Herman Cain recently gave voice to a tired narrative Republicans offer to explain the Grand Old Party's pathetic performance with Black voters that is as absurd as the notion that he will win his party's presidential nomination. Mr. Cain stated in an interview on CNN's Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer that "many African Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view." This is a decades-old canard that does not hold up to scrutiny and, worse, shows that Republicans, including Mr. Cain, do not understand Black political behavior.
I interviewed dozens of Black Republican activists when researching my book Republicans and the Black Vote and a majority of them cited some form of the notion that Black people were "brainwashed," "forced," or otherwise "tricked" into not voting Republican. It goes something like this: Black liberals like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, among others, have some mystical, magical mind-control over Black people. These untrustworthy leaders have used their powers for evil, convincing Black people that conservative public policy preferences would hurt Black interests. They, through their white liberal patrons, keep their thumbs on Black voters to keep them beholden to the Democrats.
This, of course, ignores decades of conservative political symbols and policies that have demonized African Americans, undermined Black progress, and repressed Black political participation. It ignores the hostility in some corners of today's Republican Party toward African Americans. From dismantling federal civil rights enforcement to opposing or vetoing civil rights legislation and from racist incarceration policies to "welfare queens" and from economic policies that encourage the movement overseas of blue collar jobs to opposing increases in the minimum wage, conservatives have almost always been on the other side of the street from Black people. This is not brainwashing. It is an honest assessment of an ideology, practiced by a political party, that is antithetical to the interests of most African Americans.
Black voters are were they have always been: center, center-left. They were with the Republicans when the GOP fought for their interests. They stayed where they were and watched the GOP move away from its long held policy positions. African Americans have been far from brainwashed about the Republicans and, more specifically, conservative ideology. If anything, Black voters have been remarkably consistent: As both parties have shifted positions, it is Black voters who have remained constant. If you give Black voters a reason to support you, Mr. Cain, then I am sure they will. Given where you stand now, however, I'm not optimistic you will get more than token support.
For too long, conservatives have blamed Black leaders for Republican failures with Black voters. Herman Cain's view suggests that looking inward is something the Republicans are unable, or unwilling, to do. As former U.S. Representative J.C. Watts told me, Republicans simply "don't get it" on race. And the notion of mind-control just doesn't wash.
Michael Fauntroy is author of "Republicans and the Black Vote" and associate professor of public policy at George Mason University. He blogs at MichaelFauntroy.com.
Follow Michael Fauntroy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MKFauntroy
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 |
|
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Electoral Votes (270 to win) |
332 | 206 |
| Obama | Romney | |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 65,899,660 | 60,932,152 |
| Percent | 51.1% | 47.2% |
| Democrats* | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Current Senate | 53 | 47 |
| Seats gained or lost | +2 | -2 |
| New Total | 55 | 45 |
| Democrats | Republicans | |
|---|---|---|
| Seats won | 201 | 234 |
Anytime a black person says you need to work hard and make it on your own i.e. Herman Cain, Bill Cosby, etc...they are seen as "Uncle Toms" and "They just don't get it".
BLACK VOTERS...YOU HAVE BEEN GETTING PLAYED BY OBAMA! He has no interest in helping you. He became president so he can retire with a $400k per year pension, get courtside tickets to the Knicks for the rest of his life, sit on 8-10 executive boards for big companies paying him $250k apiece per year to do nothing, and write four more books for $8,000,000 per book. He'll care about you up until election night and then you're history.
If you want your kids to be proud of someone - read Herman Cain's life story and listen to his message...I dare you.
Obama ( Though I think the The Fed Reserve/MIC has threatened Obama in some way)
may not really be in control..consider WHY we voted for Obama
I voted for Obama, Because of Bush's unconstitutional and vile abuses of power and war
anyway READ this
“" This does not mean that I expect to get Ralph Nader or Cynthia McKinney to become libertarians, nor do they expect me to change my mind on the issues on which we disagree. In the meantime, why can’t we be friends, respectful of each other, and fight the corrupt process from which we suffer, and at the same time champion the four issues that we all agree upon which the two major candidates won’t address?
