Devone Tucker on National Tragedy

The black conservative Republican blogger argues that, despite appointing the most diverse Cabinet in American history, President George W. Bush failed in his effort to reestablish the Republican Party as a viable political option for black voters: "It is a sad reality that most African-Americans have been taught (thanks to relentless Democrat propaganda) to be suspicious of the capitalist system. Over the past four decades, Democrats have been quite effective at exploiting class envy, convincing African-American voters that wealth is unfairly distributed in this country—and that those who are of means are directly responsible for the problems faced by those who are not of means. Having taught voters of color to despise the rich, the Democrats subsequently convinced large numbers of African-American voters that, despite their agreements with the Republicans on social issues, they cannot trust the GOP because it is the 'party of the rich'—i.e., the party of those who have exploited people of color. It drives Republicans crazy that Democrats have been so successful at peddling this message. Yet the power of this dishonest message endures, ensuring that every four years, African-American voters will turn out in droves to support the Left’s anointed candidate."

Mr. Tucker continues his commentary: "With the exception of Bush, Jack Kemp, Ken Mehlman and a few others, most Republicans have reluctantly accepted the reality that the divide between the GOP and voters of color will remain for some time to come. The only African-American votes the GOP has received over the past forty years have come from those already disinclined to support the Democrats for ideological reasons. The only way the GOP can attract more African-American support in the immediate future is by moving to the left on economic issues—an act that would destroy the party by rendering it indistinguishable from the Democrats. Republicans believe that capitalism works—that tax cuts stimulate the economy, that people should keep more of what they earn, and that wealth is the result of diligence and not deviousness. Adopting the soak-the-rich ethos of the Left would appeal to voters of color who regard the American economic system as unjust, but it would also turn Presidential elections into pointless contests between two versions of the Democrat Party. The GOP has, for all intents and purposes, decided to 'cut and run' from the effort to attract more support from voters of color. Republicans have looked on in frustration as Bush’s attempts to appeal to African-American voters have been consistently rebuffed, due to the perception by those voters that Bush represents a party that stands for economic injustice. It is unlikely that the GOP will continue these failed 'outreach' efforts in the future."

My response: According to a Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies survey, only 22% of black voters believe in limited government (versus 69% who believe in a larger government providing more services). That same survey shows that 27% of blacks consider themselves conservative. However, clearly they are conservative Democrats or independents because only 10% of black voters self-identify as Republicans. The Republican Party will not get the majority of black votes anytime soon. It is strategically wiser for the political party to shave off black support in key swing states (a la Bush in Ohio in 2004, where he doubled his black vote from 2000) - among blacks who favor smaller government and/or consider themselves conservatives but are clearly not regularly voting for Republican presidential candidates - to deny Democrats a presidential victory. It is strategically much wiser for Republicans to focus more on the Hispanic vote, as 30% of Hispanics voted for Bush in 2004 and the GOP gets more bang for the buck there. It should be noted that black Republicans should partly blame themselves here. If they want more black folks to vote Republican, then they need to be on the ground a lot more in black communities - and not just at election time - getting their message out there.