Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 12 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 20 years, 9 months ago by
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- I'm an African-American Republican. Why do some blacks consider me to have 'sold out'?
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Name : Hayden, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Jehovahs Witness, Age : 17, City : Somewhere, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Upper middle class,You would really need to research the recent (after around 1950) history of the Republican and Democratic parties and the United States in general to understand this. A relatively short explanation is:During the last 50 years, the Republican party has promoted various laws that most of us blacks view as restrictive of our rights as American citizens at best and downright inimical (to put it mildly) to us at worst. You are young enough not to have experienced much of the racial strife in the United States, and actually, I am too. But I have experienced some. And I am old enough to remember the more recent political decisions, the court decisions, the election campaigns, etc. that have taken place. Passage and enforcement of fair housing laws, fair employment laws, education, etc. The Republican party fought them all. The Democratic party supported them. Not that the Democratic party is perfect. Just a little less overtly dangerous to our well-being.
Amazingly, most blacks I know have always been quite conservative on almost any public issue. Yes, the Democats, too (I am one). But being liberal has also come to mean being in favor of anti-discrimination laws. And enforcement of those laws, while being conservative historically means being against those same laws. It's as if believing that all Americans should have the same opportunity of prosperity and should have equal protection under the law is mutually exclusive of having good law enforcement and a low crime rate. I could go on and on, but you should do some additional research on your own. Plus, there are many others who can tell you more than I.
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Name : Wayne C., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 41, City : Parsippany, State : NJ Country : United States, Occupation : Marketing, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,I don't think you are a sellout. I think you align yourself with what your faith and morals suggest to you is right. Republicans tend to be more conservative and traditional than Democrats and liberals, and they have a strong religious basis toward many of the platforms they present. What likely puts you at odds with most black people in the United States who are Democrats is the Republican intolerance of civil rights and issues concerning historically oppressed minority groups. The rollback of the gains achieved during the 1960s civil rights movement and policies such as Reaganomics, the War on Drugs, dispassionate welfare reform and questionable influence of gunmakers/supporters, crooked CEOs and an unchecked military make it difficult for blacks to be onboard Republican platforms.That is not to say the Democratic party is the lesser of two evils, because it tends to promote lifestyles and agendas that seem extremely unconventional and without much moral/Biblical adherence. Lightning rod issues such as abortion, birth control/sex ed, civil rights for homosexuals and euthanasia (assisted suicide) for those who wish to die generate much controversy.
I consider myself a moderate/independent, but I vote mostly Democratic because I think the party platform is more in tune with the intent of the Constitution. People give the Founding Fathers and the U.S. government more credit than they deserve when they insist that Godly principles and a Christian way of life is the way the country has always operated. This is not the case. The Bible says that I am the Lord thy God, and thou shall have no other gods before me. Yet the Constitution grants citizens of this country freedom of speech and religion, which applies to everyone, from Christians like myself to atheists and devil worshippers alike. That is not giving God his exclusive and special place as the lord of lords and king of kings. The Bible also says Vengeance is mine, thus saith the Lord, but capital punishment is still on the books in this country and pushed primarily by Republicans. But if the government has to meet the needs of the most people, and seeing as how America is extremely diverse in religious belief, ethnicity and heritage, I think the Democratic approach is the best way to go. I hope this helps you to understand, but keep doing what you're doing because a black point of view is sorely needed on that side of the fence.
