US Presidential Primaries: When Republicans are Down in the Dumbs

By targeting African-Americans, the Conservatives have made a bad electoral calculation. They deprive themselves of important votes for the presidential elections in November 2012 in favor of the Democrats.

Between African-Americans, who traditionally vote Democratic and the Republican Party, it has not been true love for some time. The latest comments by Republican primary candidates certainly won’t help matters, some bordering on outright racism.

First to open fire, the untenable Newt Gingrich. According to him, black people would rather receive a paycheck rather than social benefits – which can not be questioned – but they face the willingness of Democrats to lock them into government assistance. This is notably the case with Barack Obama, whom he nicknamed the “food stamp president,” the name of a food assistance program for the poor. And when, in a televised debate, a reporter asked if he understood how his comments could be seen as offensive to black Americans, he launched into a diatribe against political correctness. Classic. This nauseating strategy has allowed Gingrich to seduce the conservative white electorate in South Carolina, which is prone to viewing all African-Americans as addicted to social benefits.

Criminal Record

The same refrain came from Rick Santorum, who, at a rally in Iowa, said he wanted to “give [black Americans] the opportunity to go out and earn … money.” As for Ron Paul, he had trouble explaining himself after the newsletters resurfaced that were distributed to his supporters in the 1990s. He implied that 95 percent of black males in Washington DC had a criminal record! He swears today he was not the author of these letters. Problem: they are signed with his name.

It’s not only about words. Under the pretext of the fight against fraud, many states run by Republicans have actually passed laws requiring voters to present identification before voting. The Democrats see it as an attempt to discourage some of their potential voters, particularly African-Americans and young people. Many of these laws have also been blocked by Eric Holder, the attorney general. Legal actions have also been introduced by Republicans in the courts to roll back affirmative action, while the Obama Administration has adopted in late November 2011 a series of measures to the contrary which would increase ethnic diversity on campuses. It’s not clear whether or not the Supreme Court will rule in favor of Obama on this issue. But in November 2012, the outgoing President should take heed of black voices. As in 2008, the Republican Party has no one to blame but themselves.

*Editor’s Note: Original article wrote that Ron Paul implied this about 97 percent of black males, but he actually implied it about 95 percent.