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Opinion
The Battalion
Page 9 • Tuesday, November 5, 2002
Republicans will not get black vote
Hostility towards minorities makes it difficult for blacks to support Republicans
COLLINS EZEANYIM
I n a recent on-
campus debate
between the
Aggie Democrats
and the College
Republicans, Jeff
Graham, director of activities for the College
Republicans, made a direct overture for immi
grants and minorities to support the Republican
Party. So continues the Republican Party’s futile
ffortto entice minorities, blacks in particular,
lojoin its ranks. But many black Americans are
loo loyal to Democrats and too distrustful of
Republicans to consider Graham’s offer.
In fact. Democrats are so convinced that
jlacks will show their support for Democratic
candidate Ron Kirk in the race for the senate
seat left vacant by departing Phil Gramm that
they’re specifically adjusting their campaigns to
attract white voters, according to a John
Williams column in the Houston Chronicle.
Williams accuses Kirk of “spending millions of
dollars to appear as Republican Lite.”
To some, it might seem arrogant that the
Texas Democrats would assume they can count
on the support of practically every black voter
shows up at the polls. But statistics show
ing the voting behavior of blacks justify their
campaign strategy.
In both the nation and in Texas, a whopping
91 percent of blacks voted for Gore in the 2000
election, according to USA Today. No one
should really be surprised by these numbers
considering that “African-Americans have given
overwhelming allegiance to the Democratic
Party since 1936,” according to Issues in
Democracy, an electronic journal issued by the
U.S. Department of State.
One reason why is that blacks perceive the
Republicans as hostile toward minorities. Even
J.C. Watts, the only black Republican in
Congress, conceded to Time that the
Republicans are still largely a whites-only party.
Watts — who plans to retire when his fourth
term ends next year - added, “If diversity is OK
for God, it ought to be OK for Republicans.”
Perhaps blacks would consider supporting
Republicans if the party was committed to
diversity and equality. But the GOP often gives
blacks no choice but to support the
Democratic Party.
One horrifying example from 1992 concerns
current Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott from
Mississippi, who is one of the most important
and visible Republicans in Washington. A
decade ago, Lott gave a speech to the
Conservative Citizens Council (CCC), a
known white supremacy group, according
to The Washington Post. At the speech, Lott
reportedly said that “the people in this
room stand for the right principles and the
right philosophy.”
Although Lott later told the The
Washington Post that he had “no first
hand knowledge” of the true nature of the
CCC. the damage to the Republicans’
image in many black voters’ minds had
already been done. The message was
clear: the Republican Party is not a welcome
place for blacks.
African-Americans, a community known
for looking out for one
another, take their allegiance to the Democratic
Party so seriously that they often put politics
before race. Two examples prove this. One is
the recent attack by singer and activist Harry
Belafonte on Colin Powell, who is currently
serving as Secretary of State under a
Republican administration. Belafonte likened
Powell to a “house slave,” according to Miami
//e/zz/c/columnist Leonard Pitts. Belafonte, who
apparently believes that Powell only does what
ever President Bush tells him to added, “When
Colin Powell dares to suggest something other
than what the master wants to hear, he will be
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02
JEFF SMITH • THE BATTALION
turned back out to pasture.”
Although Pitts and other prominent black
columnists denounced the attack, many other
black leaders were suspiciously silent on the
issue. This may be because they felt Powell got
what he deserved. The implication is clear: if
you’re black and don’t toe the Democratic party
line, you will be ostracized.
Meanwhile, as Powell was being blasted by
members of the black community, former
President Bill Clinton, who was dubbed by
Nobel-prize winning author Toni Morrison as
“the first black president,” was recently given
an honorary induction into the Arkansas Black
Hall of Fame, according to ABCNews.com.
Affirmative action is another barrier to
African-American support of the Republican
party. Republicans express their opposition to
any sort of preference programs in terms of giv
ing equal treatment to everybody.
For example, in the aforementioned debate,
Graham called affirmative action policies
racist. Yet, many blacks, who still perceive
racism as a big problem in America, believe the
only way they can be given equal treatment in
areas such as employment is through policies
such as affirmative action. The Republican
opposition to this issue is irrational, and they
would attract more black support if they
learned to compromise.
Surprisingly, although blacks voters are
almost unanimously Democrats, taken as a
group, blacks are surprisingly conservative and
actually agree with Republicans on many key
issues. For example, “blacks favor vouchers
more than any other group,” according to a col
umn by Thomas Sowell. Also, blacks attend
church services more than any other race,
according to a survey conducted by Scripps
Howard News Service and Ohio University.
During the debate, Graham made sever
al references to God and mentioned
how the Republican Party specifi
cally supports the teachings of
the Bible.
It would seem that blacks and
Republicans have much in com
mon — maybe enough to siphon
black support away from the
Democrats — but the GOP
shouldn’t hold its breath.
