The Black Republican

More proof that the executive Bush is living up to the ideals of the original Black Republican - only this time it's Jeb, and not GW that's leading the charge. (Though the article, oddly enough for the WSJ, never mentions that these are Jeb's initiatives.) These Bush boy do come from very fine stock, don't they?

Florida will be a pivotal battleground this November, but on the crucial subject of education reform the battle in that state is already joined.

In the past five years Florida has delivered real school choice to more American schoolchildren than anywhere else in the country. Which is no doubt why Jesse Jackson was down in Tallahassee earlier this month calling Governor Jeb Bush's policies "racist." He and his allies understand all too well that when poor African-American and Latino children start getting the same shot at a decent education that the children of our politicians do, the bankrupt public education empire starts looking like the Berlin Wall.

Combine this good news with the seeming affects of the Supreme Court's decisions last summer in the Michigan affirmative action cases, and one can detect - ever so slightly - a change in the prevailing social/political winds.

Chris and I have often discussed our own perceptions of this "change" within the context of the theories of Strauss & Howe, and how the changes of this age (that their theory predicts will occur) will eventually play out. We have, if I may speak for Chris a bit here, concluded that the attacks of 9-11 were the catalyst for a great and gathering crisis, and that the past 2+ years have been a time in which the major players of this age (Bush, Blair, and yes bin Laden) align themselves, set strategies, and plan courses of action. The paradigm of war and conflicts has shifted and Bush (et al) are reacting to that shift. This can be seen very well in the examples of the Bush Doctrine and the Patriot Act - marked departures from the way this country had always dealt with terrorist, countries, and law enforcement before. The fact that opposition to these ideas (and by extension, to Bush) is so intense, is testament to how radically different they are, and that they are having an affect.

This election will either be an acceptance of this new paradigm or a refutation of it. Either way, the consequences will be huge - and one of the things that we here at the Black Republican hope gets put aside forever is this preoccupation some people (read liberals, the elite media, and most Democrats - Jessie Jackson) have with race. A persons race has no bearing whatsoever on abilities or capabilities, and the sooner those people come to that understanding or are forced to accept that premise, the better for us all.

I do think, however, that these liberal elite also feel this change in the air. They see the subtle yet significant changes within the Black and Latin communities, with the Jewish and Catholic population, and with key issues like abortion and tort reform, and realize all too well that these are the groups and issues they have relied on for 40 years to provide their political success - and they are afraid, and their reactions over the past 3 years reflect that fear.

A rising tide does lift all boats, but a shifting wind only helps the captain skilled enough to see the signs early, and adjust his sails accordingly. It may seem now like we have turned the ship too soon and that the winds of war and change are against us, but isn't it true that only the most innovative and successful people get labled as being "ahead of their time"? In this time in which we live, and in this race, my money is on my Captain.