I almost missed this important piece by Ward Connerly. You shouldn’t.
In what some will regard as a radical and others as a reactionary move (I’m with the radicals), Connerly urges the Republican Party to cease and desist its “outreach” efforts toward blacks.
Recent events in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina have reaffirmed for me … the complete folly of any Republican strategy to increase black representation in the Republican party by appeals based on race. Whatever the name
John, I don’t think it is necessarily the argument that Republicans should “desist” “outreach,” I think it is the argument that the outreach shouldn’t be so vigorous and laced with government goodies that it sacrifices Republican principles, and that a combined program of outreach and sticking to principles would have a longer-term payoff.
Chetly – You’re right. I wasn’t clear. What Connerly is opposing is certainly not outreach but race-based outreach, arguments that there is some reason why blacks, as blacks/Hispanics as Hispanics/etc., should vote for Republicans.
Chetly,
Who SHOULD receive the government goodies then? If the Bush Administration track record is in effect, the goodies are doled out to any group in lock step unity with the corporatist ideology.
Cronyism is the biggest “ism” this administration is guilty of, with pandering to Hispanics a close second.
–Cobra
What Connerly referred to as the Republicans hate blacks syndrome is what I object to as well. Always the hysterical rhetoric that makes everyone immediately dismiss what the speaker is saying. Also, Connerly is right about the Republicans trying to recruit blacks. They should stop all appeals based on race.