Many practical benefits can come from this unique alliance. Our cause is liberty — freedom is popular and is the banner that brings people together. Since authoritarianism divides, we always have the edge in an intellectual fight. Once it’s realized that the humanitarian goals of peace and prosperity are best achieved with our views, I’m convinced we win by working with others. Those who don’t want to collaborate are insecure with their own beliefs." - Ron Paul
http://www.ronpaul.com/2008-09-23/ron-paul-endorses-chuck-baldwin-for-president/
SO BE VERY suspicious of those Seeking to DIVIDE us”
John: What makes this statement soooooo idiotic...is the fact that the GOP is the "party of NO"...refusing to CONSIDER anything the Obama administration puts forth.
Herman Cain may have been mistaken but only in limiting his commentary to African Americans. In reality, anyone that supports the two-party system is brainwashed. Look no further than this site for evidence. It is littered with spoon-fed, DNC/RNC drivel, mindlessly regurgitated by loyal sheep, blind to their own hypocrisy.
John: Whites continue to benefit from the injustices of the past....and today's injustices.
The cumulative economic wealth Whites --as a group-- have amassed from past injustices --and current ones-- is HUGE.
"The wealth gap between White and African-American families more than quadrupled from 1984 to 2007.
Financial assets, excluding home equity, among White families grew from a median value of $22,000 to $100,000, while African-Americans had a median wealth of $5,000 in 2007."
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/05/20/White-black-wealth-gap-quadrupled/UPI-80281274335471/#ixzz1ZuWTTH1P
Whites have a huge advantage with nearly every economic, political, and social variable. There's even a "racial" disparity in the awarding of the death penalty, in that "Whites killing People of Color are most likely to receive only a life sentence white Defendants of Color murdering a White person are most likely to receive the death penalty.
They benefit from the "stereotype of Black inferiority"...which was created to legitimize slavery but is still pervasively believed today, impacting Blacks' chances of getting a job, feeds into White bankers' beliefs that 'Black applicants are likely to default on loans...and thus are steered to sub-prime loans, and many, many other acts of discrimination.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UJlNRODZHA
1. What do you know about Africa?
2. Why wouldn't a black African know about the term "soapbox"? (You didn't answer my question earlier.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLdcB0ln9t8
In fact, liberalism ruins the black man in unimaginable ways and in some cases, beyond rehabilitation. That welfare mentality has done a serious number on blacks; effectively taking away our ability to use brain-power to "create" for our own and be an economic force. The antidote to that is: conservatism.
You look at the Democrat Party, and the media never reports on this, the black base is the only sane, traditional American values and consistent with Christianity principles. We are that base the Republican Party strive to be. Today, the Democrat Party is made up of gay/lesbians, illegal aliens and far-left ideology.
That's not who blacks are as a people and culture ingrained in America. If the Democrat Party lose us as the most loyal base, I feel sorry for them. They "think" the illegal aliens can replace us and illegals are citizens nor do America want them as citizens. The Republican have a golden opportunity to adjust their attitudes, invest and merge policies that helps and strength the Republican Party. We're the eldest sons and daughters of the Republican Party, not the racist midgets currently infecting the Party.
I am not brainwashed Im smart.
The fact that you feel Black people are to blame for that characterization is as well. Stop it.
Reagan's "welfare queen" was Purposely Miscast - not as the typical recipient = a rural white woman with lots of kids, trying to hang on.
Reagan portrayed her as a "Cadillac-Driving Welfare Queen," implying a black woman with lots of kids who is dishonestly bilking the system so much that she can afford black people's (at that time) most aspired-to car! A Cadillac!
Everyone, white, black or other knew Exactly what he meant - no "dog whistle" needed - and so began the demonization of AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent Children). It was not until the late 1990's did the number of black families exceed the number of white welfare recipients. Those numbers may be changing soon with this economy.
The "Welfare Queen" is pure Scapegoating, for political gain.
Shameful, then and now.
http://toddkinsey.com/
A century ago liberal meant conservative but the progressive socialist movement hijacked it. One good thing about President Obama being elected is that he woke up a whole new segment of America. The GOP is now organizing almost as well as the left. You have a major head start on us but we're catching up quickly. The 2012 election will be the biggest landslide in American history.
http://www.frantzkebreau.com/index.html