My Brother's Keeper

I was going to try to ignore Republican Congressman and tea party darling, Allen West but he doesn't want me or anyone else to. Aside from being obnoxious and overbearing, he has settled nicely into his role as defender of all things racist, misogynist and Islamophobic. His childish taunting and name-calling has gotten him plenty of attention. To me, he always seems to be picking on women, homosexuals and Muslims and when he gets challenged on it, he sends out responses like this. His latest stunt is comparing himself to the great Harriet Tubman who lead hundreds of slaves out of bondage. I guess all of the attention you've been getting lately for your feud with fellow Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz must have gone to your head so you decided to call out Democrats Maxine Waters and Barbara Lee. Too bad the folks on Fox News didn't call you on it. Allen West, you are not fit to hold Ms. Tubman's head scarf. You lack the dignity, self-respect and determination to even attempt such a selfless act as leading enslaved people out of bondage. Since we're talking about plantations and overseers, I'm certain you would have been in the house snitching on Harriet for trying to lead slaves to freedom.  I don't want to be on anyone's plantation. I am neither Republican or Democrat. I find the Republican party is hostile toward women, the poor, blacks, Latinos and anyone who isn't rich so there is no way I am supporting any political party that promotes racism, vilifies the poor and thinks I can't be trusted to make decisions about my own reproductive health. As for those tea party crazies, there aren't even words to describe their venomous, hateful ideas but West has embraced them and proudly flaunts them. His own insensitivity and indifference to others also extends to his unemployed brother, Arlan whom he sent to the Congressional Black Caucus' job fair in Atlanta.  I see you got checked by Congresswoman Maxine Waters whom you singled out for special criticism as overseer of the plantation. Your tea party friends probably encouraged you to do that, but it wasn't such a good idea, you'll see.  And another thing, where are you and the rest of your black Republicans when one of your candidates throws around words like "tar baby" and "big black cloud" to describe President Obama? As much as you run your big mouth, you are noticeably silent then. You probably think this kind of name calling is okay because you know deep down, they aren't talking about you since you aren't a part of that plantation. You think you're special? You'll see. I can't help but defer to a brilliant post by blogger Abagond entitled "Black People: The Republican User's Guide", which explains most black Repulicans: “Black People: The Republican User’s Guide” (2009, 3rd edition) has, so far as I know, never been written, but it is not hard to guess some of what would be in it: Introduction: The purpose of the Republican Party is to pass laws that favour the rich and block those that do them harm. This is done mainly by:   Keeping taxes low Slowing change in society To achieve this requires the votes of millions of Americans on election day who will be harmed by such policies. Fortunately, most voters are white racists. Take advantage of that: Chapter 1: Divide and conquer: The main trick is to get Americans to think race is more important than class so that they vote against their class interests. The only thing that most voters have in common with the rich is a white skin colour. Use that to make them feel like they are on the same side as the rich. Strengthen that feeling by telling them that they too can be rich one day (even though most never will). This divides the working- and middle-class vote, weakening it as a serious threat to Republican policy. Chapter 2: At least I’m not black: Paint black people as completely screwed up: poverty, drugs, crime, broken homes, bad manners, low morals, etc. Since most whites already look down on blacks and since most know so few of them, this will be easy. You want them to feel that no matter how bad things get, “at least I’m not black”.  This allows them to accept things the way they are and not demand policies that would hurt the rich. Chapter 3: Racialize social problems: Crime, gun violence, drugs, poverty, failing schools, absent fathers and all the other ills of American society must either be blamed on blacks or be seen as mainly affecting blacks. That way little will be done about them, keeping taxes low. Chapter 4: Black pathologies: Blacks must be blamed for their own troubles. This is extremely important. It goes beyond excusing government inaction and keeping taxes low: Blacks are the single biggest threat to keeping American society the way it is, as shown by the civil war and the civil rights movement. Therefore black leaders must be killed, imprisoned, driven out of the country or made to look laughable. Chapter 5: Rented Negroes: Right-wing think tanks and news organizations should hire articulate, well-dressed blacks who are willing to: Make white people feel glad that at least they are not black. Racialize social problems. Push the idea of black pathologies. A black face makes these much more believable and harder to argue against. Chapter 6: Fear of a black president: If the president is black paint him as a enemy who is out to destroy the country. Even if you have to destroy the country to do it. Appendix: Here put all those twisted numbers and misleading charts from right-wing think tank “studies”. I leave “Black People: The White Liberal User’s Guide” as an exercise for the reader.

