Inside the mind of a Black Republican. . .this shit is sad

[wndycty]

A response from one of my closest friends "a Black Republican." This is from an e-mail exchange. On edit "kizzle" is my Black Republican friends way of mocking Kerry's presence in the African American community.

-snip-
I hear you, while there are people that wonder how any black could support W, but consider this. on a personal level, me and the mrs. met a few black texas republicans that swear by bush, and can give countless example of what he's done for them. and last week's afro-american newspaper had the headline, "bush stole the show", and cited several people in the audience that raved at his speech and how he spoke to them as entrepeneurs (sp) and felt kizzle just mailed in the usual black speech, thus they'd reconsider support of kizzle in the election. in all fairness, there were an equal amount of people that loved the speech but are basing their opinion of W on his four years as president.

I have come to the conclusion that bush & the republican party offers blacks the opportunity for individual achievement but don't have a "black agenda".

funny this is that if you look at this country, 45% of people are diehard republican and 45% are diehard democrats, so there's not a lot of wiggle room. but there is a growing base of blacks like me, totally frustrated by the democrats treating blacks like an abused cheated on wife. polls say that while the republican base stays constant, there is a growing percentage of post civil right blacks that are leaving the dems and registering as independents. now if the republicans decide to make themselves attractive to say 4% of registered black democrats, the democrats'll be in major trouble...but repubs haven't figured out how to do it w/o offending the racist part of their base.....stay tuned
-snip-

My response:

Therein lies the problem. Black Republicans are true Republicans because they care only for themselves. Think about it, you are talking about African Americans who will give Bush a pass on a lot of shit because they are trying to get theirs, that’s all its about, its not about the race or what is in our best interest its all about getting yours, damn the greater good. I would think if Republicans are not effective in reaching out to Blacks because they “haven’t figured out how to do it w/o offending the racist part of their base” that should be a sign to all of us that the GOP is not the party for us. You keep talking about the DNC taking Blacks for granted without acknowledging that the GOP is literally sleeping with the enemy. I guess as long as you get yours fuck everything else.

[2Design]

1. stockholm syndrome is the only way blacks, gays, poor or

otherwise abused people can vote rethugs

[ElsewheresDaughter]

30. agree with the "stockholm syndrom" but i don't believe it's 45%/45%.......

the last i read ......there are 49,000,000 registered dems and 39,000,000 registered repukes .....and those are 2000 numbers

[DavidFL]

43. I agree, but more than registration numbers...

I believe if you ask most people, they support a populist Democratic agenda. As in, they belive in programs like Social Security and Medicare, that everyone regardless of race, age, gender or nationality, etc. deserves equal opportunity and on and on. They just don't know that this is what it's called because the Right has been so successful with inserting its propaganda into the collective American consciousness and defining the meaning of words itself; i.e., many people see liberal as a "dirty word."

I believe this 45/45/10 business is just a meme partly to explain the distorted poll results we see and partly, should the neocons rig the upcoming elections, give an excuse why it was so close despite all the signs that Bush is unpopular.

[Joy Anne]

2. and in Pittsburgh

I saw Lynn Swan endorsing and introducing Bush because W really means what he says about physical fitness, and he exercises every day. Wow, that really convinced me.

[wndycty]

3. Hey he (Swann) is just trying to protect his. . .

:kick:

[Karenina]

5. Wow. Lynn Swann...

And I always thought he was one of the "good ones!" :evilgrin:

[lottie244]

4. Say it ain't so.

Give me a break!! How stupid.

[Window]

12. Oh no! Damn, not Lynn Swan.

.

[candy331]

29. Yep! it is so he was on C-span heading up the Bush physical

fitness program. Oh if I could take back the years I watched him play football.

[Jack The Tab]

64. They can have Lynn Swann....As long as we keep WILLIE STARGELL!!

nt

[Radical Activist]

6. Every elected Black Republican

I've heard explain how they first became a Republican had the same story and this includes J.C.Watts. Over and over I've heard the story of how a white Republican elected official gave them a job. As though I'm supposed to be so impressed that a black person was given a job by a Republican. I guess the entire racist and classist agenda of the Republican party can be ignored because one of them gave you a few scraps from the table in the form of a job. How sad that some people are so easily bought.

