The Black Republican

In spite of writing for this site, I am not a Republican. I don't have to join the Party to appreciate what they stand for and the accomplishments their philosophy has achieved. Demonizing Republicans is ridiculous and ignorant. Republicans, at their founding, were the liberals of their day. And ever since that founding, Republicans have done their share to ensure that all Americans get a fair chance to succeed. I am not even going to list those achievements again, anyone interested can research it for themselves, just as I researched the story of Dr. Rev. King's arrest this morning. If you are reading this, then you also have access to the internet; make the effort and you will see that Republicans have always been friends to black America.

The research I did this morning yielded (this and an hour's time) enough information that I now know that Mr. Gates left out some interesting stuff. For instance, Mr. Gates makes much of MLK being sentenced to four months hard labor without bail. He doesn't find room to tell us that MLK was released two days after his arrest. (JFK and RFK made an effort to get him out. Nothing I read made it clear that their involvement was the deciding factor in MLK's release.) He also doesn't tell us that Nixon considered calling Mrs. King; was, in fact, urged to do so by Jackie Robinson (yes that Jackie Robinson was a Nixon ally); Nixon rejected the idea because he did not want to leave the impression that he was "grandstanding". You never hear these things, the background, the nuances, and if you bring it up it is always dismissed as playing politics. So, when Nixon tries to avoid looking like an opportunist, Kennedy makes a different decision and is applauded. Well, that's politics for you, but it is not evidence that one man is good and another evil, or racist; one simply read what the American people needed better than the other in this matter. Hey, kudos to JFK, he made the right choice. But, if Mr. Gates is right, it says something about the simplicity of the American people if that one phone call turned an entire coalition against one of the major parties; yet, something did, so maybe he is right.

And forty-four years later I sit here trying to get people to understand that the Republican Party is not about not calling the loved ones of those in need of help. Popular myths die hard.

Luckily, Mr. Gates actually helps my effort. Not that his article is a slam piece, I don't mean to imply that. He offers up both side's slant, and many of the issues. Republicans want blacks to know that they are still the Party of Lincoln, that blacks have equal opportunites, that Republicans agree with the majority of black America on many issues important to blacks. And, importantly, he cites President Bush's reminder that blacks can increase their political influence if they are willing to give the Republican Party a look. The socially conservative agenda of black America can be advanced in coalition with other conservatives.

The last third of the article descends into race-baiting that energizes the fear factor in America's blacks; that is the Democratic approach. I think the best way to address this section, for it must be countered, is to refer the reader to a recent op-ed by HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. I think he makes it clear that the Republican Party is dedicated to equality.

The last line of Mr. Gates' piece is puzzling:

It isn't that the candidates won't call. It's just that they're calling collect.

I don't even know what he means by that, nothing in his piece explores that concept. I can only guess that he is saying the the Republicans are now approaching blacks because they want something. Yes, they do, they want black America to recognize that the big battles have been won, and to know that it is time to enjoy the victories hard won, they want you to succeed as you never have before. The call is out for all who wish to take greater control of their lives, and the Republican Party is still there to make sure your connection is secure.