It must be fate or something, but in the last couple of months I keep running into Black Republicans. The conversation always starts the same, something about what Obama is doing to the Country or that the Country is headed in the wrong direction, as if Obama is to blame of all the our ills. I always find it amazing that when I am listening to them, all I hear is FOX news talking points. I remember when I was a child I use to watch all those after-school specials that talked about kids who got caught up in a cult and the parents had to steal them back and reprogram them back to their true selves and the reality that we live in. I liken my conversations to that. It is completely impossible to correct all the incorrect facts in a single conversation or in a couple of hours, this is going to take some time. The long journey back to what's really going on for African-Americans.
Obama has several faults and I can't help but point them out in this form. The whole point of doing this blog TBV was to talk openly and frankly about the issues and attempt to play commentator to the political circus I watch everyday. I remember when I was in my senior year of college and my Professor was asking me and fellow classmates why they wanted to be a Political Scientist? Keep in mind that at my college there was a countable amount of African-Americans on campus and I was the only one in most of my poli sci classes. I told the Professor that I wanted to understand politics so that I could go out and educate my fellow brethren on the game of politics. How it works? What's really being said and how we all play a role in this process, if you chose not to vote you are still playing a part. And protect them from some of my fellow classmates.
Politics to me is fun and interesting and most of all it's powerful; the power is not in the elected officials, the power is in the hands of the people. However, to some politics can get down right boring, like last month, noting really happens and often people think that what they are talking about does not impact them, but it does or it will. The only thing that we can do is hold these elected officials accountable. How we hold someone accountable also requires that we understand the conversations and the facts. Only a fool engages in a conversation they cannot hold.
Most people if you ask them what a Republican is? Will say, they are uptight White people, conservative and religious. Many people throw the word conservative around like it only applies to Republicans. If you ask a lot of my friends I am pretty conservative. Conservative in how I live my life and the people I chose to have in my life. However, my political allegiance is to a more Democratic way of thinking. Some how being a Republican means less government in our lives. Please find me an African-American who wants more government in their lives, i'll wait. Nobody wants more government.
Historically speaking, I think most African-Americans are religiously conservative, more so than Republicans, cause "when you don't have nothing, the Lord he will relieve." We have always been taught to believe in something bigger than yourself. I still remember Oral Roberts on Sunday mornings and their opening song played. I loved that song, "GOD is greater" and danced around singing it until my grandmother bumped me upside the head and said you don't do that with this type of music, this is GOD's song. I was confused, but I got the point, painfully.
We were Republican's before we were Democrats. That's of course when Republican's acted like Democrats do today. However, somewhere along the way it also got twisted that Republicans are racist and there are of course people who are racist that happen to be Democrats, as odd as that sounds. It has been hammered in our DNA that Republicans don't have our best interest at heart and there is plenty of data to support that claim. There is a fundamental belief that most of the laws that have been put in place were designed by Republicans to keep us in our place. This blog is not about that.
What I am talking about today is the idea that whoever you align yourself with, do it because you believe that your fate is better in that candidates hands. And that you have a clear understanding of what both sides are saying. If you have educated yourself go with it. I grew up in a state that is very liberal in what people do and how they live their lives as long as you don't infringe on my rights. But the objective here is to lay out the facts, of course as I see them.
Obama has not been the best President, his own doing. I am often asking myself how did someone get elected for speaking so eloquently and be a complete disaster at effectively communicating his agenda to the American people. With all the talk about FDR being one of his hero's you would think that he would understand the point of doing fireside chats. The delivery needs to be updated, but the concept was effective. People have an overwhelming need to know what is going on. If they have something to cling to or believe, they will support you. How a 50% approval rating seems to be his goal is beyond me to understand his thinking. If you have a 100 test questions and you only get 50 right, that's a D. Which might explain the voter frustration.
As the Republican's look desperately for a nominee, let the games begin. Herman Cain, an African-American has emerged as a Candidate of the Republican's and did respectable job at the debates last month. However, if he thinks that the American people are going to vote for a former CEO, who ran Pizza Hut, is now qualified to run the Country is sadly mistaken. Obama had two-years under his belt in the Senate and look how badly he has performed. This is not a time for a novice. When in-experience coupled with political grind-lock has kept the nation in fear for the last two-years a candidate with a understanding of how to get things done in Washington is needed, dare I say an insider. A recent article: suggesting that Cain raises questions about black conservatism; someone has made this out to be about who can should represent black interest or who is the true black candidate; trust me, Obama has done very little to help minorities out of this recession, but i'll keep my money on him. He may have passed legislation that will, down the road, but right now, not a damn thing! It's all about Jobs. This is not about if there are conservative African-Americans out there, or even pandering to that word. The concern that all minorities should have is, when will we find a way out of this recession? It has been said that minorities recovery of recession follows two-years behind the nation. So, if the nation recovers in 2012, that's 2014 for many minorities. Why?
