Let me first state that I am a Political Independent. While I personally reject the label of "conservative", I would say that my views are "right of center". This is a result of my life experience with family, with education and in business. With that said I must be honest with you and tell you that I am as frustrated in hearing a Black Republican argue about how much his party has done or can do for Black people as much as I am in hearing a Democrat argue the same. I personally believe that Black people need an independent, CLOSE TO HOME initiative for transformation and reformation within our community. I would like to see Black people follow our own consciousness and participate in the American political party system as we see fit as individuals. Today's "enforced unity" into the Democratic Party is a key point that is stifling competition of ideas that will lead to change WITHIN our community. When those who are in power are confident and comfortable that they will stand another day, unaccountable fr the results then we can be sure that there will be little pressure to innovate so that change can be made. The heavy use of external boogie men and the notion that these forces always stand in the way and stop the brilliant ideas of those who are in power over the Black community will cease the day they are held accountable for the results.
This year four notable Black Republicans ran for statewide offices around the country. Michael Steel in MD, Kenneth Blackwell in OH, Lynn Swann in PA and Rev Keith Butler in MI. Thus far it has been a rocky road for nearly all of them. In my monitoring efforts they have the forces of two headwinds working against their aspiration. At first glance you might think I am saying "Black and Republican" are the two points that make them a "dual minority" as is so often applied to Black females. The headwinds that I am speaking about are from Democrats who are Black.
In several articles and on Black blogs I have read Black authors at the point of celebration make note of the failures of these Black candidates. I heard Black Democratic operative make the case that the outreach by the GOP toward Blacks has failed, "While he Democratic party looks like it will give us a Black governor of Massachusetts pretty soon these Black Republican candidates will be off of the map".
I was surprised when the controversial former head of Pacifica Network - a far left leaning oracle made the statement "Black people no longer vote on the basis of skin color but on the basis of compatibility with our beliefs". When did this start Ms. Berry? The undercurrent of race dominates nearly everything. From that ideology is the filter. The "IF THEN STATEMENT" is "AND" rather than "OR"....Black And Liberal in this case.
If you thought that Black people wanted Blacks in elected positions.......you would be grossly wrong. The popular Black ideology want Black people WHO THINK LIKE THEM in office. There is a dual set of qualifications that are sought.
So frequently one is inclined to hear "Those Black Republicans sound just like the White Republicans who are doing harm to Black people and thus I can't support the enemies of Black people". This would be a fair statement except when we consider who is the force casting judgment? None other than a Black Democrat. This person can oft be heard criticizing the condition of his community - the low performing schools, the crime, the lack of economic development. Despite the fact that if he lives in a majority Black voting district there is a 100% chance today that he has a Black Democrat as his elected representative from Dog Catcher to Mayor - this does not register at home with him as a source of his problems.
The disposition of attack against those who threaten the Black Democratic base is a consequence of the outsourcing of the yolk of responsibility within the Black community. The predominate political ideology that has power within the Black community is the "Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive Fundamentalist". If you and Black and your policies don't echo these points then you are an enemy of the Black Best Interests.
The point that is missed by the members of the Black community who should be driving toward effective change rather than party loyalty is that these Black Quasi-Socialist Progressive Fundamentalists "sound just like the White liberals" who have successfully gutted large expanses of the Black community relationships over the past 40 years via their social programs. They appear to be asking for more.
In stepping back and assessing the big picture of the situation - it is clear that absent ACCOUNTABILITY for the conditions within major swaths of Black America the political ideology that currently presides over this failure will continue to shift the blame outward.....as they are externally yolked. The story of New Orleans has been shifted to that of a Federal failure despite strong evidence of shared blame. Clearly within the Black press - the feds allowed this to happen. It is symbolic that the most significant amount of pain and suffering that took place in the city at its greatest time of need occurred at a convention center that was named after a local Black politician. The election that followed had a tag line of "are we going to keep the Black political machine in place after the demographic changes that have taken place within New Orleans?". Few words were said about the city being below sea level, surrounded on 3 sides by water and protected by a levee that was designed for a category 2 storm and the lack of a locally crafted plan to protect the masses in the event of a disaster. This job was outsourced to the Federal government and likewise the federal government assumed the blame....at least in the minds of the BQPF. Sadly if the same events happen 20 years from now, regardless of who is president the same results will unfold.
The Black Community is in need of a separation. We need to separate our politicians and leaders from our "organization". Just as a corporation can step back and make a deep inspection of its own operations while being lead by a management team with a certain set of plans, removing the leadership once the objectives have not been met...the same is needed for the Black community.
Instead we have "leaders for life". They are empowered by the notion that they are "working for the best interests of Black people", "Providing voice to the voice-less", "Speaking truth to power". All of these speak to a DEFENSIVE orientation. At what point will it be noted that America 2006 has a body of laws that sufficiently protect people to a point that the actions of an adequately yolked group of people who set out with a purpose cannot be derailed by a conspiring adversary?
In summary the difficulties of these candidates who think differently, beyond the admitted lack of personal qualifications of some of them is that they come to us at a time when their people are "discontent with where they stand in large measure but they are not so discontent where they are willing to abandon the set of assumptions as expressed in their ideology that has lead them to where they stand".
If one makes the case that "they have changed and thus achieved riches" the gallery will shout back "you have sold out and started to do as our enemies do". They will attempt to plaster him with the "exceptional negro" label - one who distances himself from his people so that he can think of himself as becoming successful by proving to others that "he is not one of them". Oh yes there are thousands of antidotes to be plastered upon those who depart from the common thread. If only there were some words said to those who promote unity with the agenda that they espouse by run from responsibility and accountability for what they have hoisted upon Black America in their confidence game.
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