GOP Afraid of Black Votes? - Political Forum

emptypepsi · #1 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007, 10:36 AM

Commentary: Why is the GOP scared of black voters? - CNN.com

Is the GOP afraid of black votes? Does the fact that main GOP candidates are skipping Thursdays debate a sign of this? From the article:

Quote:

Ever since Richard Nixon ran for the White House, the GOP has run on a "Southern Strategy," meant to alienate blacks in an effort to garner white voters. They've worked the strategy to perfection. When he was head of the Republican National Committee, Ken Mehlman apologized for that strategy as he sought to make inroads among black voters.

Republicans will tell you they are the party of Abraham Lincoln, who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, but their outreach efforts to black voters are lacking.

Oh, yes, I know. Democrats have a stranglehold on the black vote, receiving upward of 90 percent in national elections. A significant part of that is a result of the party seeing blacks as the backbone of the party. But the reality is that when you have only one party that truly makes a play for those voters, of course you will see such disparities!

That's why it's dumb, dumb, and dumber for the leading GOP candidates to skip Thursday's debate hosted by Tavis Smiley and airing on PBS.

How do you see this?

Apotropoxy · #2 (**permalink**) 09-26-2007, 11:07 AM

Ronald Reagan sent the clearest message possible to the electorate when he launched his first presidential campaign at the single most symbolic racist location in the USA- Philadelphia, Mississippi- the town where three civil rights workers were assassinated for registering Negros to vote.
.

Ghost Rider · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2007, 03:50 PM

I don't think the GOP is 'afraid' of the black vote. I think they know it's a lost cause and won't bother to try to get it. It's 'not black' for black people to vote republican.

Oh - and I fully believe that the dems take the black vote for granted.

Ghost Rider · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodog

Both parties take all voter blocks for granted.

I fully agree with this statement rodog. You are 100% correct.

micfranklin · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:09 PM

I've overheard what some people in my poli sci class have said, and they seem to have the idea that Republicans are racists, which is exactly why Giuliani and the rest didn't show up on Thursday.

I think that notion is nothing more than a blatant, ignorant assumption.

apawllo · #6 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:17 PM

Pat Robertson made an interesting comment on Meet The Press this week. He said approximately 10% of the voting population is black in any given presidential election and 10% of those people vote Republican. Therefore, if Republicans focus on the black vote in the primaries they're focusing on 1% of the vote, which needless to say is pretty bad strategy. With that said, there is no excuse for the 4 major candidates not showing up to the Morgan State debates.

superdude17* · #7 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 07:23 PM

no. as i said earlier, there is no reason for African Americans to be aligned with Democrats. In reality they do nothing for them. They do the exact opposite. There is a reason why most intelligent African Americans turn Republican, its because they see how much the Democrats really don't help their race.

the Democrats play to the normal African American who hasn't gone to college and doesn't see that immigrants are taking their jobs.

if they really wanted to see change, they would vote Republican. maybe someday they will see the light which is the Republican party.

micfranklin · #8 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 09:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superdude17*

no. as i said earlier, there is no reason for African Americans to be aligned with Democrats. In reality they do nothing for them. They do the exact opposite. There is a reason why most intelligent African Americans turn Republican, its because they see how much the Democrats really don't help their race.

the Democrats play to the normal African American who hasn't gone to college and doesn't see that immigrants are taking their jobs.

if they really wanted to see change, they would vote Republican. maybe someday they will see the light which is the Republican party.

Huh?

Maybe your last sentence should be "if they really wanted to see change, they would follow your ideals." And besides most, if not all of Congress has done a terrible, terrible job over the last several years. A 29% approval rating is not to be proud of.

mykcob4 · #9 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 10:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emptypepsi

Commentary: Why is the GOP scared of black voters? - CNN.com

Is the GOP afraid of black votes? Does the fact that main GOP candidates are skipping Thursdays debate a sign of this? From the article:

How do you see this?

The GOP is not afraid of the balck vote, they simply don't allow minority votes to be counted!

SamInTheSouth · #10 (**permalink**) 10-02-2007, 11:03 PM

What I find disparaging is how the politicians and the media separate everyone based on their race and/or gender. The black vote, the female vote, the Hispanic vote.

Having been born at the tail end of the Civil Rights Movements, I grew up being taught that we are all Americans and should be a color blind society, but politicians who claim to be for that very idea, in tandem with the media, are the ones that separate everyone into groups and keep us from achieving that goal.

The question should be what the government will do for the betterment of America and all of her people, not what will they do for the black community or the Hispanic community or women or the children, etc. Until we reach that point, which I doubt we ever will, these problems will not be solved.