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Name : Mike, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Baptist, Age : 23, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Ed. Admin. and Law School Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,As I read your post I was wondering why you are a Republican. Then I read that you are only 17 and from an upper middle class family. There's your answer right there: you are from an upper middle class family. Being only 17, you also haven't experienced much life. Most blacks aren't Republican because most blacks are not financially well off. If you look solely at economics, poorer people in this country -- black or any other race -- tend to be Democrats. There is a long tradition of the Democratic Party doing more for the poor than the Republican Party. I was born very poor and worked my way up to being middle class, and I firmly believe I was able to do that because of programs supported by Democratic elected officials. I am not Republican because those same programs are always under attack by Republicans. If I were born rich or at least well off, I would probably be Republican for financial reasons. Republicans like to keep the rich, rich.User Detail :
Name : Sheri R., Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 41, City : san francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : writer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Because, despite the fact that a republican president ended slavery and a republican congress voted in civil rights laws, Kennedy made it look like he, a democrat, was responsible and blacks have been voting democrat ever since. Not to mention the fact that most teachers are EXTREMELY biased towards democrats, telling us that they're the good pary from birth. Plus, the reason more affluent people tend to be republican is because that party is for lowering taxes and letting you keep the money you have, where as the democrats want to take all the money they can and spend it on programs that don't work, but look good enough to convince blacks and other minorities to vote for them.User Detail :
Name : Christina32043, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Baptist, City : Long Beach, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Although I'm not Republican, I don't consider you a sellout. In fact I think more blacks should become republican, because more and more Democrats are taking the black vote for granted. I would rather a black person be a Republican because he or she believed in it, rahter than a black person be a Democrat just because all other black people are.User Detail :
Name : Keisha-Josephs26532, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, City : Bronx, State : NY Country : United States, Occupation : College Student,Actually, until 1964 a lot of Blacks were Republican. The Republican Party did more for Blacks then the Democratic Party ever did, until recently. In 1964, Goldwater turned down the Civil Rights Act and then was elected the candidate for that year. Then the Republicans started recruiting more and more white Southerners, who up until that point were normally Democratic (and for segregation and the like). So basically it flipped flopped. Black used to be Republican until FDR. Then the Blacks who were still Republican changed after they turned down the Civil Rights Act. And all the White Southern Democrats turned Republican. BTW- I'm also a Republican. My views are basically Republican. I don't understand why minorities let stupid men dictate what they believe. Just because Goldwater was a racist, that doesn't speak for all Republicans. If you have Republican views that's your business.User Detail :
Name : Ana, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Catholic, Age : 18, City : Milwaukee, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,I thought witnesses weren't supposed to be involved in political affairs, because they believe that it is man based, and that man can't rule without God. So why do you have an affiliation?User Detail :
Name : Jadda, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : African Methodist Episcopalian, City : Wyandanch, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Lower middle class,A good question as they were once advertised as the party of Lincoln.User Detail :
Name : MINION20474, City : n/a, State : CA Country : United States,We're a media-saturated society. As long as mainstream news accounts - as well as individuals who have appointed themselves 'black leaders' - imply that black participation in conservative politics is scandalous or even treasonous, there will be less of it. It takes a thick skin to ignore needless insults and ridiculous accusations from persons who claim the right to dictate your thoughts and actions. Although thousands of us throughout the U.S. are proud members of the G.O.P. - and have been elected to public office - there are millions of black people (many of whose opinions are actually quite conservative) who are frightened away by the image the media gives of the party. And while I'm on the subject, there are some foolish white Republicans who believe that special 'outreach' efforts will cause more African-Americans to swarm into the G.O.P. Here's a tip: Like other quota plans, this one is condescending and counter-productive. People of all races are attracted to a political group by its beliefs - when they are honestly made available - and not by gimmicks. Bottom line answer: You have not sold out. You have chosen a party that recognizes you by your accomplishments, not by the color of your skin. Smart choice.User Detail :
Name : Ron29662, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Age : 37, City : Fox Valley, State : WI Country : United States, Occupation : Professional, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I am not from the south and I am not African American, but I recently took a two-year long history course on Race Relations in the US and this is my recollection of one reason this may be so: The South was a Democratic stronghold. The called it the Solid South. From Thomas Jefferson to Robert E. Lee, Democratic Party was synonymous with the status quo of privilege. http://homepages.wmich.edu/~corder/pls314c6.html I gather that the Democratic party was once the party of an elite class of land owners (and slave owners), while Republican party was more industrial and working class at the time of the Civil War. I believe that many Black men, upon gaining the vote, chose the Democratic party for the reason anyone would choose, to ally themselves with power they knew, rather than oppose it. The evolution of the party since then is another story, but it has been shown that most people register in the same political party that their parents did.User Detail :
Name : Gwen-DeFortuna, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 39, City : San Francisco, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : clerical specialist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Abraham Lincoln, who did an immeasureable amount of good for the blacks in this country, was a republican.User Detail :
Name : Katrina M., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Cajun French, Religion : non-practicing Catholic, Age : 20, City : Mobile, State : AL Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class,I've been told the main reason is because Kennedy, a democrat, was president when the civil rights laws were made, despite the fact that a Republican Congress voted them in. Until then they had mostly voted Republican because Lincoln was one. With most public teachers being liberal and EXTREMELY biased, myself having a teacher who told us that 'Democrats are for the people, and Republicans are all rich white men', and most African-Americans being uneducated, this view seems unlikely to change anytime soon.User Detail :
Name : Christina32062, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Long Beach, State : CA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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