Collins Ezeanyim is a senior
computer engineering major.
Protests would improve issue awareness
k&M learned from protests regarding China president's visit to campus
BRIEANNE PORTER
O n Oct. 24, Texas A&M
did something quite
unusual. It offered
grounds to hold protests and
demonstrations against China’s
president when he visited the
George Bush Presidential Library
Complex and spoke to a select group of audience members.
A&M is not the traditional hotbed of political protests and
demonstrations like the University of California at Berkeley or
ev en the University of Texas at Austin, but students should
consider the option of protests to convey minority views and
opinions. Protests are an important form of communication, not
0n| y 1° the public, but to officials in power. This form of com
munication should be a welcome addition to the A&M campus.
Many people at A&M consider protests as problems that are
°oly found at “liberal” campuses such as Texas, but Aggies
should re-evaluate this view. There are many different opinions
0n this campus, and one way to spread different opinions is to
0r ganize a protest. With increased diversity on campus, there is
not one belief on all issues and many of the minority views are
not well-publicized.
A protest can spread awareness of opposing views that are
e d by students on campus. “Students should have the oppor
tunity to hear different points of view, including those that may
be repugnant to many people,” said Charles Hermann, associate
dean of A&M’s Bush School of Government and Public
Service, when discussing the planned protest of China
President Jiang’s visit to A&M.
Communication is key to having an enlightened and
informed public. It is necessary to be able to communicate the
minority points of view that are not widely known to help edu
cate the A&M community.
For many people or groups that do not agree with the major
ity view on political issues, a protest can help inform students
of different views and the reasoning behind them. For example,
the Falun Gong group was protesting Chinese persecution of
the group, which has been labeled a cult and outlawed.
“All we want is for the persecution to stop,” Dianna
Roberts, spokeswoman for a Houston-based Falun Gong organ
ization, said in The Eagle.
The protest effectively allowed people who were unaware of
the situation in China to learn about the complaints of the group.
Counter protests were held to show support for the China
president. James Jiang, a Chinese emigrant who currently resides
in Pearland, said he and other Chinese turned out at the airport
to “express our support and promote what is in the best interest
of Sino-U.S. relations,” according to the Houston Chronicle.
There are many political issues that are ripe for an effective
protest. The resolution passed by Congress that gives President
Bush power to use military action in Iraq is one example. On
many other campuses, there have been anti-war demonstrations
and protests, but these protests have yet to make it to A&M.
The possibility of a new war with Iraq is highly controversial
and not every student on this campus agrees with it.
Another issue worthy of public debate is divestment from
Israel, which involves universities such as Harvard and MIT
withdrawing endowments supporting companies that do busi
ness with Israel. These universities say Israel is a morally
repugnant state.
There are numerous issues that have opposing viewpoints,
and many of these opinions are represented on campus without
the public’s knowledge. There is a need for protests to incite
debates and allow for well-informed students.
A&M’s political climate is not conducive to protests. This
must change. Students need to become proactive and organize
political protests regarding important world events. Protests are
necessary for democracy and political debate, and they should
be a welcome addition to the A&M campus.
Brieanne Porter is a senior
political science major.
MAIL CALL
^publicans should get the facts
strai ght about their party's history
n re sponse to Jessica Berkey's Nov. 4 guest column:
fo2 ca Berkey makes several references to the
k ers °f the Republican Party. However, she may
Co 6 j 0r 8 0 tt en that in those times, Republicans were
c u Sl ere d left-wing progressives who pushed for
Dpm^ 6, '^ ea l s that are now associated with the
u mocratic Party.
n °t until recently that each party acquired the
Park S U P^°I C I today. There is absolutely no com '
, 0n between today's Republican politicians and
at e 6 ln tbe past; trying to make a comparison only cre-
"en Q COntradiction - Als °( the Democratic party is not an
st a t rr 'y^' / 'thin." Unless we want to live in a totalitarian
e Vp ' 1 . erer >t political parties are needed to represent
J v °‘? e in America. . ,
the r> VlCe: ' ns tead of trying to use token images ot
P a st to get others to vote with your party, focus on
the issues instead. Don't urge others how to vote when
you don't have the facts straight on your own party.
Amanda Currola
Class of 2004
Browser can prevent pop-up ads
In response to Derek Lazzaro's Nov. 1 column:
It is easy to avoid pop-up ads if you use Mozilla
instead of Microsoft Internet Explorer. Mozilla is a free
Web browser available from www.mozilia.org. To dis
able pop-ups, select Preferences from the Edit menu.
Next, click the plus beside the word Advanced fol
lowed by a click on "Scripts & Windows" or "Scripts &
Plugins" (depending on the version). Finally, uncheck
"Open unrequested windows" and click OK.
Jeffrey McGee
Class of 2005