Democrats Becoming A Minority Party Comprised of Minorities

If minorities are so supportive of Democrats, why aren't there more minorities holding elected office under the Democrat banner?
Major Garrett, formerly of Fox News and now writing for the National Journal, pointed folks to an article written by one of his colleagues, Ronald Brownstein, which was a dissection of the racial demographics of the voters in the latest national election. The report is disturbing in that it points to a real divide in this country along racial lines in regards to party affiliation and really more to the difference in attitudes towards the role of government in our lives as it relates to race.

It shows that the Democrats have a good grip on the black and Hispanic population, although in this mid term election that grip showed signs of loosening. The real difference came down to the general sense in the minority community that government should play a bigger role in their lives and the reasons were varied but they seemed to revolve around a theme of them believing it was the role of government to not only level the playing field but to punish those they viewed as being successful. There was not a sense that they wanted to improve their station in life as much as there was a sentiment that they wanted others brought down to their level.

The facts on the ground however run counter to this view as the Republicans made good strides in getting minorities elected to office at all levels from state up to the federal.

The Republicans seated two new African Americans in the House, (Allen West - FL, Tim Scott - SC) while the Dems merely held on to seats already occupied by blacks. The Republicans added a Hispanic to the Senate, (Marco Rubio - FL) while once again the Dems merely held on to what they already had. In fact the most overlooked fact from this last election was that the Dems elected no new members and instead simply voted for their incumbents. Hispanics and women picked up governor's seats running on the Republican ticket while Democrats were soundly beaten.

Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University, says that blue-collar disaffection from Democratic candidates reflects not only immediate economic distress but also a longer-term process of alienation from the party. “The noncollege whites … see themselves as a declining minority within the national Democratic Party, where they have very little control or influence on the policies,” he says. “The party is controlled by the coastal elites and nonwhites, and that is a very different kind of Democratic Party” than a generation ago.

Any discussion of race is an invitation to disaster, but the one point I would like to make is it seems the white community which so often demonized, is actually the one sector that can look beyond race and elect the person. Those whites just didn't vote for the old white guy. They voted for the black, Hispanic, middle aged, Asian and female candidates as well. If anything, the recent demographics for this new congress in fact show that the Republicans elected are younger then their Democrat counterparts.

The message that should be sent appears to be if you want to succeed in life and not merely float along with the tide you should look towards the Republicans or at least their policies to improve your chances.

The report is lengthy, but if you get the chance take the time to read it and digest it. It is a good report and everybody will glean something different out it, which means this is a good example of reporting.

Pitiful: Race-Baiting Rabble-Rouser Al Sharpton Calls For FCC Hearings on Rush's "Racist" Comments

Because Mr. "Lumbar" is a racist, or something.

And Al "Punk Faggot" Sharpton, of course, is the self-appointed Arbiter of Racist Speech Everywhere. That's A.R.S.E., for short.

Got it?



BONUS FLASHBACK VIDEO: I predict Obama will have another assignment to East Paraguay in store for Sharpton (and his fellow rabble-rouser Jesse Jackson) ahead of the 2012 election.



h/t Breitbart. Cross-posted.

Ignoring Black Milestones Hinders Progress

In this day and age of media obsession over race, it was no surprise we heard endlessly about the two Super Bowl coaches being black and what it meant to the American culture. Honestly though, does it come as a shock to anyone that two men of such class and talent reach the Super Bowl? I was happy that Tony Dungy won the game because he's decent, honorable man who has suffered greatly in the past 14 months and can now put to rest the notion he's an underachiever as a coach.

Which leads to an interesting column by Michael Medved that wonders whether the vastly reduced levels of bigotry in this country lead to other problems.

The signs of reduced levels of racism have become so powerful and unmistakable, in fact, that the refusal to acknowledge this breathtaking decline in bigotry may soon comprise a greater threat to the black community than racism itself.

A new study by researchers for the “Black Youth Project” at the University of Chicago (in Barack Obama’s home town) shows disturbing levels of defeatism, paranoia and self-pity among 15 to 25 year olds.

Read the whole piece.

Another column I read this week which really hit home was by New York Post basketball columnist Peter Vecsey, who wonders, like I do, what the big deal was. Vecsey is probably 20 years older than me, but like I did, grew up in New York City idolizing black athletes of our respective generations--in his case, the legendary Jackie Robinson.

IN THE 1975 NBA Finals, Al Attles' Warriors beat K.C. Jones' Bullets in four straight games. It was the first time two African-American head coaches (assisted by another; the most vocal communicator in Washington's huddle was Bernie Bickerstaff) competed against each other for the title.

"People hardly made that big a deal about it," Attles recently told a friend of mine.

I can vouch for that, having covered that series, one I recall with indelible clarity; it was the last time I correctly predicted a championship-round winner.

Other than being aware the sport of basketball had shattered yet another racial barrier, I don't recall reading anything remotely lengthy about it, or that it was even branded a landmark occurrence. I know for sure I didn't feel compelled to celebrate its historical significance in print.

By that time in my life, it made hardly any impression on me. Why should it? I grew up idolizing Jackie Robinson, the first to integrate major league baseball/professional sports. In the mid-1950s, before heading over to Little League practice (Bill Gallo was our commissioner), I'd often camp out on my bike near the St. Alban's, Queens, home of the Brooklyn Dodger -- dying to see if he walked pigeon-toed in real shoes, too, and dreaming about getting his autograph.

My point about noting these two pieces is to underscore the fact that the overwhelming majority of our population is indeed colorblind. It would be welcome were the media in general to also become that way -- highlighting our common interests as a nation rather than constantly noting our differences as a means of dividing us.