[CaTeacher]

9. I hear that same thing--Republicans

came and actually registered them to vote, Republicans gave them jobs blah blah blah blah blah.

I don't want to hear that stuff--that is all in the past.

[DaveofCali]

16. If people vote for small reasons like that.....

^^ If people are that gullible to just vote for someone or some party because of one small (but personal) thing like that, then they are fools and both dishonor their race and dishonor America and America's forefathers. (yes I know, thats a huge part of America's population, sadly)

[KittyWampus]

7. Hey, Blacks Can Be Dominated By Their Reptilian Minds

just like the Neo-Cons.

Trouble is... the blacks voting GOP don't realise that it's not the same old GOP... that party has been hijacked by the NeoCons and Fundies... and NEITHER of these 2 groups who actually control the GOP will ULTIMATELY tolerate blacks, gays or Jews.

They DO have a final solution in mind.

[Straight Shooter]

8. "... treating blacks like an abused, cheated-on wife ..."

Yeah. Much better to have someone who lies through his teeth and sends your kid off to die in some war so his buddies can make millions.

The defensive rationalization that some people go through never ceases to amaze me. It's almost as if they've twisted their logic into the shape of a -- dare I say it? -- pretzel.

[anelson]

10. Its not just blacks though...

I had this conversation with a latin lady and also a black lady, both of whom are in their 40's. They essentially told me that they gravitated towards the Repubs because they stressed individual can-do attitudes as opposed to the victim mentality of the Democrats. Sad, but true...

[wndycty]

11. There is nothing wrong with that, but tell them about Obama. . .

. . .I think they would look at Democrats differently.

[DaveofCali]

18. ^ They talk about Victim mentality!!!???

^^ They talk about victim mentality when the Right Wing is fully entrenched in victimizing reactionism!!!??? They play the whine card with lies, trumpeting fear, and thus to rile up their supporters to overwhelm and thus force the opposition into submission. Those two women are purely naive.

[Logansquare]

57. It's called "pulling the ladder up" behind you.

It's amazing how many people who are successful then want to eliminate the conditions that helped them achieve their dreams. Do these people have any clue about the blood and tears shed before them?

[Carolina]

13. it's beyond sad

it never ceases to amaze me how ignorant of history and how selfish some of my people are. Your friend is where he is because of what others -- black, white and Democratic -- stood up and fought for. The very right to vote, that Rev Al spoke of, was obtained through the blood of martyrs. I know that all to well ... the minister at my grandmother's church was beaten to death securing that right and a childhood friend's father was shot to death returning from reserve duty in Georgia.

At every turn, Dixiecrats (now part of the core of the GOP) resisted civil rights and voting rights. Yet this dumbass niggah (yeah I said it) and others like him want to give the racists a pass for their overt past and more covert present/future because they have their bling-bling. If repukes had their way, your friend would be on a slow boat back to parts unknown in Africa. Believe me I know a few just like him and my husband and I have told them to their faces what stupid shits they are. One generation out of the ghetto, they have nice houses and a Mercedes or two and they think they've made it ... on their own no less so they're W-supporting repukes.

Cosby should actually be railing against these kind of selfish, conspicuous consumption type, I've-got-mine-so-fuck-you racial sellouts.

[wndycty]

14. The funny thing is he keeps using the old. . .

. . ."Democrats are taking us for granted" line, while acknowledging the GOP is cozy with racist. It lacks all forms of logic.

[DaveofCali]

20. Every black person should be forced to see Al Sharpton's speech.....

[wndycty]

21. Nope. . .please do not force us to do anything. . .

. . .you know I am pro Democratic African American who is very suspect of African American Republicans, however I draw the line at shit like this.

[candy331]

32. Preach Carolina Preach! Amen Amen, Somebody ought to tell

those losers they haven't overcome. Throw a bone to some dogs with the smell of meat on it and they think they have a whole steak.

[wettap]

15. I am way sorry, but...

...how do Blacks "vote"?

I am of African ancestry, and despite (because?) of my skin color, I vote my conscience.

Quite honestly, I am tired of being called a "house niggah" because I don't vote the usual victimist line. I have personal views that don't include those who have the same amount of melanin as I do.

DO ALL WHITE FOLK VOTE THE SAME?

