Whether it is Newt Gingrich calling President Obama the “Food Stamp President” or portraying poor black children as having only dope dealers for role models; or whether Ron Paul’s racially inflammatory newsletters of ten years accurately defined his positions on race or not; or whether Rick Santorum’s comments about blacks on welfare is paramount to them taking other citizens’ money; or whether Rick Perry’s N-word usage at the hunting “shack” on his property — whether these incidents depict the sentiment of the 21st Century Republican Party, what a missed, egregiously missed, opportunity!
What happened to the Republican Party of Abraham Lincoln? What happened to the Republican Party who fought for abolitionism? What happen to the Republican Party of the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War?
Did you know that following the Civil War and during Reconstruction, blacks were very active in Republican Party politics and served in almost every level of government?
For more than a decade, blacks held offices from the United States Congress to state legislatures, city councils, and county commissions. There were two senators and fourteen representatives in the US Congress alone. Blacks held more state offices in the Deep South than any place else. Blacks formed the majority in the House of Representatives for the state of South Carolina throughout that period — a state that gained recent notoriety for having fought vehemently to continue to fly the confederate flag atop its capitol.
Since Reconstruction, blacks have not had two US senators to serve in either party. And they certainly do not form a majority in any state’s legislature. The reasons are subjects whose treatment could fill much more space than is available here. But, the discussion is certainly worth having by civic-minded blacks and whites interested in making a two-party system work better for all groups irrespective of the outcomes of the November elections.
Does the Republican Party of the 21st Century not want blacks as members? Our two-party system of government will work at its best only when the participants represent the people not only in terms of political philosophy but also in ethnic, racial, and religious diversity.
Could it be that the recent alienation of black voters by the Republican Party candidates for President represents a definitive change in operative stereotypical views? That in fact they have regressed and bought the propaganda that all blacks are liberals. That all blacks believe in big government and prefer handouts over jobs and economic self-sufficiency?
Or, is this sudden disinterest in the African-American voter just a temporary suspension in judgment and a tactic to maximize the chance of maintaining a delicate balance of power in the state houses and Washington?
It will be a shame if leaders of the Republican Party wake up the morning or months after the November 2012 elections and realize their strategy of racial divisiveness was just a cruel hoax.
Irrespective of who ends up winning the 2012 elections, whether for President, members of Congress or local offices, minority groups, particularly African-Americans are in a great position to become more engaged in the two-party political process and make it work to address their interests. It is also a great opportunity for the Republican Party and blacks alike to dispel some harmful perceptions and labels.
One prevalent view is that most blacks are more liberal than conservative and therefore belong, or should belong, to the Democratic Party rather than the Republican Party. Along with that view are other philosophical assumptions that often come into play. On the individual level, there is a prevalent belief that most blacks believe in welfare and affirmative action programs rather than a good job and minimum taxes.
On the organizational level, there is the belief that the Democratic Party is more inclusive, empathetic, and supportive of the needs and interests of blacks than the Republican Party. While that may be case, the premise warrants frequent and close examination. What better time to examine those premises than during the 2012 Presidential Election?
Unfortunately, the Republican candidates for President of the United States have resorted to a strategy of racial polarization instead of racial inclusiveness.
Believe it or not, there are blacks who would love to embrace and be a part of a Republican Party that did not function on racial stereotypes and divisiveness, but the great individual rights and governing principles this wonderful country was founded upon.
So where is the disconnect? Is racism that blind?