That Old Magic Has Me in Its Spell No More

Bob Parks

Read related » GOP outreach to blacks: fuggeddaboudit
[This related article is recommended in its entirety.]
“After years of calling Republicans racists without less than a sliver of evidence to back it up, blacks demanded that the Republican Party reach out to them! Talk about nerve. Ten years later, blacks find themselves on the same corner. After constant, baseless charges of racism, fourteen black Republican congressional candidates are making a game of it and many may actually win. The question is, how will this affect the Republican Party’s image in the black community? Not much, seeing how many of these black Republicans will win in majority-white districts. What should the GOP do about it? If I were chair of the Republican National Committee, I’d say fuggeddaboudit. I’ll venture to say that most black Republicans weren’t born that way. It took some life-altering revelation and a good amount of cojones to put oneself into the pariah column. Remember, blacks may be the only group in this country not allowed to have a diversity of political opinion. It’s Democrat or be damned. If you become a Republican, you can (and will) be ostracized by friends and family and be called racist names by the political left with impunity. [...] Liberals know that if that 90% of black support dropped to (let’s say) 70%, Democrats would be in deep trouble when it came to most federal and presidential elections. Thus, keeping blacks on what we call the Democrat Plantation is a matter of party survival for Democrats. Until black people jettison the politicians and activists who thrive (and profit) on keeping them down, an overture from the Republican Party will be met with the standard ridicule and futility.” [emphasis added]
— By Bob Parks, 10/05/2010 (dailycaller.com)

FDR in 1933 (Image via Wikipedia)

What accounts for the captivating attractive force of the Democrat Party to American demographics that include blacks, Jews, laborers, and, generally speaking, those who perceive themselves to be historically downtrodden, either socially or economically or both? Based on the major events of the last century, which included the two major calamities (the Depression and World War Two) that our only 4-term President is largely credited with getting us through, it is straightforward to connect the dots between those calamities and FDR, the historical hero of the Democrat Party.

But it's been 65 years since the end of WWII. Why is it that the present-day Democrat Party has not been re-evaluated by the aforementioned devoted demographics?

I myself was brought up in a politically liberal environment. And until recent years, though I have never registered as anything other than "independent" or "unaffiliated", I have steadfastly voted for Democrat candidates. It's how my parents voted; it's how my friends voted. It was a tradition, and I have always tended to be traditional in my opinions and my behavior.

But the shock of September 11, 2001 jarred me out of my political complacency. Just like most Americans, I was outraged by the dastardly deeds perpetrated against us. I did not want to be mollified by soothing words; I wanted action. And President George W. Bush, a Republican, spoke to me as no other American President had since President Harry Truman, a Democrat. This was the sort of "life-altering revelation" for me that Bob Parks mentions in his article, which I have excerpted above.

The actions taken by President Bush in the aftermath of 9/11, which resonated very favorably with me, got me thinking about what I need from my Commander-in-Chief, what I deserve from my President, and where I truly belong within our political spectrum. To my great chagrin, I came to the realization that the Democrats and most everything they stand for are at odds with my personal views of the proper conduct of our federal government, as well as the conduct of the state and local governments in which I have resided.

I remain largely supportive philosophically of so-called "liberal" positions on various social issues. But, pragmatically, I am most definitely conservative minded on the role of government in the lives of Americans: a strong and proud defense of our nation from all enemies both foreign and domestic; fiscally responsible conduct by legislators and the executive; limited and prudent entitlements for the truly helpless among us; even-handed application of justice ("empathy" is a euphemism for "bias"); and an end to the biggest lie that just won't die — free lunch.

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