Customer Reviews

Republicans and the Black Vote

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I heard Prof. Fauntroy speak at a Kwanzaa festival in Chicago where I bought his book. I'm a Black Republican and I think this book is just what the GOP needs. Blacks didn't desert the GOP, it was the GOP that deserted Blacks. Prof. Fauntroy did a great job of showing how the GOP quickly began abadoning Blacks after Reconstruction in its attempt to win White votes. The book has copious footnotes and references for those interested in further study. The book makes 2 great points: 1)it's time for the GOP to realize that it will never attract more Black votes unless it becomes less conservative on racial matters, 2)Black voters need to consider the political consequences of refusing to vote for Republican candidates, because if the GOP is able to retain any power without Black support, then the GOP will owe Blacks nothing, and that's what they'll give us in return-nothing.

The book covers the relationship between Blacks and the GOP from the GOP's inception in 1854, up to events in 2005. The book is very timely in light of the beating that Republicans took in the last election cycle-November 2006, losing several close races. As the book points out, America's demographics are changing-we're gettinng Blacker and Browner. The GOP's inability to gain support from racial minorities will put it at a great political disadvantage. Not only will the GOP benefit from being more racially sensitive and inclusive, but the nation will benefit as well. The GOP can attract more Blacks without alienating too many Whites. Are great example of this was the noble campaign of Michael Steele for US Senate in Maryland in Nov 2006. Steele is a Black Republican who openly took the GOP to task on certain issues, most interestingly on affirmative action. Steele made it clear in his campaign that he favored affirmative action though most Republicans oppose it. Steele lost the race to a White Democrat (Ben Cardin), but the demographics are quite interesting: Steele got 25% of the Black vote, but 55% of the White vote. Cardin got 75% of the Black vote, and 45% of the White vote. Steele's candidacy is proof that Republicans can run on a pro civil rights agenda without alienating too many Whites.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in politics generally, and especially to White Republicans who want to diversify the GOP.

This is a poignant and penetrating historical analysis and I recommend it to anyone investigating the relationship of race and the GOP in America. Although I loved the book, I had to give it a four star rating because of grammatical errors. Other than that, I was blown away by the political accuracy of this book.

This is the most truthful and forthright book I've ever read. Everything written is right on point, it is one that every American needs to read.

Fascinating history of one of the little studied aspects of American history: the overwhelming shift of African-Americans away from the party of Lincoln to the Democrats. This book should have wide interest beyond an academic audience, but at 40$ for a 181 page book you won't see too many readers picking it up. I've heard there will be a paperback version coming out shortly so I hope that will give this text the wider circulation it deserves.

Let me start off by saying - I did not yet read the book by Professor Fauntroy. I am basing my review upon his appearance on C-SPAN and his reference material on the web - including his own web site. I am a Black man and a firm independent. In fact my greater goal is to show the Black community that both of the two parties that are in power today must be made to service the needs of the Black community in a measurable way prior to getting our votes. We can no longer look toward the relationships of the past (that also don't stand up to scritiny as individuals within our community attempt to paint a rosy picture of the party that they reside in currently or convince us that all of the racists White who were Democrats, turned Dixiecrats are now Republicans) as the means of choosing a strategy for an effective future.

Thus, while another reviewer hit upon the first two critical points in the relationship between Blacks and the Republican Party - 1) the concern that Blacks should have that the GOP is able to win without our broadbased support and 2) that the GOP should be concerned about the election losses of 2006 and the changing racial landscape of this nation - I believe that Mr. Fauntroy has completely left out what should be the most major concern for African-Americans - 3) the fact that despite our overwhelming support for one party and the presence of many Black elected officials over our community - we still have massive problems that these electoral victories have failed to address. After the election night parties are over where we proudly celebrated the latest advance of the Democrats - too many Black people return to communities that they fear to walk on the streets at night. There are now 10,000 Black elected officials in America today. I would bet that 9,950 of them are Democrats. Certainly any political discourse about how to fix the Black community should focus centrally on the party that does effectively GET our votes today and what they are doing in exchange rather than the party who is duly punished by our people on voting day and thus are not particularly bound toward reaching out to a group that is bound "hook line and sinker" to the other guy - with so little to show for it.

Thus I believe that Mr. Fauntroy has failed to consider the basics of - "What is the fundamental purpose for Black poltiical action?". In my view it should be a drive toward obtaining positive and measureable changes within the Black community which prove that our votes of support have indeed been worthy. Where as the typical conclusion might maintain that it is the REPUBLICANS who should change their platform so that it becomes for attractive to African-Americas (ie: become less conservative) , indeed the reverse might be true in regards to having the Black community receive measurable benefit as a result of our votes in support of people who have an ideology that is more "popular" among the masses of Blacks more than they can be proven to be "effective" at making fundamental change within.

Where is the question in Mr. Fauntroy's book of the 'Changes needed within Black America' so that our political appetite might be different and thus more of us vote Republican - if this is found to lead us closer to our end goals of better education, better economic opportunity, safer streets and healthier lifestyles?

In his C-SPAN visit Mr. Fauntroy seems more of a left-leaning operative than he did an objective analyst considering the strategic fortunes of the Black community. I would love to see some follow up material from him regarding the near monopoly Democratic political machines in heavily Black populated areas such as Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit and New Orleans and how this domination has failed to have positive impacts upon many of the Blacks who reside there. This indeed would be a good read.