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(RNC Chairman Michael Steele states he will use "Chicken dinners" to woo more Minorities into the G.O.P.)
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Black Republicans voice concern about GOP's future
Sarah Palin's resignation from her role as governor of Alaska has prompted new questions about the GOP's leadership and future. While Michael Steele made history by becoming the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee, where do African Americans stand in helping to redefine the party?
The Grio sat down with a group of black Republicans to discuss their feeling on their political party and its future.
"What does it mean to be a black man that agrees with the Republican party's agenda, the Republican party's message?" said hiphoprepublican.com's Brandon Brice. "That is, reducing the size of government, giving people real opportunities to excel from any circumstance or situation."
According to a report released in May by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, Africans Americans make up two percent of the nation's Republican party, compared to 22 percent of the democratic party. The study also found that during the 2008 election, 95 percent of blacks voted for Pres. Barack Obama, while just four percent voted for Republican candidate John McCain.
"For African Americans, at least in the last election cycle, if you happened to be black and you didn't agree with Pres. Barack Obama, you were labeled an Uncle Tom," said MSNBC Analyst Joe Watkins.
One person who is not afraid to disagree with the Obama administrations politics is RNC Chairman Michael Steele. Steele has been on a recent media blitz criticizing everything from the president's speech to the NAACP to his new healthcare plan.
"Slow down Mr. President, we can't afford to get Health Care wrong," he said.
Since being elected chairman in 2008, Steele has rocked the GOP with his straight talk and unusual methods for promoting his party including his "hip-hop" tactics and, in a recent web video, suggesting he would use "fried chicken" to woo new members.
At a convention in New York commemorating the NAACP's 100 year anniversary, Steele acknowledged that the party has a long way to go in recruiting more African Americans to the GOP.
"It's not about trying to get folks to join the GOP, that's not what it's about, it's about making the GOP a relevant option," he said. "Certainly my visit here today does not represent some miraculous breakthrough in GOP-NAACP relations. But ladies and gentleman, this is the first baby step among many more baby steps that we have to take."
"I think that it is important for him to look at all different groups and try to bring more groups into the party and new groups that haven't been into the party before," said Stephanie Watkins, a 30-year member of the GOP.
Watkins and other panelists agreed that the future of the GOP is dependent on the party's ability to reach out to African Americans and cater to issues specific to them.
"We need to really listen to what their needs are and make sure that we know how to frame our agenda so it will meet their needs," she said.
Panelists also agreed that the Republican party is in need of a physical makeover.
"What we need to do on a national and grassroots level definitely is show a different face to the party," said Tiffany Shorter of hiphoprepublican.com. "If every time someone who is of African or Latino descent, wants to run for something, they're not going to run to the Republican party, they're going to go to the Democratic party where they see more people who look like them."
Joe Watkins added that the only way to win back the majority from the Democrats is by growing the size of the party.
"We wont be competitive in the 2010 cycle or the 2012 cycle if we don't generate larger numbers and build our tent."
How to attract black Republicans; 7 tips for Michael Steele
Since his election as the Republican National Committee's first black chairman, one of Michael Steele's goals has been to diversify the GOP.
He has banned the word "outreach" from the GOP lexicon - viewing it as an afterthought approach - but has been actively working to build ties with young and minority voters. A recent video where a black conservative blogger asked Steele about his plan to target diverse populations encapsulates the challenge.
As a moderate-conservative independent, I would advise Steele - and black Republicans in general - to do seven things to draw more blacks over the next three election cycles:
1. Lose the slang. There were black Republicans who were offended by Steele's "fried chicken and potato salad" remark. They thought he wasn't serious with the blogger's question. Steele should stay focused on his core message.
2. Define Republicanism. Steele hedges on this issue, even though there are major fault lines between fiscal, social, and foreign policy conservatives. He claims there's no litmus test. Yet, he cites that freedom, markets, and opportunity are the hallmarks of being a Republican. What's the point of having a party platform if there's no litmus test? For Steele to be a successful chairman, he needs to close the fault lines. If not, Sarah Palin - who steps down as Alaska's governor on Sunday and whom some of my readers admire for her clearer demarcation from liberalism - may do so.
3. First things first: Steele should zero in on self-identified black conservatives (31.3% of Black America). He could target his fellow Catholics, who are likelier to be Republican than any other religious group in Black America. If Steele can't persuade these folks, he can't persuade broader Black America.
4. Develop an urban center-right agenda: Black Republican bloggers like Akindele Akinyemi write a lot about the need for the GOP to have an agenda that emphasizes economic development, job creation, school vouchers, defending black crime victims, and the War On Drugs.
5. Stay current. Quit talking about how the GOP fought against slavery and provided key votes for civil rights bills. Folks want to know about the Republican Party in 2009.
6. Take it to the streets. The GOP allows the Democratic Party to have a message monopoly, because it has no grassroots presence in black communities. That enables Democrats to define the party. There's also a widespread black perception that the GOP is racist (reinforced by the Audra Shay/Young Republicans situation and a spook email). Black Republicans need to be vocal when such situations arise. They also need to do voter education between elections.
7. Hold Democrats accountable for results. As blogger Constructive Feedback regularly points out, the GOP should highlight that, in so many cities, everything is run by liberal Democrats, but yet there is little to no change for blacks. The GOP could target what he calls "black flight progressives". These are black liberals who move to the suburbs - seeking to live among conservative whites whom they view as their opponents - to reap the benefits of conservative policies but haven't accordingly shifted their politics after fleeing the results of liberal Democratic policies.
With these seven themes, the Republican Party would move down the path of building more black support for its policies and politics.
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Sources: MSNBC, Huffington Post, The Grio, Politico, Whitehouse.gov, The State, RNC, The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, HipHopRepublican, Zazzle, Youtube, Google Maps
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