WHY NOT?

Why are we Americans of African ancestry supposed to vote unified, when you Americans of European ancestry don't?

Honestly. I am tired of being treated like my vote is supposed to be taken for granted. Take this for granted. My vote will be for the person who doesn't tale MY VOTE for granted, regardless of my skin color.

Yeah yeah... I've heard it all. Uncle Tom. Oreo......

[sandnsea]

33. Oh baby, whites DO vote unified

60%-70% Republican. And if you took white males only, it'd be even higher. Why do white men think they need a political party all their own? Why does the entire rest of the country have a home in the other party? Victimist line? I'm sure there are some blacks who have grown up and never experienced racism themselves. I'm fortunate enough to have never experienced sexual harrassment on the job. But I'm not so stupid as to ignore the fact that the suffering of the women who did and then fought against it is a big part of the reason I didn't have to go through it. So I stand with them. Now and until the day I die. Even if I never experience any sort of discrimination myself. That isn't the victim line, that's the human condition line.

[Logansquare]

58. Think again--54 percent Bush, 42 percent Gore, 3 percent Nader

In 2000. White Republicans receive a lot too much press--there's many more of us White Democrats out there than you realize. My mother went to a Kerry rally in Zanesville, Oh this weekend, and it was a mob scene. A diverse (but majority white) crowd of thousands waited in the drizzle for three hours to get in.

[sandnsea]

59. Gore - white males 36%

And it's the same now. And what about the polls that show blacks think Bush is a liar, know there were no WMD, etc. Why does every demographic in this country get it about George Bush except white males? No set of statistics covers every single person in the country and obviously that 36% is going to make a hell of a showing at any Democratic event. But there is a gender and racial disconnect and I think white men should look at it.

[angee_is_mad]

34. u hit it on the head

uncle tom, house niggah and I have a couple of other choice words to add to that.
I also get frustrated with the democratic party, but let me tell you this-I would NOT vote, before I'll vote republican!
I look at other ethnic groups and how they seem to stick together, except for blacks. Maybe, it goes back to our shameful history here, that we have have this subconscious self-preservation mentality.
I don't care want happens to you, I am just going to get mine! Obama said it best,"If a child on the southside of Chicago can't read it affects me, even if it is not my child. If a senior citizen his to chose between medication and paying his rent, it affects me even if it is not my grandparents!" I am paraphrasing of course, but if ALL Americans thought like this, this country will truly be great.
Your thread makes me very sad and angry. If you feel this way, this may not be the forum for you.

[Joy Anne]

51. I think I know where you're coming from

C-SPAN has occasionally run, in election years, a TV campaign ad from 1952 or 1956 showing Ike talking to a wide-eyed young black man and asking for his vote. And Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican, was the first woman senator. I've voted for Republicans before, and I probably will again in the future. I never voted for Bill Clinton because of his contemptible treatment of Sista Soljah (a sister in Christ of mine) (and besides, I thought Ross Perot was more liberal on social issues and more conservative on fiscal issues, points that are more important to me than party labels).

(And supposedly Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, had the only majority-black ward in the country that went for Barry Goldwater.)

However, the Republicans who are running the show now are not the good guys. If you and I and the rest of us defeat the Bushies resoundingly in November, the decent Republicans, the ones who believe in individual initiative, not government corporate handouts, in fiscal and diplomatic prudence rather than saber-rattling, and in the beatitudes rather than Leviticus can regain control of their party and give us a choice of two good candidates, two good platforms, and two good ways to move toward a better future.

[Johnny B. Goode]

17. What made me mad

What made me mad was Swann introducing Bush in Pittsburgh at the convention center. That guy's a traitor to his entire race. Bush doesn't care about African Americans at all!

[wndycty]

19. No traitor. . .he is free to do what he wants. . .

. . .but he obviously only cares about himself. . .he got his.

[Carolina]

23. pissed me off too

Again, Swann has his BLING through football so WTF does he care.

[wettap]

25. That must be the most bigoted...

...thing I have heard on this forum in at least 2 months of lurking/posting.

A race traitor???

Please do elaborate. Tell all us Uncle Toms what we 'posed to do...

