Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean spoke to the DNC’s African American Leadership summit and said that no longer could the party sit back and wait until 3 weeks before the election to ask minorities for their vote.
“In many ways, the Democratic Party hasn’t moved itself out of the ’60s and ’70s,” Dean said…
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“If we don’t get smart about having folks on the ticket that look like the people whose votes were asking for, in meaningful positions of authority, then we’re not going to win. And the party that gets to do that first is the party that’s going to win,” Dean said.
Dead on, Mr. Dean. While the Republican Party is running candidates like Michael Steele, the Democrats are doing little more than paying lip service, if that, to the black community. The increase in the number of blacks who vote Republican is no accident. It is a concerted effort on the part of the Republican party, giving a voice as well as a seat at the table to blacks and other minorities. The number of black Republicans being elected continues to increase. As more and more of the black leadership becomes Republican, so will the rank and file.
Here we are seeing the effect of the inroads made by the Republicans in the black community. George Allen toured HU with the Republican president of the university, William Harvey. Creigh Deeds lost the Attorney General race by a very small number of votes, while the black pastor of a very large church here in Norfolk endorsed his Republican opponent, Bob McDonnell.
As it turns out, Mr. Dean, I had the pleasure of spending some time with a cousin of mine from Maryland. She’s the kind of voter any party would be proud to have as a member: well educated, intelligent and upper middle class. Guess what? She’s a registered Republican and plans to vote for Steele in November. When I questioned her about why she had changed her registration, it was almost as if she had read your statement above. She said she was tired of the party not providing her with a good black candidate to support. Sound familiar?
Let me be very clear: I have tremendous respect for the true conservatives within the Republican party. As an economic conservative myself, I agree with many of those principles. But true conservatives are not running that party today. So in its current incarnation, I do not believe that the Republican party serves the best interests of black Americans.
At the same time, I question the Democratic party’s commitment to the black community. Somehow, it seems that everyone thinks the “black community” is a monolithic group that has similar concerns. In my opinion, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The tie that binds the black community is that we are all black. Outside of that, our concerns vary, based on our own circumstances. Both parties seem to recognize this in whites, but ignore this when dealing with the black community.
Treating the black community as an afterthought is dangerous ground for the Democratic party and puts the relationship between the two in serious danger. Don’t just talk about it, Mr. Dean. Do something.
Technorati Tags: Dean, Democrats, Black voters
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Lawrence:
#2: If your money goes into personal account in places such as Fidelity and T. Rowe Price, just like an IRA, not to the Government, would that help? As it is now, the Social Security system IS stealing your money.
#3 I am sorry you believe that.
#4 The economists disagreee with you. Even Clinton’s lead economist disagrees. The money for the wage increases has to come from somewhere. Either the prices will go up, negating the raise, or those that cannot raise their prices will go out of business.
#5 You misunderstand me. Gun control INCREASES violent crime. Concealed Carry laws REDUCE crime. Republicans, in general, oppose gun control and support Concealed Carry.