politics, pt. 2

For the record, I don't write these during work (for the most part). Maybe a little editing, but I do these after work or at home. I just send them at work to help break the monotony of the day. So don't think I'm some slacker at work, because I'm not, cool? Cool.

I realized today that I double booked my attendance at two different parties for this coming weekend. I'm not quite sure how I'll handle this yet........

Anyway, here is the rest of the answer to the 'why become a Republican' question...

peace,

-c

Q. Would you ever consider becoming a Republican?

part 2

The other thing that bugs me about politics among blacks is that there is clearly a lack of good black leaders? Or at least a good black leader that I know about. Tom Joyner raises thousands of dollars a year for black students. Tavis Smiley agitates. Both of them are liberal. Floyd Flake controls millions through his church organizations-he's conservative. Cornell West publishes provocative essays and supported Bill Bradley. He's progressive. All black leaders from all across the spectrum. Which says to me that you can be a part of ANY political party and serve the interest of black folks if that is your aim-even the Democratic one.

Has there been a black person in a position of leadership in the Democratic party besides Ron Brown? For all the talk of Clinton being the first black president, Bush Jr has more Black people in higher positions. But to me, this is totally irrelevant if they are gonna fuck black people over. Give me a white person whose in my corner over a pitch black sellout any day. But how would we get to know whose really in our corner or not? There is no monolithic way "we" feel. Ask 10 black ppl their thoughts on 10 different subjects, and you'd get 10 different responses. So who REALLY can speak to the best interests of blacks?

I wonder why JC Watts is 3rd in party leadership for the Republicans? The only reason I could imagine why is that the Republicans are COURTING blacks these days? I must admit I know very little about JC Watts, so he might actually be a good guy with good intentions. But by allowing him to reach that level of leadership tells me that they are probably only courting black people like J.C. Watts and John McWhorter, folks who will overlook their parties hypocritical AND racist tendencies for their own personal gain.
I suppose everyone has a little hypocrite in them, so you can’t expect anything less from the Republicans.

It is impossible to overlook certain shit about the Republican party. For example, I still believe the Republicans set up the disenfranchisement of the black voters in Florida. They also had a mayor in New York who gave the police force carte blanch to violate the rights of any "suspicious" black man in the city. But I’m thinking that if there were more forward thinking people (white or black) in the Republican party, doctrine would have to change.

Republicans are absolutely terrified of the following issues: Reparations, Civil liberties restoration, the war on drugs (elimination), a cease to personal taxation, and decreased police intimidation. For those reasons alone, the Republican party sucks.

Granted, they both drop to their knees for big business and rich white men run both but it's their political agendas and ideologies where the important difference lies. I believe that the Republican party is, for the most part, concentrated on furthering the conservative social and political agenda of the south: anti-affirmative action, pro-life, pro-christian (and anti-every other religion), pro-death penalty, pro-wildlife drilling. None of this helps me or any other black folks I know.

Then you have jackasses like Clarence Thomas and Alan Keys, who so flippantly spout off about how affirmative action is evil, who wouldn't be where they are today without it. They’re just puppet-coons for the republican party.

dance, clarence, dance...

For hypothetical purposes, if Bush came out tomorrow, and said "We are going bring back Midnight basketball for the urban youth, commit more money to sickle cell anemia research, appoint a panel to study black-on-black crime, and take a look at reparations (right or wrong)", he would probably receive overwhelming support from the black community. Would it be genuine? Probably not. Would it make some people consider voting Republican? Probably… Look for some pro-minority gesture like this in early 2004 ri! ght before the election.

So if I truly thought there would be a 'liberal Republican' who could have my best interests at heart, dismiss all the pro-life, pro-Conservatism the rest of the party supports, yet agrees with the whole less taxes and government intervention stuff, I'd think about voting for that person.

However the Democrats have Al Sharpton who if for nothing else, you gotta love because his perm is so tight.