[VOX]

22. Take a good look at a Blue State-Red State Electoral map from 2000...

Then consider the history of civil rights in the Red States and the current "shareholder" {or lack thereof} status of minorities in those same States.

Just an exercise in reality.

[tblue37]

28. How do you do that darling kitty? n/t

[AirAmFan]

24. AAs can be stupid too. But the last Democrat to win the WHITE vote

in a Presidential election was Lyndon Johnson (1964).

Your African-American friend is a statistical aberration. But whites as a whole have gone for Dubya, Bob Dole, Daddy Bush, Ronald Reagan, and every other lying Republican plutocrat.

[Bucky]

31. "winning the white vote" is a way of saying blacks aren't real voters

What crap. You might as well say that "blacks aren't real Americans" since that what that "can't win without black votes" means.

So, the Republicans win the "white vote" as if those votes get counted separately. Last time I read they 13th Amendment, they don't. Or crunch this statistic. Last poll I saw, Kerry was winning among white voters outside the south. If black Americans aren't really American, then maybe southern whites aren't really white.

Or maybe, just maybe, votes don't come in colors. Maybe they should all count equally.

[AirAmFan]

39. NO! It's a way of saying, unlike white voters, African-Americans for the most

part use their hard-won votes wisely. And it's a way of calling into question the tenor and tone of this whole thread.

[daligirrl]

26. This whole argument is a non-issue. . .

The abuses of bush and co. go beyond race and class lines for the average person. Blacks who are not wildly rich are as stupid as Gays who are not wildly rich (see "Log Cabin Republicans") for supporting this administration. And ultimately, now matter now much money we have, we are all screwed.

[tamtam]

27. How could any black person

after the Florida elections support Republicans. I heard Al Sharpton's speech, what hit home for me was the line "our vote is not for sale". The Republican party practically told black voters in Florida to take their vote and shove it. You can take that crap about individual achievement and throw it out the window. HTH, are you suppose to achieve individual achievement if you basic civil liberties are taken for granted, NO better than that your basic civil liberties are stolen from you. That is exactly what Jeb and the Republican party did to black people. They stole blacks rights to vote during a presidential election.

The democratic party isn't perfect, but it has worked for black people. Black people have moved forward with the Democratic party, opposed to moving back wards with Republicans. I don't understand why a black person would want to support a party that doesn't respect their basic right to vote.

[wettap]

35. The Democratic Party...

...keeps telling me what they think I (an African American) want to hear. How is that moving forward? Taking my vote for granted because of my skin color, just because they will throw a crust of bread my way, all the while telling me how DUMB I am because "black folk" don't know how to properly use a ballot?

That is EXACTLY what the Democratic Party is telling me. That AA's are too stupid to figure out a ballot.

I haven't ever voted anything but Democrat, but despite GWB's empty rhetoric, I can't justify voting for whoever the Democrat challanger is this time. I won't vote PERIOD. Until the Democratic Party quits patronizing "Blacks" (like we iz all 'posed to vote fo' the Democrat) and starts treating us like they do White folk.

[Name removed]

36. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wettap]

38. So typical... just "dismiss" my opinion...

... just like the Democratic Party does. And I am supposed to be a "good niggah" and do what some rich white guy from Boston tells me to do, cuz I'm too stoopid due to my melanin content?

Tell me, angee. Why should I vote lockstep for a political party that patronizes me and insinuates about my lack of intelligence... yet demands my loyalty? Is that how the Democratic Party treats you Whites?

[Chili]

46. excuse me... WTF are you talking about?

"Why should I vote lockstep for a political party that patronizes me and insinuates about my lack of intelligence... yet demands my loyalty?"

WHO patronizes you? Please give examples - post the quotes, give specific examples.

The Democratic party has come a LONG way - not fast enough, not far enough, but it has changed in the last 20 years, and it will continue to change. In 1984, Jesse Jackson had to fight to gain respect from Democrats, who considered him an outsider and a divider. Now he's part of the party and campaigns every election for the Democratic nominee. Why would he do that? Are you calling Jesse Jackson a sellout? Al Sharpton was treated in exactly the same fashion this time, but was included in the debates this time, was brought on board and allowed to participate, even though he was an "outsider." He endorsed Kerry and will campaign for Kerry. Are you calling him a sellout? Is he being patronized?

