Miss Rice is an admirable lady, regardless of her race. But to nominate her for Vice President--Hell to nominate any woman for Vice President--is probably a major mistake. There is absolutely no evidence that the Democrats' picking of Geraldine Ferraro was a net gain for their ticket.
The fact is that those who believe in the American tradition are certainly not going to vote against any ticket that upholds that tradition, simply because those on that ticket are picked from the American mainstream. Those who vote patterns of personal identification, on the other hand--and it is one of the points in my essay, a link to which is offered in my earlier post, here, that they are indeed the majority--are still going to vote a certain way. Most are not going to override their usual pattern, purely on the racial identity of one of the candidates. It is just more complex than that; and those minorities who prefer the Democrats, for all the demagoguish reasons that the Democratic Left has stirred up since FDR, are not going to be converted overnight by a smiling face--nor are they going to bother to study Miss Rice's fine intellect.
On the other hand, you will lose as many votes as you gain among the personal identification voters, who would not want a member of a recognizable minority on the ticket. It is a game not worth the playing, at the present juncture.
There are indeed ways to reach out and broaden the Republican vote in the Negro, Mexican and other minority communities. But I would suggest that the approach must start with a demonstration of pride on the part of the Caucasian mainstream in their own heritage. You are much more appealing as a friend to others, if you demonstrate that you respect yourself. Those who do not respect themselves are notoriously not trustworthy.
America, indeed, has demonstrated in our own experience, how diverse peoples can work closely together for a common interest. While the religious and cultural differences between the original States may not seem so great, today, they were actually immense, in terms of what was important to the original Americans. But from those differences they forged a Federal Union based upon mutual respect.
Four generations later, the great Negro educator, Booker T. Washington, proposed solving our racial problems with what was basically the same approach. The Left in the Twentieth Century has trashed his message, as they have trashed a Federal system based upon mutual respect and toleration of our continuing differences. Undoing their legacy of hatred will not be achieved overnight. Certainly intelligent people on all sides of the various divisions have a major role to play. But attempting quick fixes that may further divide us, by straining the credibility of the players with the appearance of cynical gamesmanship, is not the answer.
William Flax Return Of The Gods Web Site