Black Republicans are extremely unpopular this election season since Barack Obama may be the first African American president. If he wins the White House, it would be a momentous occasion in American politics. Regardless of who becomes president in November, this campaign presents a troubling paradox. Some want to misrepresent the election as a black and white picture that all open-minded tolerate individuals will vote for Obama and the rich and white are behind John McCain.
Many African Americans say that every black voter should support Obama because he is black. White Democrats should vote for him despite that he is black.
At the same time, for centuries we have fought for equal treatment in this country. We want to be looked at, as Martin Luther King Jr. describes, by the “content of our character”.
However, black supporters of John McCain are attacked and labeled as race traitors and Uncle Toms. Is it only acceptable to ask society to be colorblind as long as it is in favor of liberal views?
I, along with other black conservatives, am proud that Obama is making history. All Americans should be pleased to see a live example that political leadership is open to all races and ethnic groups. Knowing that he is just like any other white presidential candidate, the American people are going to evaluate him similarly to his predecessors who have run for office.
Many blacks and whites are going to vote for Barack Obama because they agree with his policies. Race will be an insignificant factor. This is ethical voting, selecting a candidate mainly on his or her policy positions is the epitome of American democracy.
Judging Obama as I would any other candidate, his inexperience and left-wing ideology fails to get my vote.
How can any African American vote for McCain over Obama?
McCain is getting my vote for three reasons; he is a moderate conservative, he has an outstanding record of leadership and he knows foreign policy. As a moderate Republican, I appreciate that McCain knows how to work with Democrats to move legislation. He has a history of placing partisanship aside even when it cost him conservative votes. His support for the United Nations to intervene in Darfur, proves his compassion. I feel secure in knowing that he will create an exit strategy in Iraq that will avoid future national security risks.
Regarding crucial African American issues, I know that neither John McCain nor Barack Obama will make our issues a top priority. Whoever wins office; the black community must be self-reliant and be rigorous in advocating the issues that matter to us most, as we have always done throughout our history. It will be naïve and ridicule to contend that the skin color of the next president will definitely improve the black community without grassroots activism. Furthermore, many of our challenges cannot be simply resolved by government intervention.
Better family unity, education and commitment to self-empowerment, are key to our progress, but these actions are out of the government’s scope.
Some Black Democrats assert that a vote against Obama means betraying our race. Several blindly believe that a President Obama will significantly improve black communities across the nation.
If this is true, then the many black Democrats who are already in public office can be blamed for the problems in our neighborhoods. As one of Obama’s constituent in Illinois, I have yet to witness a sudden surge of blacks moving from the disadvantage areas of Chicago’s south and west sides to homes in the suburbs.
Can we fault our leaders for too few of us with college degrees and too many of our children being raised without fathers? Perhaps these politicians should be responsible for people having unprotected sex, and thus adding themselves to the increasing number of African Americans inflected with HIV?
As a black conservative, I overall support our leaders in the government and the community regardless of partisanship. However, I disagree on the methods and ideas that can best address certain problems.
I am confident that one day the Republican Party will nominate a black presidential candidate that I can vote for because I agree with his or her policies rather than just skin color. The GOP has generated some of the most commendable black leaders such as Martin Luther Kings Jr., Booker T. Washington, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Alan Keyes, J.C. Watts and Michael S. Steele. If black Democrats choose not to vote for a black Republican presidential candidate in the future, I will not question their loyalty and support for our community.
Tiffany Shorter is a blogger on Hip-Hop Republicans and active international affairs activist. Before joining Hip-Hop Republicans,she was a member of Republicans Abroad Belgium responsible for coordinating outreach events and political discussions. She has come to New York after living in aboard in Belgium where she earned a Master’s degree in International Law from the Brussels School of International Studies. Along with blogging for Hip-Hip Republicans she has recently launch her own blog World Journal 360o featuring global business and political news.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Tiffany. I appreciate you trying to explain your stance, though I still disagree with your interpretation of McCain as a “moderate” conservative. Though that may be the case, he also does what he needs to do to win (i.e. pandering to the base and Hillary voters with Palin).
Any mention of Palin was noticeably absent in your post. While she is the #2 person, she is incredibly important considering her lack of experience and the fact she’d be serving under a 72 yr. old man (an old 72 at that, with bouts of cancer and some heart issues). Would you care to elaborate, and maybe include a defense of the Palin pick, please, or at least a rationalization? Thanks!
Additionally, McCain has DRASTICALLY changed his views which were moderately conservative in 2000, to much more in line with those of the base of his party in 2008.
See: (1) torture; (2) immigration; (3) regulation of free markets; (4) Bush tax cuts; (5) used to openly oppose the religious right.
To answer the questions in your title, no and no.