Back in the early 80's, when pundits sneered at Rev. Jackson and denigrated his campaign, no one came to his defense, even party members were too squeamish to protest his treatment. This time, every liberal talk-radio host and television host - Stewart, Maher - every one of them - leaped to Sharpton's defense. And forget that crap about "Sharpton making his way onto the stage" - Kerry asked him to join them. This is a different world, and you're stuck in a time warp. African-Americans get NOTHING from the Republican party. Republicans cart out the tiny minority of minority members of that party every election and parade them around the stage at their convention as if AAs actually have power. Bullshit! I read that J.C. Watts was frustrated with his standing in the Republican party, that he was given great photo ops, but locked out of actual party decision-making - I'm googling for that article, I want to post it. THAT's what being patronized really means. The Republican party courts blacks for one reason only, and it's not for the black vote: it's to hold on to that significant segment of Republican and moderate voters who abhor blatant racism because it's embarrassing and they don't want to be associated with it. Period. To even suggest that blacks have ANY chance of getting bills passed in the Republican-controlled Congress that would benefit them is absolutely ridiculous.

Black voters are not taken for granted, it's a mutual agreement: you NEED us, and we NEED you. They can't win without us, and we are sent to the back of the bus without them. To suggest otherwise is a slap in the face and a kick in the ass to every member of the Black Caucus, who fights daily in the face of a hostile Republican oppostion for our right to vote, and for our voices to be heard.

[Joy Anne]

53. on Jesse

This old white lady became a Democrat to vote for Jesse, and I spoke up for him in my primary polling place in my inner-city all-white neighborhood. People there thought I was making a joke, and then one of the pollworkers said, "Yes, so and so said she voted for him, too, that he was the best candidate for working-class people of any color." I think I made a few converts to my point of view that day. Little steps, unlikely people stepping up.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

50. I know all people should vote their conscience

But it annoys me to no end when members of my race get rich and THEN decide to go with the party of "personal responsibility". It's as though they say "I've got mine, screw you." I do feel betrayed and I do feel angry. While the dems may not always do enough for Hispanic interests, I honestly feel in my heart that they actually care about us, at least some members do. I feel that Republicans don't care at all. I know they don't. When they say things like "there is no racial prejudice" "we need to end affirmative action" "things will even out in time" I know they don't give a shit about us at all. They can kiss my ass because I will always vote for the the party that advances the cause of my people, even if it means I have to take a hit to my vanity because they aren't sucking up to me to get my vote. I'm not poor now, thank God, but I remember being poor. My mom lived in a slum for crying out loud. Now she is a vice president, thank God. Did she make it because the playing field is level? No. She made it through God, hard work, talent, luck and affirmative action.

[wndycty]

52. Kick

:kick:

[Surf Cowboy]

56. Simply put,

The reason that black folk should stick together and vote Democratic is that, if they don't, they cancel out themselves and the interests of their community.

We all know that, if they were to stick together, register, and get out the vote, the black community (or women, or hispanics) could literally set the political course in this country--with whites split the way they are, whichever party garnered the black vote would win hands down.

The Repugs know this. They know that they are outnumbered by blacks, hispanics, and women, and they know that if those three groups ever got their acts together that the days of old white corporate rule would be over shortly.

So what do they do? I believe it was Cortez who was such a fan of "divide and conquer." They find something to wedge between groups who otherwise have a great deal in common and they slam it in until they can split the group.

With blacks, it seems to be entrepreneurial--almost a promise of sorts that, if you vote Repug, you can come to the party at the country club in November...

With whites, it is more than greed--to split white folk they use hatred of what they know, i.e. blacks, hispanics, immigrants, educated "elitists," etc... and fear of what they don't know, i.e. we don't know whether Iraq is a danger or not, but we're going to bomb them anyway, just to be safe.

It's pathetic. Women, blacks, hispanics, and minorities have no excuse for not swinging the elections in this country. And because they have never done it, women don't make the $ men do, Viagra is covered by insurance, but birth control is not, crack cocaine sentences are mandated to be greater than powder cocaine sentences, and the minimum wage is still so low as to be below the poverty line.

