Read Online They Think You're Stupid by Herman Cain - Free Book Online
Authors: Herman Cain
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allow owners to pass these businesses on to their heirs benefit all small business owners regardless of race.
Of course, Blacks and the so-called Black leaders cannot shoulder all the blame for sharing the perception that the Republican Party does not speak to them or their economic and social values. The Republicans have done a poor job of reaching out to Blacks and educating them on the realities of conservative economic and social policies. The Democrats have surely taken their support among Blacks for granted, but Republicans until recently have been content to let the Democrats keep that support.
Many Republicans scratch their heads and wonder aloud why Blacks would continue to support a party that has betrayed them and taken them for granted for more than fifty years. These same Republicans should not be surprised that Blacks generally vote as a bloc, because both parties have treated Blacks as a separate bloc for more than one hundred years! The conversion of a relative minority of Blacks to the Republican Party should be seen as an example of many Blacks reaching in instead of the party reaching out.
Many people involved in the Republican Party leadership at the national and state levels are still tied to the good-old-boy, country club style of politics that determines which candidates will represent their party based on "Whose turn is it?" and "Who has paid their dues?" This is the perception of the Republican Party among a majority of Blacks. Whether it is the truth or not is irrelevant, just as it is irrelevant if Republicans are upset when Democrats accuse them of "cutting Social Security." Perception is reality in politics, and perception remains reality until drastic efforts in the form of long-term, strategic plans are made to educate the public on the facts.
We must remember that the majority of Blacks prior to the Great Depression primarily supported Republican candidates. Only after presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson reached out to Blacks through their rhetoric and policy agendas did the Black electorate move steadily to the ideological left. To win back the votes and support of Blacks in large numbers, Republicans must demonstrate and properly communicate that their policies and ideology are more in line with economic and social values held by most Blacks. In the long run, facts will triumph over rhetoric. The race to win back the votes of Blacks is a marathon, not a sprint.
The third great divide in our country is the economic divide , which starts with education. Slightly more than forty years ago Congress passed, and President Johnson signed into law, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Since that time, thousands of Blacks have attained a college education, achieved financial success, started their own businesses, and risen to the highest levels of the corporate and political arenas. The long struggle to achieve equal opportunities for success in nearly all facets of our society has reaped great rewards for all U.S. citizens. Much of Dr. King's dream of equal opportunity for all citizens to achieve success is more possible than ever before, but many Blacks have not yet seized their full potential through the education and economic systems. It starts with personal responsibility and motivation, not the government.
For nearly every citizen, attainment of a quality education is an absolute minimum requirement for success in life, whether you measure success by economic status or virtually any other standard. Yet, after forty years of desegregated schools and the guarantees written in the Civil Rights Act, some Blacks still lag behind Whites in measures of educational and economic achievement.
Let's be clear about the reference to statistics here and throughout this book. Statistics represent a static aggregate measurement. They represent a reference point from which to develop concepts, policies, and practices intended to move the "epicenter" toward improvement.
No one doubts that
Of course, Blacks and the so-called Black leaders cannot shoulder all the blame for sharing the perception that the Republican Party does not speak to them or their economic and social values. The Republicans have done a poor job of reaching out to Blacks and educating them on the realities of conservative economic and social policies. The Democrats have surely taken their support among Blacks for granted, but Republicans until recently have been content to let the Democrats keep that support.
Many Republicans scratch their heads and wonder aloud why Blacks would continue to support a party that has betrayed them and taken them for granted for more than fifty years. These same Republicans should not be surprised that Blacks generally vote as a bloc, because both parties have treated Blacks as a separate bloc for more than one hundred years! The conversion of a relative minority of Blacks to the Republican Party should be seen as an example of many Blacks reaching in instead of the party reaching out.
Many people involved in the Republican Party leadership at the national and state levels are still tied to the good-old-boy, country club style of politics that determines which candidates will represent their party based on "Whose turn is it?" and "Who has paid their dues?" This is the perception of the Republican Party among a majority of Blacks. Whether it is the truth or not is irrelevant, just as it is irrelevant if Republicans are upset when Democrats accuse them of "cutting Social Security." Perception is reality in politics, and perception remains reality until drastic efforts in the form of long-term, strategic plans are made to educate the public on the facts.
We must remember that the majority of Blacks prior to the Great Depression primarily supported Republican candidates. Only after presidents such as Franklin Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson reached out to Blacks through their rhetoric and policy agendas did the Black electorate move steadily to the ideological left. To win back the votes and support of Blacks in large numbers, Republicans must demonstrate and properly communicate that their policies and ideology are more in line with economic and social values held by most Blacks. In the long run, facts will triumph over rhetoric. The race to win back the votes of Blacks is a marathon, not a sprint.
The third great divide in our country is the economic divide , which starts with education. Slightly more than forty years ago Congress passed, and President Johnson signed into law, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Since that time, thousands of Blacks have attained a college education, achieved financial success, started their own businesses, and risen to the highest levels of the corporate and political arenas. The long struggle to achieve equal opportunities for success in nearly all facets of our society has reaped great rewards for all U.S. citizens. Much of Dr. King's dream of equal opportunity for all citizens to achieve success is more possible than ever before, but many Blacks have not yet seized their full potential through the education and economic systems. It starts with personal responsibility and motivation, not the government.
For nearly every citizen, attainment of a quality education is an absolute minimum requirement for success in life, whether you measure success by economic status or virtually any other standard. Yet, after forty years of desegregated schools and the guarantees written in the Civil Rights Act, some Blacks still lag behind Whites in measures of educational and economic achievement.
Let's be clear about the reference to statistics here and throughout this book. Statistics represent a static aggregate measurement. They represent a reference point from which to develop concepts, policies, and practices intended to move the "epicenter" toward improvement.
No one doubts that
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