The great thing about voting is that you can vote for whoever you want and no one can stop you (unless you’re from Florida or Michigan…) Voting for Obama just because he’s black is just as racist as voting against him because he’s black, but I’m hoping these types of people will cancel each other out so it will still be a fair race (a girl can dream, right?) There are a lot of underinformed voters that vote for bad reasons and race just throws one more into the mix. Ideally people should consider each candidate carefully, then vote in their own best interest; for instance if you you earn over $250,000 a year then voting for McCain is a great idea. But I don’t, so it would be pretty dumb for me to vote for him. Also, I know he’s in pretty good shape for his age, but the prospect that Palin would be in charge if he got incapacitated in any way is too horrific for me to comprehend. But I digress. No it isn’t fair that people treat you badly if they find out who you’re voting for. But then it’s nobody’s business but yours anyway.
Anita,
You’re right about the income thing — if you don’t make above a certain amount, voting for McCain wouldn’t make much sense. I have to vote for the candidate that has my poor pockets in mind.
I won’t lie — the thought of a black president excites the hell out of me. He’s not just anyone though. I feel that if he were a black equilalent to Sarah Palin, we wouldn’t know who he was because he never would have made it to this point. We can’t get by on silly anecdotes about pitbulls and lipstick. We have to get down to business — something Palin has yet to do. But I digress. Obama is a great candidate, no matter what color he is. If we never saw him and only knew his viewpoints, I would STILL be voting for him. But the thing is, I have seen him. And I could not be more proud that he could be the one leading the country. There are white folks out there that have very limited contact with black people period — let alone the educated ones. Obama is their access. No, one person can’t represent a whole race, but he’s a damn good one to get his foot in the door.
I am a moderate democrat myself (socially liberal, fiscally conservative and slightly hawkish on some foreign countries and policies).
I feel this race comes down to a fact based inquiry and a rational choice being made given the potential outcome of choosing the McCain/Palin ticket. I understand why moderate McCain of 2000 is appealing to voters and in 2000 he was even appealing to me. The problem is that McCain of 2000 is not running anymore and the McCain of 2008 is distinctly more conservative. McCain of 2008 is pandering to the extreme right within his party (whereas in 2000 he challenged those elements openly) to the extent that he’s not even in control anymore. Whether its changing positions on immigration or picking Sarah Palin for her extreme conservative appeal (after his maverick attempts to pick Liberman and Tom Ridge were shut down by the disapproving conservative right) or the increasingly hawkish positions he’s taken in dealing with foreign foes (and even allies given his cold shoulder to NATO ally Spain due to their lukewarm support of the war in Iraq) and the war in Iraq, he’s losing his moderate republican luster. McCain’s willingness to pander to the right, much like Mitt Romney did in changing his positions on civil unions and abortion, are troubling because they highlight that the moderate McCain is no more and simply – I am more troubled by the extreme positions of conservative ideology than I am by the extremes positions of liberal ideology and populist policy.
Now the facts…McCain has a high chance of dying during his first term in office. Whether you feel like I do and think statistics and projections can be misinterpreted or just mathematical lies – a casual observation could lead a person to the same point…meaning Sarah Palin could wind up at the big desk. That is unconditionally unacceptable to me. Whether it be her views on creationism, abortion, or her lack of the intellectual gymnastics and/or curiosity needed for a solid foreign policy approach in these trying times..she simply cannot be in the seat of power. That fact alone is enough for me to seek the alternative choice before ever getting to the differences in John McCain of 2000 and 2008 and his run toward the right (or maybe him being held hostage within his party to gain the support needed to put up a good fight).
People can make the argument about the 250k income but I ask most people who are salaried and making that money- when deregulation, Reagan’s trickle-down economics and corporate america pandering result in you no longer having that income putting you in that bracket (kind of like its happening now as the unemployment roles swell and professionals find themselves without those nice jobs and still loaded with all that debt and their net worth all in the red)…what then? Whose social policies and approach will save them as the middle class shrinks from the bottom and more people from the upper class (let’s just say those 250k earners and aboce for argument’s sake) are forced into lower income brackets based on policy choices? Earning 250k is not a promised thing when the tracks of the train come off based on policy points and a perfect storm of issues.
With the re-start of the Cold War and the “new Cuba” problem (Venezuela or Bolivia, you pick), a modern day Vietnam War that McCain is hell bent on extending and an economic mess made possible partly by the death of Glass-Stegall and a trickle-down economic policy that fails the people….the case is being made on the facts alone with one question to be asked. Do you want Sarah Palin addressing these issues from the role of Commander in Chief. I don’t.
I do think black people are wrong for voting for Obama because he’s black. There’s NO winning that argument on the merits in my eyes, but there seems to be so many other compelling reasons to vote for Obama/Biden that you could fill a bath tub with them. Please wash the last 8 years off of me.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/nyregion/09repubblog.html?ref=nyregion