I was fortunate enough to receive an attached email from resident commenter/blogger, Sergio (of the Bloodsport site) which contained a Time article highlighting the quandry that Black Republicans are in due to the emergence of President-elect Obama. I'm not sure if the premise of the piece is conjecture or fact. Sure, the Republicans are going to have to rebuild but the process is certainly not insurmountable. The purported choice of GOPAC head Michael Steele as the next chairman of the Republican Party, on the surface, looks like an excellent foundation to start this rebuild. Perhaps a reprieve from kowtowing to the religious right might be another wise move. It is easy to surmise that the overt religiosity of the Republican base just didn't address the real world dilemma of a failing American economy. But I digress, check out this excerpt from the Time article in question:
It hasn't been the best time to be a Republican — and even worse if you are a black Republican. Take the experience of Ada Fisher. This fall, the Salisbury, N.C., physician ran for a state general-assembly seat representing a mostly white, working-class district. Several black college students who campaigned on her behalf were dissed by peers as "Uncle Toms." Then, in September, as Fisher walked toward the local Republican Party's booth at a county fair, a white man told her to go back to the Democratic Party booth "where she belonged" and to support Barack Obama. Never mind that the 61-year-old is a third-generation Republican. She also recalls hearing of white people urging friends to vote a straight Republican ticket — "except for the black woman."
Barack Obama's candidacy posed a peculiar challenge to the GOP's minuscule African-American membership. For some, it meant weighing a sense of racial pride against loyalty to conservative economic and foreign policy principles. Now, the GOP must decide how it can be relevant to an increasingly diverse electorate, particularly blacks. That will certainly be on the agenda as Michael Steele, the former Maryland lieutenant governor, vies to become the first African American to lead the Republican National Committee. In an interview with TIME last week, Steele acknowledged it will be "very, very tough" to boost black support for the Republican Party, particularly given the historic nature of Obama's presidency. Still, he says, "I want to take the party back to communities outside its comfort zone."
In all fairness, the Republicans should not (and do not) bare the brunt of racial insensitivity during this election season. Does anyone remember this woman from the Democratic primary process:
The question remains-if we see competency (stay home and shoot moose next time, Sarah!) and a viable candidate of color on the right during the next go-around, will Blacks/Browns be willing to get off the liberal plantation to see it through? Your guess is as good as mine. Click on the link below for the Time piece in its entirety:
Is There a Future for Black Republicans?
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