A Strategy of Futility

The party who has called President Barack Obama everything but a child of God has initiated an outreach strategy to the African American community. Of course the black community will be waiting with open arms as republicans trot out their message of why blacks should vote for them.

After all what black person could resist supporting Rick Santorum when he said “I don’t want to make black people’s lives better by giving them somebody else’s money.” [...] Did he really almost call Barack Obama the N word?

How can black people resist the new civil rights leader Newt 'I will tell black people to demand paychecks instead of food stamps' Gingrich

Black folk will definitely feel confident if they appear in the courtroom of Republican Montana U.S. District Judge Richard Cebull after he sent racist emails to his buddies.

It must be rational for the Republican Party to expect blacks to support them on their voter suppression efforts led by the American Legislative Exchange Council. After all it was the lover of democracy William F. Buckley Jr. who said "If the entire Negro population in the South were suddenly given the vote and were to use it as a block and pursuant to directives handed down by some more demagogic Negro leaders, chaos would ensue”  The nerve of people like Martin King, Fannie Lou Hamer and Medgar Evers who fought for voting rights for everyone.

Lets not forget the Stand Your Ground laws also led by the American Legislative Exchange Council that allows people to shoot unarmed teenagers nor the republican strategy to divide the black and Latino community on the issue of gays and lesbians.

Who cannot feel a warm sensation knowing that Ron Paul has made numerous racist’s remarks in his Texas News Letter.

Black people will just love Herman Cain who said two thirds of blacks are brainwashed and Congresswoman Michelle Bachman who signed a pledge which stated that black children were better off under slavery.

African Americans always wanted to know where the better blacks were and are now better informed when Ann Coulter said “our blacks are better than their blacks”

The excitement of voting for Mitt Romney, who belongs to the Latter Day Saints faith which until 1978 practiced a theology of intolerance and still has not repudiated its racist past, is overwhelming. Who can resist a white man asking a black baby if he has some bling bling during a Martin Luther King day celebration.

Yes the black community will be waiting with open arms to receive republicans in their homes, churches, and places of business.

To be quite honest one has to be curious as to how this would be implemented.

Will they bring out Rev. Jesse Peterson a black Baptist minister who has publically thanked God for slavery?

Will they trot out Congressman Allen West to prove that insanity knows no race?

Will they have LL Cool J  rap or WWE wrestler The Rock layeth the smackdown for them.

Maybe they will sponsor a Geraldo Rivera segment on appropriate attire for black youth.

Their secret weapon may be an historic announcement by House Speaker John Boehner that he does not have a perennial tan but is actually black, making him the first African American speaker of the house?

On its own merits, the strategy is laughable as republicans are smart enough to know they will not win within the black community with their present crop of leaders. Their goal is to siphon off votes and to create a veneer for their voter suppression strategies.

When Michael Steele was the Republican National Committee chairman he suggested that republicans hold events in black urban and suburban areas. Present RNC co-chair Sharon Day's response to Michael Steele’s suggestion  “Whatever their focus was, I'm not sure, but mine is not an election cycle, mine is a relationship," she said. "It's not a feel good political campaign site; it is a legacy site, a relationship site, so they have a voice." In her mind coming to black communities will not lead to a relationship but having a website that features people such as Allen West will do the trick. Ms. Day says “We highlight our elected officials so people understand that we do have Republicans that are elected that are black." Just show them some black republicans and the rest will come running. 

While Sharon Day is correct that blacks want a share of the economic pie but she misses the point that most black people are not willing to pimp their humanity for a few more crumbs from the table.

There will always be black republicans. Nevertheless, making inroads into the black community will be a huge problem. It will not happen by criticizing Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton, trying to recreate the old animosities between Booker T. Washington and WEB Dubois or by reciting Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream.” It certainly will not happen by trying to undermine the first African American president. Rudolph Giuliani still earns the scorn of blacks in New York City in the way he undermined David Dinkins.

Here is a suggestion to Ms. Day , forget the website. Blacks are not going to support Allen West or any of the others you trot out. The black community will not be enamored by black conservatives who talk more about blacks than with them. Blacks may  be open to a relationship if republicans denounce the remarks and antics of Trump, Coulter, Paul, Bachman, Santorum, Gingrich, Rev. Mike Huckabee, Franklin Graham, Federal Judge Richard Cebull and others. That would be a good beginning. Republicans may see that as symbolic but do they really think a website is enough. Short of a real first step by republicans the majority of blacks will see it for the con game that it is.