To soar, GOP needs black conservatives

Atlanta Journal-Constitution ^ | August 4, 2004 | Jim Wooten

[Cincinatus' Wife]

An internal Republican Party struggle over outreach to blacks is playing out with bigwig endorsements in the 8th Congressional District.

Both former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp have endorsed Dylan Glenn, making the same argument: Attracting black conservatives is crucial to the party's future. U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and four Georgia congressmen -- John Linder, Charlie Norwood, Max Burns and Jack Kingston -- have endorsed his opponent, State Rep. Lynn Westmoreland.

This particular runoff is in a congressional district that stretches south from Douglas and Fayette counties in metro Atlanta to Troup (LaGrange) and Muscogee (Columbus), extending from the Alabama line into Bibb County (Macon) and north to Newton County on Atlanta's east side. In voter registration, it's 83.6 percent white and 13.2 percent black, 3.2 percent Hispanic and others.

For Glenn, victory in the runoff is a major uphill battle. In the primary, he got 37.6 percent of the vote and carried four of 18 counties: Muscogee, his home county; Troup and Harris counties, where he's actively supported by former U.S. Rep. Howard "Bo" Callaway; and Lamar County (Barnesville), where he won by 70 votes.

Westmoreland, a 12-year state legislator, won in 12 and blew it out in the two most populous counties, Fayette, his home turf, and Coweta (Newnan). He won those two 18,778 to Glenn's 10,395 and finished with 45.8 percent.

Given the strong likelihood that Westmoreland will prevail, it's a surprise that Republican bigwigs -- and especially those who expect to seek public office again -- would choose sides in a primary runoff.

Both Westmoreland and Glenn are equally good conservatives who will support President Bush.

But the reality is that the GOP really does need to find, cultivate and support black conservatives. "The only way as a party leader who has spent 44 years (since 1960) trying to build a majority party that I can strengthen us in our area of greatest weakness is to try to help Dylan Glenn," Gingrich wrote to Westmoreland. He vowed in two years to try to find an "able African-American" to support for lieutenant governor, as well.

"This would not be a reflection on other fine candidates, some of whom may be my friends and supporters," Gingrich wrote. "It would be a reflection of the historic challenge we face and the degree to which our cause and our party are weakened by our inability to have representation from every aspect of America."

This is a race with national ramifications. Kemp, who was Bob Dole's vice presidential candidate in 1996, praises the Democratic convention performance of U.S. Senate candidate Barack Obama of Illinois. "I think Dylan Glenn would be to the Republican Party what Barack is to the Democratic Party," said Kemp.

Without question the GOP has to cultivate a base among blacks, Hispanics and other minorities if it is to remain in power long enough to implement a conservative agenda. Four years, eight years is nothing. Progress in dismantling the welfare state is incremental. Changing behaviors and dependency requires decades.

When smart, articulate candidates such as Glenn and Herman Cain appear, it is vital to the party's future that other minorities see that their courage is rewarded. It's not ordinarily considered courageous to speak your mind in a democracy. But for black conservatives it requires extraordinary self-confidence, intellectual clarity and the daring and courage of pioneers, for they are hounded brutally by those who regard it as heresy that they wander from the Democratic fold.

When the history of this era is written, conservatives such as Glenn, Cain and others beginning to emerge will be viewed, like the civil rights activists of the '60s, as the men and women who dared to confront establishment orthodoxy.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

A cry in the black education wilderness

[rdb3]

This one is gonna get thick.

$710.96... The price of freedom.

[netmilsmom]

I take the risk of sounding like a dolt here, but which of the canidates in the article is black. I'm missing it.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

It certainly must be Glenn.

This is so true:

When smart, articulate candidates such as Glenn and Herman Cain appear, it is vital to the party's future that other minorities see that their courage is rewarded. It's not ordinarily considered courageous to speak your mind in a democracy. But for black conservatives it requires extraordinary self-confidence, intellectual clarity and the daring and courage of pioneers, for they are hounded brutally by those who regard it as heresy that they wander from the Democratic fold.

[Melpomene]

Dylan Glenn:

Lynn Westmoreland :

Mr. Glenn is a good lookin' guy. Mr. Westmoreland, IMHO, looks like a used-car salesman.

[Melpomene]

And what's with Westmoreland's great big zit in the middle of his forehead?

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Doesn't look like it's getting "thick" yet. The fact is, conservatives do need to support blacks when they stand for what is right. The Left likes them dumb, depressed, dependent and therefore Democrat. They still use the whip of shunning to keep blacks who speak out against them, in line. They love those useful fools, like Jackson and Sharpton, etc. The list is long.

[netmilsmom]

Well then this is good news...
"Both former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp have endorsed Dylan Glenn"

but it does irk me that because bigwig GOP is endorsing a black candidate, we are instantly "courting the Black vote".

I know it is impossible for the liberal press to get this, because whole GOP is nothing but bigoted white men, but perhaps the candidate we pick is just the better person for the job?