Trading in the Currency of Black Irrationality

Crossposted from A Political Season I consider myself a man of conservative views and a reluctant republican. I believe conservative ideology and principles to be superior to those which underpin the Democratic party. That's why I became a republican. I believe GOP implementation of those conservative ideals and principles is sorely lacking. That's what makes me reluctant. I disagree quite strongly with black conservatives who give credence to the idea that black voter loyalty to the democrats is essentially a product of mass delusion and brain washing by the democratic party. In this meme, the democratic party is like a cult and blacks are weak minded children mesmerized by a pied piper. LaShawn Barber kicks it this way: Democrats consistently get 90 percent of the black vote. Why? Years of damage caused by liberal ideology and misinformation pumped into the black community for the past 25 years. This train of thought posits a black community essentially too stupid and deluded by others to evaluate the parties on what they deliver and how they deliver it. She asks the following question: So why did large numbers of blacks switch from voting for Republicans to voting for Democrats? And gives this non answer to it: Some say it was President John F. Kennedy’s perceived sensitivity to the oppression of minorities that endeared him and his party to black Americans. I think this non answer is disingenuous, and the entire argument a species of falsehood. Its perpetuating a myth of black idiocy and irrationality while avoiding talking about GOP messaging and tactics. The GOP, on issues like law and order and affirmative action, has engaged in messaging tactics intended to pit its base against blacks. It has intentionally used wedge messaging, at times with racial undertones, to gain political advantage. Blacks have reacted accordingly by shifting their support to democrats. While it is true that democratic policies have not yielded their promised benefits, it is decidedly incorrect to characterize black engagement with democrats as proof positive that we are not rational political actors. This argument is almost religiously advanced by the right to justify non engagement with blacks, and deflects discussion away from the fact that the GOP has decided that blacks are not a political constituency essential to its aspirations for governance, and acts accordingly. LaShawn, as conservatives to the right are wont to do, reminds her readers about blacks historical engagement with the GOP at a time when democrats were the party of Jim Crow. This is usually cited as support for the argument that blacks should return to the party of Lincoln (who would have left blacks in chains if it had served his purposes in saving the union), which always prompts me to retort "that was then, this is now". She goes beyond the myth of black political irrationality to cite lingering black memories of government's positive role in Reconstruction, desegregation and the New Deal as a more fundamental reason for black disaffection with the GOP. She posits that it is those memories that make us resistant to the GOP's message of distrust for government. The argument is a bit squishy and psycho babbilish in a way, but its a reasonable opinion. I find fault with LaShawn's view however, because it does not call to account the GOP's political practice at all. This discussion in her view seems to only revolve around black political irrationality (a position I reject) with no analysis or discussion of GOP behavior. In other words, Barber excoriates us for our behavior, and gives the GOP a pass for theirs. Behavior predicated on a calculus she readily admits: ....Republicans can win elections without the black vote; Democrats can’t. A calculus by the way that demographic change in the United States will render obsolete between now and 2040.

A Tale of Two Conventions

Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated at RNC are Black Republican Party Still Segregated I like a number of black bloggers had the opportunity to attend the Democratic National Convention last week in Denver. I also had the opportunity to watch the Republican National Convention last night. Talk about tales of two conventions. At the Democratic National convention in was a sea of black folks, from all walks of life, people with disabilities, rich, economically challenged and the midde class. Candidly, I thought I was at a NAACP, or Urban League convention there was so many black folks. At the Republic Convention that I watched last night, all I saw was a sea of white faces. Blogger Shay of the blog, Booker Rising, reported about this earlier in the week. The Washington Post has a great article on how "Republican organizers conceived of this convention as a means to inspire, but some African American Republicans have found the Xcel Energy Center depressing this week. Everywhere they look, they see evidence of what they consider one of their party's biggest shortcomings. As the country rapidly diversifies, Republicans are presenting a convention that is almost entirely white. Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago. Each night, the overwhelmingly white audience watches a series of white politicians step to the lectern -- a visual reminder that no black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator or U.S. House member in the past six years. "It's hard to look around and not get frustrated," said Michael S. Steele, a black Republican and former lieutenant governor of Maryland. "You almost have to think, 'Wait. How did it come to this?' ead More HERE Visit: African American Political Pundit. Com

Black Republicans Quiet in 2007

2007 not the Year of the Black Republican. Remember how the GOP targeted Democratic Constituency in 3 High-Profile Races in 2006? Remember the article in the Washington Post and other newspapers around the country about J. Kenneth Blackwell the Ohio secretary of state -- a crusading conservative with an appetite for political combat -- who also assumed a leading role in the Republican party's efforts to break the Democrats' decades-long grip on the black vote. The article also talked about former Maryland, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele, whose candidacy had benefited from his friendship with two Republican National Committee chairmen. Remember former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann who challenged Democratic Gov. Edward G. Rendell. They called themselves the new Black Republicans and THEY LOST! You remember the article by Associated Press, They are the new black Republicans and they have a new name for the party. GOP they say stands for the Grow Out Party. These are African American Mayors and State lawmakers who say for far too long, Democrats have taken the black vote for granted. And they're fed up. It's time, they say, for black voters to take back the party of Lincoln, to make the GOP look more like them: African American faces, young and old. Rich and poor. Professional and working class. And as more young black voters identify themselves as Republicans, some African American leaders hope this could be a year to fundamentally change the Party, to give it new color and a new attitude. AAPP: I guess the Republican don't remember all of the bogus lies. Yes, I guess Black Republicans' don't remember their effort to change the party failed. As noted by Rikyrah at Mirror on America blog, the GOP's leading candidates don't care about black or Latino people for that matter, and have snubbed the Tavis Smiley Forum at Morgan State. Read More HERE. I guess candidates like Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney and John McCain. Have no love for the folks at: Project 21 Larry Elder Republicans for Black Empowerment Walter Williams LaShawn Barber Thomas Sowell Booker Rising The Cultural Strategist Dell Gines Vision Circle Hugh Hewitt Star Parker Daniel Drezner Ed Brown What's up with black conservatives and Republicans like Bob Parks? He has been very quiet on the issue. I wonder why? I guess there won't be a taking back of the party of Lincoln by the American people. A new color and a new attitude for the Republican Party? Not! Not in 2007, or for that matter, any time in the near or distant future.