Here's hoping that one day, we will see the issues for what they are, not black vs. white vs. hispanic or men vs. women, but rather the rich vs. the poor--this is the real split and the real issue, but the poor are usually unable to get past the red herrings of affirmative action, welfare, gay marriage, abortion, etc.

[Bridget Burke]

62. Kerry hasn't shown up at my door to beg for my vote, either.

I'm a single white woman. While I strongly agree with a woman's right to choose, I'm just past the point where it will affect me personally. Education is necesssary & I'm glad to contribute, but I don't have little darlings of my own to worry about.

The Democratic vision of our country's future sounds far better to me than the Republican version--but it's not because Kerry has given me any special treatment. I've known about W* since he was my governor--asking me to vote for him is an insult to my intelligence.

Please, tell us exactly what the Republicans have done to win your loyalty!

[noiretextatique]

67. if you're black...i'll give you $100.00

:eyes: but we'll have to find some way to verify it. and if you're talking about a party that patronizes your intelligence, you need look no further than the republican party. bush thanked out ancestors for being slaves because their suffering helped make america a better place. i don't know about you, but that's what i'd call insulting.

[playahata1]

37. In what year was the Southern Christian Leadership Conference founded?

n/t

[tamtam]

40. Vote Nader

and move on, be happy or whatever. As far as I am concerned, Bush is more of a threat to (black people) than Democrats are. This election is way too important for me to sit back and whine about the Democratic party not taking me seriously. I have never voted before in my life, and I'm proud to say I will be voting this year for Kerry.

[Swamp Rat]

41. Good for you!

Welcome to DU!
:toast:

[Tight_rope]

45. Welcome to DU tamtam!

[Tight_rope]

44. Welcome to DU wettap! (From a Black Democrat)!

"I won't vote PERIOD"....well I must say that I'm not surprised by your expression. It's typical of AA's (I jus ain't gonna vote cuz they ain't even puttin enuf shugga in my kool-aid) Well, you see how far we've gotten with this kind of attitude. I agree, the Democratic party has not always been a party that AA's could depend on. Yes, there have been times through the years that they have left us at home or just plain forgot about us. But not this year. I can honestly say that I'm proud of the Democratic this year. They have not left us at home or just plain forgotten about us.

In all honesty, they didn't "DO RIGHT BY US" this year because they wanted to be nice or because AA's sat around and did nothing.
AA's like Rev. Jesse Jackson, Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr., Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton, Barack Obama, Cynthia McKinney, Maya Angelou, Congressman "Alcee L. Hastings and the late Barbara Jordon, Rosa Parks, Harriett Tubman and Martin Luther King, Jr., the list could go on for hours. All of these individuals and many more have fought or are fighting for "OUR" rights. Many have died for us, just so that you and I would have the right to vote. It truly is a "SLAP" in the face that you would throw away all that they have marched for, cried for, been disgraces for and died for. This is the reason why our voices are heard in the Democratic party. It wasn't because they all sat around at home and said, "I won't vote PERIOD". They had to work to change things. And yes sometimes "change is slow". But at least we are no longer "Slaves" and we "CAN VOTE". But you go ahead and keep doing what you are doing. I guess you feel AA's have gotten as far as we need to go. I on the other hand, will continue to march, cry, be disgraced and die if I have to, for AA's to have a better life now and in the future.

[Chili]

47. thank you, Tight Rope...

...while I was typing out my post (#46) I missed yours - and we jinxed. "A slap in the face" to the Black Caucus and all of those who died fighting for our right to vote and our right to be heard... exactly. Thank you.

[Tight_rope]

42. As a Black Democratic woman with a Republican brother...

I can tell you that this is not just the idealogy of the black republican in the post. My brother is a republican. Yes, he feels that he's worked hard for him money (which is the only thing that he cares about)and feels Republicans can be the only ones to protect his money. Yes...he's a selfish bastard. Not that we ask him for money. We just know better. He thinks that he'll take his money with him (Which we all know the Republicans won't allow...maybe he'll leave it to charity). IMO with my experience with dealing with my brother and other black republicams, "GREED" is their only agenda for supporting Bush.

[Tsiyu]

48. Asscroft Associates with White Supremacists

The Republipuke head of our Justice Department?

The rates of young AA's incarcerated vs in college? Going Up? Down?
Number of whites going to prison vs college under the same conditions.

