It will put the base in the uncomfortable position of accusing THEM of being “racist” if they don't vote for a man of COLOR. As I said in another reply, we really need someone who has an established track record and perhaps NOT BLACK to get genuine conservatives out to vote.