I guess I just have a Pollyanna attitude, but I like to think that Newt and Kemp just see a smart able man and not a kiss up to his color. Although it would do the party a world of good to have the black vote, I would cringe if it was the same disingenuousness (is that a word?) that the Dems demonstrate.

[PJ-Comix]

I notice that black people from the English speaking Caribbean islands (and Bahamas) tend to be much more conservative than American blacks. Anybody else notice that? I'm in South Florida and that group is quite significant here.

[netmilsmom]

ZIT!!!!
First laugh of the morning.
Glenn is quite the man! Westmoreland does look a little slimmy.

[SpyGuy]

To soar, GOP black community needs black conservatives

[Bulldog1967]

TO succeed, the Republican Party needs more TRUE conservatives PERIOD, regardless of race.

[jwalsh07]

When smart, articulate candidates such as Glenn and Herman Cain appear, it is vital to the party's future that other minorities see that their courage is rewarded.

I happen to agree with this. I think it is very important that this nation has black conservative role models and to that end, all else being equal, I would be with Newt here.

[jwalsh07]

When smart, articulate candidates such as Glenn and Herman Cain appear, it is vital to the party's future that other minorities see that their courage is rewarded.

I happen to agree with this. I think it is very important that this nation has black conservative role models and to that end, all else being equal, I would be with Newt here.

[Sam the Sham]

Yes.

My roots are Afro-Caribbean. My uncle, who is a deacon in his church, will vote for Bush because he is disgusted with sodomites.

And yes, South Florida is great for getting Jamaican food.

[mhking]

While both campaigns stayed above board for the primary, both Glenn and Westmoreland have gone negative for the runoff. Each campaign are running attack ads going after the other both on television and radio here.

Black conservative ping

If you want on (or off) of my black conservative ping list, please let me know via FREEPmail. (And no, you don't have to be black to be on the list!)

Extra warning: this is a high-volume ping list.

[Rockingham]

In practice, Black conservatives have a hard time winning office, but not for lack of Republican support. Although Black voters tend to be social conservatives, they also tend to be ardently liberal on economic issues and want more welfare state, not less. Thus, for the mass of Black voters, a Black Republican conservative has a double handicap in being out of sympathy on both party and ideological grounds.

A Black Republican conservative's best chance of winning public office is not in a majority Black district but in a district that tends Republican and conservative, which means majority white. Such districts readily draw solid Republican and conservative candidates, so even a standout Black conservative Republican candidate will usually have primary opposition and a hard time of it.

Even when elected from such districts, Black conservative Republicans tend to develop little personal rapport with the mass of Black voters, who mostly live outside the district and a couple of rungs down in income and education. It also takes considerable personal courage and energy for Black GOP officeholders to put up with the grief they get when they venture into predominantly Black communities.

There are good reasons for not recruiting and running Black Republican candidates in majority Black districts. Not only do they usually lose, but they also boost Black Democratic turnout and can thereby hurt other Republican candidates on the ballot. This is not an academic point. George Bush nearly lost Florida in 2000 for a number of reasons, and one of them was that well-qualified but losing Black Republican Congressional candidate Jennifer Carrol spurred Black turnout on behalf of the Black Democrat incumbent, resulting in thousands of extra votes for Gore. The rueful joke among certain Florida GOP operatives was that Clinton and Gore gave us Florida by sending Elian back to Cuba, and we tried to give the state back to Gore by supporting Jennifer Carrol.

Candidate recruitment is fine in concept, but the overlooked potential for GOP gains among Blacks is actually elsewhere.

(1) Strengthen party organization and do targeted turnout efforts aimed at Black Republicans, who have notoriously low turnout rates. Do smart things, like have reliable Black Republicans make the GOTV calls, not white college kids.

(2) Have Republican registration drives aimed at Blacks registered as independents, who have already rejected the Democratic Party.

(3) Have local Republican officeholders and party leaders make a sustained effort to know and regularly talk to and meet with local Black community leaders. That means that you seek them out on a consistent basis, including non-election years, without making a party sales job of it. Do not try selling the party but talk issues like being against gay marriage and for school choice. Since Black officeholders tend to do a poor job of constituent services, that is something that you can beat them at, if you are willing to breach protocol and work a little harder.

Comments, anyone?

[dagnabit]

Send Me! A black female conservative republican freeper-but how is the outreach done? I'm game for speaking up on behalf of my party,but no one ever approaches and no one makes the effort to find us.

[The Scourge of Yazid]

Based on my cursory knowledge of Dylan Glenn and my absolute lack of knowledge about his opponent, I'm going to say that Glenn deserves to win this runoff.

So for those of you who live in that district, feel free to vote for Glenn. You have my blessing.

For those of you who live nowhere near Georgia, you can still take heart in the fact that he has my endorsement, which is a surefire way to get elected in the murky world of So. politics.

[ken5050]

Wooly Bully bump!!!!..BTW..this is from the AJC, whose new, er, recycled, congresscrittter will be the deranged anti-semite, Cynthia McKinney..