I could go on and on. I work for a Repub. Would i be caught dead not supporting Kerry this time just because the Dems haven't held my little bitty hand and a Repub signs my paycheck??? Jesus. Gimme a break......

[wndycty]

49. Kick

:kick:

[pnb]

54. Selfish?

I just find it to be very insulting to blacks that so many others think that their skin color should automatically be their main voting topic, unlike us white folk who are allowed to vote based on any other issue(s). Do so little poeople realize that blacks actually DO have opinions on things such as taxes, abortion, capital punishment, schools, etc., and may want to vote on those ideas as well?

[wndycty]

55. I agree with you to a point. . .

. . .unlike white folks as a group there are certain policies or issues that impact us as a people, Civil Rights issues, affirmative action, etc. and one party consistently supports the issues that an overwhelming majority of Blacks embrace. When you look at how the RNC panders to America's racists it becomes a no brainer.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

60. When Republicans Talk About Those Issues

They are speaking about them in relation to whites. They put forward legislation that appeals to THEIR base, rich whites. If blacks happen to like what they say, so be it, no skin off their noses. They make a bunch of promises to minorities and then don't keep them. They do nothing for US, only what their base wants. So yes, while a minority may care about the issues, first and foremost this minority wants to be treated like a human. I want people to actually advance the status of minorities so first minorities' needs will be discussed and then action will be taken rather than action be taken and then they have to pick what the like from what's already been passed.

[Surf Cowboy]

63. There's no doubt that black folk have opinions

on taxes, abortion, capital punishment, schools, etc..

But if Republicans are in office, nobody is going to care what their opinion is. In other words, after four years of being marginalized, what choice do black folk really have?

[progressivebydesign]

61. I think people make a mistake thinking all Blacks vote "Black"..

.. just as people think all Jewish people vote based on Israel's interests. People are people. Yes, there are major social issues that affect a large proportion of Blacks in America... and for them, Kerry's message and Sharpton's message, and Dean's message hits home. To those that have a different agenda, growing a business, dealing with higher taxes, getting ahead, that's their focus. They're people, all people have different ideas. To lump Blacks into one mindset is incredible stereotyping. Just as saying 'all caucasians in the South love Nascar'.

You can't force the Black republicans to put concern for others ahead of their business interests. What we CAN do, is make sure they realize that Bush is BAD FOR BUSINESS. And, that his policies for the past 4 years have been bad for personal financial growth. Talk to them in ways meaningful to them... to try and reason that Kerry is better because he cares about Head Start, or the environment, is not going to cut it. If you talk about how Kerry has a plan for job training (which improves THEIR businesses ulitimately), and the economy, and the deficit, and health insurance (which again helps their biz indirectly)... that is what will work.

My husband works for an obnoxious right winger. He is the thing we DUers rant about... His business has been on the slide for almost FOUR years. Yet, he's too dense to see that FOUR years is exactly how long Bush has been destroying the economy. The guy is a major Bush supporter, yet his business thrived under Clinton. He blames the economy, not Bush. He thinks all he needs are tax cuts, and everything is groovy. This guy, however, will never be convinced. He thinks he knows better, and Bush is the friend to small business.

I wrote to the Kerry campaign a few months ago and BEGGED them to really, really make a meaninful push for small business. THEY make up so much of our economy, and they trend RIGHT. It's a subject that needs to be addressed, meaninfully, at each campaign stop. They are the economic engine of our country, yet the Democrats usually forget them when they talk about programs that sound as though the small business owner will be the ones paying to initiate the mandates. Food for thought..

edited for unfortunate spelling.

[wndycty]

65. Kick

:kick:

[noiretextatique]

66. since 90+% of blacks vote democratic

it's not a stretch to suggest that MOST african-americans vote democratic. the ones that don't are still a tiny minority, no matter how m uch noise they tend to make. bushco's hysteria about black people and voting of late is quite laughable, and tends to happen just before every election. luckily...they will not make a dent in getting many blacks votes, because, as wndycty's friend admits:

"now if the republicans decide to make themselves attractive to say 4% of registered black democrats, the democrats'll be in major trouble...but repubs haven't figured out how to do it w/o offending the racist part of their base.....stay tuned "

[wndycty]

68. Kick

:kick: