The Republican Party Should Stop Ignoring Black People

[brotherjerry]

I've never witnessed anyone saying that before.

You should watch Chris Matthews on MSNBC.
Or Eric Holder himself claiming that opposition to Obama has racial animus to it.
Oprah said similar, so has Whoopie Goldberg.

All quick to label a person racist for opposition instead of listening to the reasoning...because it could just be people don't like him because of his politics.

 

[brotherjerry]

Aren't you the one who told us that black people only voted for Obama because he was black? But now you're going to complain that liberals say you didn't vote for Obama because he's black?

Nope was not me who said that. I only brought out some voting statistics that would support that a some did. I also stated that some people will vote for someone just because they have pink hair, or wear a bow tie.

 

[Aelred of Rievaulx]

I voted no.

If the GOP did more to help black people then black people would vote Republican but I adamantly believe that no one should vote Republican. ;-)

 

[pakicetus]

You should watch Chris Matthews on MSNBC.
Or Eric Holder himself claiming that opposition to Obama has racial animus to it.
Oprah said similar, so has Whoopie Goldberg.

Did they say some people dislike Obama partly because of his race, or did they say everyone who dislikes Obama is a racist? There's a massive difference. Of course the Republican Party's over-the-top hatred of Obama has a racial component. I'm also sure it would dislike him if he were white, because he's a moderate liberal.

 

[pakicetus]

I voted no.

If the GOP did more to help black people then black people would vote Republican but I adamantly believe that no one should vote Republican. ;-)

lol I shouldn't have given the impression that black people are just voting for the benefit of their own race. Even if the Republican Party was more racially progressive, most blacks would still overwhelmingly side with the Democrats on non-racial issues. The Republicans would get more black votes than they do now though.

 

[brotherjerry]

Did they say some people dislike Obama partly because of his race, or did they say everyone who dislikes Obama is a racist? There's a massive difference. Of course the Republican Party's over-the-top hatred of Obama has a racial component. I'm also sure it would dislike him if he were white, because he's a moderate liberal.

Generalized statements made just like the one you just did "Republican Party's over-the-top hatred of Obama has a racial component"...So Ben Carson who is black hates Obama because he is black?
You have not heard anything from the Republicans to give you that impression. Instead it has been nothing but targets on policies and practice. The fact that a huge number of whites in this country also voted for Obama negates the notion of massive racism in this country...but then Liberals will say they voted for Obama out of guilt. More without any evidence.
Your statement alone is exactly the brush off without any evidence but mind numbing liberal logic that has been regurgitated for years. A classic "escape" hatch because if you get pressed about it you will fall back to "they must be racist".

Lets get specific here...what legislation have the Republicans put through that targets blacks for discrimination? What legislation have the Republicans being all racist and all have they put through that discriminates against anyone?

Instead since 1970 the Democrats have been in control of the Senate all but 18 years. The House 18 years as well. All but 10 of those 45 years they had both the House and the Senate. So for 35 of the past 45 years Democrats have had control to write legislation....the laws start in the Congress. Several of those years they had veto-proof dominance and even used it. So since the great Republican led Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's the Democrats have been in control of law making in our government. And you want to blame Republicans?

When we do get Republicans in office they talk about reforming things like Medicare...why? because it is going broke and is in terrible need of revamping. But the mantra we hear from the Democrats and the left is that the Republicans are trying to hurt the poor (made up of minorities) and the elderly. All the while ignoring talking about the elephant in the room and that is that Medicare is rapidly going broke and will be defunct in a matter of years. Democrats want to tax more and throw more money at the issue instead of actually handling the issue.

So this whole Republicans hate blacks is a straw man argument with nothing to base it on except emotional pleas and fanciful strawmen.

The Republicans are not perfect either. Under their watch they have allowed continued growth in the DoD private sector by farming out soldiers jobs to civilian contractors. They have been happy to see the growth of all the veteran agencies like Wounded Warrior Project and others...when the VA should be funded enough and supported enough to quite honestly put these non profits out of business. All while Republicans have been waving a flag and claiming to be the friend of the military.

But when it comes to racism, you either have to understand that racism can and does exist in both parties as individuals. But the parties themselves are not racist, nor do they push racist agendas. I can bet you would never hear a white or black Republican President use the N-word.

 

[William67]

Then you apparently don't listen to much edgier country or metal.

Metal, I could see, but if its "edgy", it isn't country, but some subgrouping. Country consists mainly of crying in your beer, cheating, etc. Ive never heard "gangsta" country.

That doesn't mean you're not racist.

If I don't judge people based on the color of their skin, then yeah, that means I'm not racist. I find Hillary "the only good ambassador is a dead ambassador" Clinton and Bernie "everyone should be equally impoverished" Sanders as morally/politically disgusting and reprehensible as Barack "gimme all your guns" Obama. It isn't the color of their skin, its their lack of character I find repugnant.

 

[JGG]

If I don't judge people based on the color of their skin, then yeah, that means I'm not racist.

In this quote here, were you not inferring that as a general rule, people with black skin promote rape, murder, theft, and their baby mamas in their music and culture?

You don't see whites or Asians, as a general rule, promoting rape, murder, and theft in their music and culture. You don't see white or Asian men bragging about how many different "baby mamas" they have.

So you look at the musical contributions of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf, Freddie King, Son House, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dizzie Gillespie, Bo Didley, Ella Fitgerald, Louis Armstrong, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Etta James, Maceo Parker, Nina Simone, Luther Vandross, Isaac Hayes, Patti Labelle, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sam & Dave, Curtis Mayfield, Michael Jackson, the Temptations, the Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, Chubby Checker, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Memphis Minnie, Robert Cray, Tammi Tarrell, Sam Cooke, Parliament, George S. Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Bob Marley, The Marvelettes, Edwin Starr, Al Green, Janet Jackson, The Commodores, Kool & the Gang, Cameo, The Ohio Players, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Lionel Ritchie, Prince, Eearth Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Sly Stone, B.B. King, The Neville Brothers, Al King, Boys II Men, Rick James, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Grandmaster Flash, Whodini, Sugarhill Gang, Chaka Khan, Anthony Hamilton, Run DMC, The Fugees, Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Aloe Black, Living Colour, John Legend, The Roots, Ashanti, Brandi, TLC, LL Cool J, India Arie, Alicia Keys, Common, Kanye West, Lamar Kendrick, Pharrell Williams, Will Smith, Gary Clark Jr, Darius Rucker, Bruno Mars, Drake, The Weeknd, and so many others that I'm not thinking of at the moment, or have yet to hear, and yet, you think black music and culture is defined by gangsta rap?

It turns out, the saddest part is actually all the amazing music you've been missing out on.

 

[William67]

In this quote here, were you not inferring that as a general rule, people with black skin promote rape, murder, theft, and their baby mamas in their music and culture?



So you look at the musical contributions of Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Albert Collins, T-Bone Walker, Howlin' Wolf, Freddie King, Son House, John Coltrane, Duke Ellington, Dizzie Gillespie, Bo Didley, Ella Fitgerald, Louis Armstrong, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles, Etta James, Maceo Parker, Nina Simone, Luther Vandross, Isaac Hayes, Patti Labelle, Smokey Robinson, Otis Redding, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Sam & Dave, Curtis Mayfield, Michael Jackson, the Temptations, the Four Tops, The Jackson 5, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson, Chubby Checker, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, Memphis Minnie, Robert Cray, Tammi Tarrell, Sam Cooke, Parliament, George S. Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Funkadelic, Herbie Hancock, Bob Marley, The Marvelettes, Edwin Starr, Al Green, Janet Jackson, The Commodores, Kool & the Gang, Cameo, The Ohio Players, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Lionel Ritchie, Prince, Eearth Wind & Fire, Jimi Hendrix, Buddy Guy, Sly Stone, B.B. King, The Neville Brothers, Al King, Boys II Men, Rick James, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Grandmaster Flash, Whodini, Sugarhill Gang, Chaka Khan, Anthony Hamilton, Run DMC, The Fugees, Destiny's Child, Beyonce, Aloe Black, Living Colour, John Legend, The Roots, Ashanti, Brandi, TLC, LL Cool J, India Arie, Alicia Keys, Common, Kanye West, Lamar Kendrick, Pharrell Williams, Will Smith, Gary Clark Jr, Darius Rucker, Bruno Mars, Drake, The Hills, and so many others that I'm not thinking of at the moment, or have yet to hear, and yet, you think black music and culture is defined by gangsta rap?

It turns out, the saddest part is actually all the amazing music you've been missing out on.

No. "Gangsta" rap has very little to do with black musicians 40+ years ago. Never have I heard Lionel Ritchie, Otis Redding, or BB King talking about doing drive bys or smacking around women. But nice try, though.

 

[JGG]

No. "Gangsta" rap has very little to do with black musicians 40+ years ago. Never have I heard Lionel Ritchie, Otis Redding, or BB King talking about doing drive bys or smacking around women. But nice try, though.

You realize that black culture is over 40 years old? Some young black people listen to Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, The Roots, The Weeknd, Drake, Kanye West, or heck, Adele, Coldplay, and Dave Matthews Band. And as much as it pains me to admit it, some people even listen to Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus.

However, if we're going to define an entire race's culture by a single genre of music, I think white people's music is clearly Norwegian Death Metal. You don't see blacks, Latinos or Asians singing about the return of Cthulu, calling upon Satan to destroy reality, or cutting out your insides to let the entrails burst forth, do you?

But, nice try though.

 

[JGG]

No. "Gangsta" rap has very little to do with black musicians 40+ years ago. Never have I heard Lionel Ritchie, Otis Redding, or BB King talking about doing drive bys or smacking around women. But nice try, though.

I forgot to thank you however, for demonstrating that no matter what I do, no more what kind of music I listen to, or perform; no matter what education or job I achieve; your society, your party, and your culture, will only ever look down on me, and will never see me as anything other than a violent, thug, gangsta who delights in smacking women, and engaging in drive-by shootings. Is it because that's the norm? No, clearly not. Is that who I am? Absolutely not. But it's clearly all you want to see.

Thank you for demonstrating that for us.

 

[William67]

You realize that black culture is over 40 years old? Some young black people listen to Beyonce, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, The Roots, The Weeknd, Drake, Kanye West, or heck, Adele, Coldplay, and as much as it pains me to admit it, some people even listen to Justin Bieber.

However, if we're going to define an entire race's culture by a single genre of music, I think white people's music is clearly Norwegian Death Metal. You don't see blacks, Latinos or Asians singing about the return of Cthulu, calling upon Satan to destroy reality, or cutting out your insides to let the entrails burst forth, do you?

But, nice try, though.

That was pathetic. Truly pathetic.

That wasn't even a good attempt at twisting my words. I cant even say "nice try" because it was such a "grade school" level attempt.

40+ years ago, the terms "baby mama" and "baby daddy" didn't exist. Those terms, and others like it, are a result of "gangsta" culture, of which "rap" music plays a big role. And the degradation of black culture in the US is a direct result of "progressive" policies inflicted upon blacks by Democrats, not Republicans. The rates of unmarried teen mothers have exploded since the implementation of the liberal welfare state.

 

[William67]

I forgot to thank you however, for demonstrating that no matter what I do, no more what kind of music I listen to, or perform; no matter what education or job I achieve; your society, your party, and your culture, will only ever look down on me, and will never see me as anything other than a violent, thug, gangsta who delights in smacking women, and engaging in drive-by shootings. Is it because that's the norm? No, clearly not. Is that who I am? Absolutely not. But it's clearly all you want to see.

Thank you for demonstrating that for us.

Exactly how has "my culture" done anything to you. On my driver's license it doesn't have a "W" for white. It has an "O" for other under race.

 

[brinny]

The Republican Party Should Stop Ignoring Black People

Black people are still second-class citizens in America, and I don't think it's debatable:

• On average, blacks wait twice as long to vote as whites, and 25% longer to get medical care.

• According to the Centers for Disease Control, black babies die over twice as much as white babies. The infant death rate for black Americans rivals Mexico's. It's higher than 120 countries, including African countries like Seychelles and Botswana, I'm not joking.

• Until 2010, the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine (mostly used by minorities and the poor) and powder cocaine (mostly used by whites and well-off people) was 100-to-one; now it's 18-to-one.

• Blacks are arrested for possessing marijuana four times as much as whites, even though they use it at similar rates.

• According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, blacks are sentenced to 20% longer prison stays than whites with similar criminal histories.

• The Department of Housing and Urban Development conducts a massive study on housing discrimination every ten years, and each time whites are shown way more homes than minorities with the same qualifications—one reason why blacks who make $100,000 a year live in the same kinds of neighborhoods as whites who make $30,000 a year.

• Over 60% of black and Hispanic students attend high-poverty schools, compared to 18% of whites (since we fund public schools with local property taxes, schools in poor areas are usually terrible). According to the Department of Education, black students are twice as likely to be taught by the most inexperienced teachers and four times as likely to be taught by teachers who don't meet all state teaching requirements.

• Banks still have systemic racist lending practices.

• Even when they're assigned otherwise identical resumes, whites get 50% more callbacks for a job interview than blacks do, and white job-seekers who were just released from prison get more callbacks than blacks and Hispanics who don't have criminal records. When I talk about these injustices, Republicans usually tell me blacks "just need to work harder" or "be more responsible" to make up for them—but even black people who've earned college degrees have less wealth than white high school dropouts. And all this is happening after centuries of slavery, discrimination and plunder had already left black people much worse off to begin with.

What does the Republican Party think about all this race-based inequality? For the most part, either that it doesn't exist or doesn't matter. Almost two thirds of Republicans think whites are discriminated against more than blacks. 50% of Republicans think discrimination from past had no effect on the current wealth gap between whites and blacks, and 70% think slavery had no effect. 80% don't support any changes at all to advance racial equality. Over 60% don't think we need the Voting Rights Act anymore (in fact, it was all five Republican-appointed Supreme Court Justices who struck down section 4(b) of the Voting Rights Act in 2013). Over three fourths don't think we need any laws to protect minorities from employment discrimination. I doubt most Republicans think we need laws against housing discrimination either, since over 90% think it doesn't happen. Last year, when a police officer choked Eric Garner to death, 60% of Republicans supported the grand jury's decision not to charge him with a crime. I remember Fox News actually saying the police officer had to do it because Eric Garner "weighed over 400 pounds" and was therefore a threat—as if he was 400 pounds of pure muscle instead of an unarmed obese man surrounded by five armed police officers. Meanwhile, Donald Trump—who almost 90% of Republicans say they'll vote for if he gets the nomination, and who's by far the Republican front-runner for President—defended six of his supporters when they beat up a Black Lives Matter protester and shouted the N-word.

The official Republican Party platform, which goes on for 62 pages, doesn't even mention race-based inequality, not even to acknowledge that it exists. Of the 40 million Republicans who are running for President, none of their campaign websites mention it either (though Rand Paul hints at it on his page for criminal justice reform). Why not? All three of the Democratic candidates have large discussions of it on their websites, including dozens of policy responses. And the shame of it all is, the Republican Party has such an opportunity to be "the party of civil rights," because the Democrats' reforms are mostly half-measures. The Republican Party could be the sole major party to propose reparations—if not for slavery or Jim Crow, then at least for injustices that are still happening. It could be the only major party to consistently support universal healthcare, or free college, or European-style welfare payments, so when a lot of minorities find themselves at the bottom of the class system, they're not as cut off from basic security and economic mobility. It could be the only major party to support strict racial quotas across all industries, so a black person doesn't need eight more years of work experience to have the same chance at a job as a white person. But instead it gives away the vote of 90% of blacks by completely ignoring their interests.

 

[JGG]

That was pathetic. Truly pathetic.

That wasn't even a good attempt at twisting my words. I cant even say "nice try" because it was such a "grade school" level attempt.

40+ years ago, the terms "baby mama" and "baby daddy" didn't exist. Those terms, and others like it, are a result of "gangsta" culture, of which "rap" music plays a big role. And the degradation of black culture in the US is a direct result of "progressive" policies inflicted upon blacks by Democrats, not Republicans. The rates of unmarried teen mothers have exploded since the implementation of the liberal welfare state.

Exactly how has "my culture" done anything to you. On my driver's license it doesn't have a "W" for white. It has an "O" for other under race.

And still, you are trying to define all of black culture by one stereotype. So, now that I've defined white people's music as Norwegian Death Metal, I will define white culture as the KKK. You and your white sheets, and burning crosses, and setting black people's houses on fire, how disgraceful. And you may be an "O", but under the circumstances, I don't see why I shouldn't let you speak on behalf of the white culture.

I am a successful black man, with a PhD. My wife was white and Jewish. My (Jewish) black son plays hockey. For six years I played guitar in a hard rock band, and I love Johnny Cash. After all, he shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. And still you only see a gangsta.

As much as you and your entire Republican Party want to define me as a violent thug, it can't magically turn me into one. But, if you want to know why I, and so many other people will never, ever vote for your party it's because it is defined by people like you.

Have a good one!

 

[William67]

And still, you are trying to define all of black culture by one group of people. So, now that I've defined white people's music as Norwegian Death Metal, I will define white culture as the KKK. You and your white sheets, and burning crosses, and setting black people's houses on fire, how disgraceful. And you may be an "O", but under the circumstances, I don't see why I shouldn't let you speak on behalf of the white culture.

I am a successful black man, with a PhD. My wife was white and Jewish. My (Jewish) black son plays hockey. For six years I played guitar in a hard rock band, and I love Johnny Cash. After all, he shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die. And still you only see a gangsta.

As much as you and your entire Republican Party want to define me as a violent thug, it can't magically turn me into one. But, if you want to know why I will never, ever vote for your party ever again, it's because it caters to people like you.

Have a good one!

ROFL!!!! Even more pathetic. I laughed so hard at your post my ribs actually hurt. LOL!!!

Define white culture however you please, because I'm Native American. And I would be more than happy to compare bank accounts and net worth. I don't believe you would.

 

[Albion]

I forgot to thank you however, for demonstrating that no matter what I do, no more what kind of music I listen to, or perform; no matter what education or job I achieve; your society, your party, and your culture, will only ever look down on me.

In what way does telling yourself such a thing help your self-image? Republicans are eager to have black Americans be active in the Republican Party, as the enthusiasm among whites for the candidacies of such men as Herman Cain and Ben Carson recently has shown. The only black member of the US Senate is a Republican. But of course, it's the Democrats who immediately deluge such men with scorn, calling them traitors to their race, etc. Why thoughtful black voters should allow one party, either party, to take their votes for granted while reviling any who become leaders in the "wrong" party has long amazed me.

 

[JGG]

ROFL!!!! Even more pathetic. I laughed so hard at your post my ribs actually hurt. LOL!!!

Define white culture however you please, because I'm Native American. And I would be more than happy to compare bank accounts and net worth. I don't believe you would.

No, I wouldn't. What a strange thing to say. Why would I care how much money you have? I'm not exactly working at McDonald's.

 

[JGG]

In what way does telling yourself such a thing help your self-image? Republicans are eager to have black Americans be active in the Republican Party, as the enthusiasm among whites for the candidacies of such men as Herman Cain and Ben Carson recently has shown. The only black member of the US Senate is a Republican. But of course, it's the Democrats who immediately deluge such men with scorn, calling them traitors to their race, etc. Why thoughtful black voters should allow one party, either party, to take their votes for granted while reviling any who become leaders in the "wrong" party has long amazed me.

Because your party brother up there just demonstrated to us that Republicans don't see black people as anything other than gangstas. Again, it doesn't matter what I do, or what I achieve, you will never see me as anything other than a violent thug. And as much as you try to sell it as anything else, that's what your party is, and isn't going to change any time soon. That is how it will define itself. I can never vote for a party that just looks down me the way you people do.

Herman Cain and Ben Carson are fine, but they're not impressive. Maybe get Condoleeza Rice to run, or Colin Powell, and I'll rethink things. But Rice will never happen, and Powell is none to impressed with Republicans either.

Does it help my self image? Absolutely. Because I'm not a Republican, I don't have to view myself that way, and I don't have to defend or acquiesce to the fools who do.

You do though.

 

[Albion]

Because your party brother up there

Where did I say it was my party? Oh, that's right; you like to make assumptions.

Herman Cain and Ben Carson are fine, but they're not impressive. Maybe get Condoleeza Rice to run, or Colin Powell, and I'll rethink things.

All right but no one can force them to run. I remember well that there was strong support and urging for both of them, particularly perhaps in the case of Gen. Powell, to seek the presidency...and Powell is not conservative, as is well known.