People Are Noticing
A day after I wrote The Changing Face of the Republican Party, Dick Morris has written an article titled A Bigger, Blacker GOP for Jewish World Review that says almost the same things that I said. Here’s a glimpse:
Far away from the speeches of Jesse Jackson, the demands of Al Sharpton and the ranting of Louis Farrakhan, a quiet revolution is taking place in the role African-Americans play in politics. In the very heartland of the nation, in Pennsylvania and Ohio, the Republican Party is getting set to nominate black candidates for governor in the coming elections. In a nation that has not a single African-American governor, not one, from either party, this is its own little revolution.
These are not throwaway candidates in states where the GOP has no chance of victory. These are real candidates, chosen when there were plenty of white alternatives, that are en route to their party’s nomination, with real chances to win. In Pennsylvania, former football great Lynn Swann stands poised to be designated as the Republican candidate at next week’s State Convention. The former wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers, now enshrined in the Hall of Fame, is seeking fame of another sort, trying to be the state’s first black governor.
In Ohio, a key swing state, Ken Blackwell, the Republican secretary of state, is running for the gubernatorial nomination in a state Republicans can win. In Maryland, Lieut. Gov. Michael Steele is seeking the open Senate seat. Add these men to the possibility that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might heed Laura Bush’s advice and run for president, and a revolution may be in the making.
These candidates are people of accomplishment, not the “tokens” that Harry Belafonte called Dr. Rice and Gen. Powell. Don’t think that other African-Americans aren’t noticing. Come this fall, we’ll see just how popular Mssrs. Steele, Swann and Blackwell are. I suspect that each will garner a significant number of black votes.
Something else that must be pointed out is that Dr. Rice, Gen. Powell and Mssrs. Steele, Swann and Blackwell will be far more appealling figures to the black middle class than the elder Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Julian Bond and the people formerly known as the civil rights leaders of this nation.
They’re more appealing because they actually went out and capitalized on the opportunities that Rev. and Mrs. King and Rosa Parks only dreamed about. Instead of getting the applause they deserve for accomplishing that, the Jesse Jacksons and Harry Belafontes of the world have criticized them for not buying into the civil rights victimology movement.
I thought Rev. and Mrs. King’s dream was about lifting people out of thinking like a victim, that it was about seeing African-Americans accomplish things that African-Americans of a prior generation could only dream about.
If that’s the case, it’s fair to say that Swann, Steele and Blackwell are living out Dr. King’s vision.
Cross-post at LetFreedomRing
February 8th, 2006 at 10:39 am
[...] California Conservative [...]
February 8th, 2006 at 10:52 am
Well put, people of accomplishment. They worked, learned, and earned their chance. They are not numbers or quotas. That not only affirms their qualifications, but challenges all others to shape up and make it on your own efforts.
February 8th, 2006 at 11:01 am
One problem with Mr. Morris’s analysis (and he’s a man I have the utmost respect for) is that he might not be aware of the power that so-called black leaders have over their community. We’ve seen how successful black conservatives have been demonized in Clarence Thomas, Janice Rogers Brown (especially here in California), Colin Powell (pre and post Bush II administration) and Condi Rice. I fear this will be no different as Steele (who has already been pelted with Oreos), Blackwell and Swann even will recieve the same sort of treatment by the african-americans who blindly follow the Democratic lead. I might very well be too pessimistic to Dick Morris’s optimism but until the standard gets broken, Black Conservatives will constantly be seen as traitors in their own community.
February 8th, 2006 at 6:29 pm
What does it matter if you nominate a few black candidates? With something like a 2% approval rating amongst black Americans, such a move is still likely to be seen as nothing more than mere tokenism and pandering (even if it isn’t). To be honest, can you blame them?
February 8th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
The last I heard from a Republican strategist in Pennsylvania, Swann is pulling 26% of the black vote in a heads-up race against Ed Rendell, the incumbent Democrat. If that number holds, which it has since just before Thanksgiving, Rendell’s sunk.
Further, Steele’s already leading in his matchup with Rep. Cardin. He’s garnering significant support in the black community, though I don’t have a percent on that yet.
Democrats can put as much lipstick on that pig as they want but it isn’t changing the fact that President Bush won 16% of the African-American vote in Ohio, which he won by 120K votes and 17% of the African-American vote in Florida, which he won by 330K votes.
That isn’t to mention the fact that President Bush SPLIT the Hispanic vote with Kerry.
The monolith is crumbling, despite what race-haters like Belafonte & Bond say in their diatribes.
February 8th, 2006 at 7:34 pm
Not saying it’s impossible, just that they have an uphill battle. I also think comparing the Hispanic vote to the Black vote is comparing apples to oranges. Given that the Hispanics have tended to vote more strongly Republican in the past, you’re going to have to keep an eye on how they vote in the upcoming elections. If you’re still only splitting the vote with them, that’s not so great, especially since you are dealing with a party that is, to be honest, floundering.
February 8th, 2006 at 8:12 pm
My point in citing the Hispanic vote is because Reagan’s 1984 re-election campaign was the only time a Republican split the Hispanic vote prior to President Bush’s re-election campaign.
As for it being an uphill battle, that’s a given. You don’t go from 9% in 2000 to a majority in 2006.
The significance of the change is that the staunchest African-American cohort for Democrats are the oldest African-Americans. The weakest Democratic cohort are of the 25-50 age.
The Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons, Belafontes and Bonds will be replaced with people like Lynn Swann, Michael Steele and Kenneth Blackwell, as well as Dr. Rice and Gen. Powell.
It’s the trend that’s important to notice.
February 13th, 2006 at 2:19 am
Ever heard of Douglas Wilde Governer of Virginia. He was a Black Governer. Get you facts together
February 13th, 2006 at 7:08 am
Ever heard of Douglas Wilde Governer of Virginia. He was a Black Governer. Get you facts together
What’s the point you’re trying to make? Wilder was a Democrat who succeeded Chuck Robb in VA. As far as I can tell, Wilder’s irrelevant to this topic.