Among the things we’re agreeing upon, I think, is the foolishness of blind loyalty to any political party. There hasn’t been a party in history without serious problems. All we can do is pick the person and the position, hold on, and hope for the best. And if he or she turns out to be a dud, throw the bum out.

I don’t think the term “African-American” is normally used to place America second in importance, nor do I think it’s deliberately used offensively. It is, though, one of those polarizing pigeon hole deals that I think we both dislike. Labeling like that is superfluous and largely meaningless, too. My mother’s side of the family had roots in Ireland and Scotland, so I suppose I could call myself Irish-American or Scotch-Irish, but that’s neither relevant nor accurate. Since I’d have to add on the German, French, and Swiss stuff from my father’s side, the whole thing would become really silly. I was born in Nebraska, so I think I’ll be just a plain ol’ American.

Here’s my take.

Here are points I agree with the hostess on:

1. Abortion ends a life.
2. The borders need protection and the administration isn’t doing enough.
3. Dems have a racist past.
4. School vouchers, home schooling, and school choice mean freedom for parents and should be priority.
5. In general, the culture is corse and getting worse.
6. Racism is not a primary factor in what ills the Black community as a whole.
7. I don’t like the term African American.
8. The NAACP is irrelevant.

Now, if I left things off at there, most people here would have no “issues” with my [ supported ] “allegations.”

But, because I have the “nerve” to continue on by saying…

3. The Republicans also have a nasty past and it’s the Southern Strategy.

7. Anyone who claims that calling oneself African-Americdan is being anti-American or not American first is foolish. Colin Powell and Condi Rice have called themselves African-American. Are they claiming that they are Americans 2nd?

8. The NAACP is not worthy of discussion since most Blacks in the community say the NAACP doesn’t matter. However there are instances where some “Black leaders” have done or said things that critics say “Black leaders” don’t do.

I’m labeled a liberal. Meanwhile, liberals call me conservative. And to add to it, seemingly, points of agreement that I say there is agreement on, get ignored.

I find this interesting.

i find it more support for my belief that most people are intellectually lazy and use labels to quickly pigeonhole people so they really don’t have to deal with intellectual disagreement.

Or is that too “pendantic”?

Both major political parties are overstocked with self-serving hacks, and far too many outright crooks. Because of that, I’ve never joined either one. But the fact is that we have to pick the best candidate out of those available. Sometimes that means voting for someone imperfect in order to avoid the one who is far worse. That’s just a fact of life.

Now, that said, which candidates are usually more in tune with freedom, opportunity, a strong nation, and a good moral foundation? Not the present day Dems, that’s for sure. In recent years, it has become clear to me that the Democrat party has become a rudderless and negative organization, having been thoroughly co-opted by the loony left wing.

A picture is worth a thousand words. The picture of our failure of an ex-President, Jimmy Carter, sitting in the presidential box at the Dem convention with the bloated America-hater extraordinaire Michael Moore, is enough to convince me that the Dems have officially and willfully aligned themselves with the loony left.

The ascension of Howard Dean to the position of party leader, the vicious ramblings of Robert Byrd, the nastiness of Nancy Pelosi, the obstructionist left-wing rhetoric of Harry Reed, and the out-of-control stagecraft of Barbara Boxer all serve to point me in one direction, away from the Democrat party. What’s remaining, except to vote for Republicans, warts and all?

What time frame is Kemp talking about with “past” and “not too long ago”?

Kemp has the greater burden, but not because he and Dole may be buried in a landslide. In actively courting minority voters–a sideshow wholly separate from Dole’s effort–Kemp has set himself against recent Republican history. “All too often in the past,” Kemp said not long ago, Republicans have “had that Southern strategy that said we want to go after the white vote and had better not try to get black votes because it might lose those white votes. That is shameful.”

I use SS when:

1. Republicans say or strongly suggest or imply that Blacks are stupid for voting for Republicans.

2. People bring up the history of the Republican party but always stop at the Civil Rights Act.

From my perspective the Democrats have a bigger racism problem.

They both have their problems.

From my perspective the 2000 commercials aired against Bush by the NAACP spoke volumes about how they have no respect and didn’t deserve the respect given to them to have a visit to their annual meeting. Then why are you so infatuated with it?

I didn’t write anything about Bush not visiting the NAACP. I don’t care one way or the other.

The Donks co-opted the SS with Bubba and the NAACP ad was just an extension of the plantation boys reelin’ em in for for the Kleagle Massah. Remember, if you can’t beat the KKK, join em.

From my perspective the Democrats have a bigger racism problem.

From my perspective the 2000 commercials aired against Bush by the NAACP spoke volumes about how they have no respect and didn’t deserve the respect given to them to have a visit to their annual meeting.

I never pinned SS on him, I pinned it on the Republican party as a whole. In fact, Jack Kemp said that he was treated as an outcast in the Republican party because he told the GOP to go for the Black vote. He said this after, by his own words, Bob Dole picked him out of the wilderness when Dole chose Kemp as a running mate.

So, exactly what conservative message today would you consider to be part of the SS (effort to turn off black voters to help Republicans in the south)

Any Republican who refuses to speak to a Black group, because they are a Black group, fits that description.

Can I name any? Since 2000, no.

1) Sorry I wasn’t clear enough in saying that it was La Shawn that was mocking Dean’s foot in mouth disease

2) Steele/Shannon, whoever.

3) Right it was something that “A” rep said. Meanwhile other Reps discount it. This is about par in associating whatever Lieberman says as being representative of the DNC at large and in lockstep with whatever Dean, the current DNC driver, might say. Different factions within the same party doesn’t mean a party in unison. On the flipside, the GOP spectrum ranges from McCain to Buchannon — a party in unison? Hardly. What Baklava and I are saying is don’t hang what Goldwater, Nixon, McCain nor Buchannon say/do on us, especially since they’re not in the driver seat.

If that were the case, people would rail aginst current efforts to undo things that Nixon had implemented, as if whatever he did is set in stone. As if conservatives are only wishfully dreaming when they say they want a smaller govt when Nixon was instrumental in enlarging the govt via regulatory powers.

You mistake my comment about Steele as disdain for him. If disdain is being aimed anywhere, it is aimed at those who would believe that Steele’s comment is an indictment of the entire GOP. My disdain is also aimed at those who think I should be in lockstep with other black republicans.

Personally, I feel it is the GOP’s loss that Steele and Watts experienced what they did and their reaction to that disappointment. However it is a validation of the overarching GOP goals that they have remained GOP in spite of personal setbacks. The way you spin it, it is as if blacks should forget about being republicans because the GOP is still up to its “evil” ways.

Furthermore, you’re preaching to the LB Corner choir in that it is equally wrong to hang all our hopes on the GOP. If we indeed were hanging everything on the GOP, why would anyone here criticize what Bush or any other GOP’er does — all hail the party?

It seems pretty clear to me that most everyone here are not die-hard republicans, rather we’re of an independent conservative/libertarian/constitutionalist bent. We mostly vote GOP because that’s where we find the most common ground. If it were a democrat espousing our values, we’d line up behind him as well.

And don’t let me get pedantic on your lack of “Most/Some/Few” when generalizing
To wit: “I stated the facts of the Southern Strategy as practiced by Republican politicans.“

Excuse me, but you keep missing that I point out that the SS ended in 2000.

Perception is key and I’m sorry but it is my perspective that you have a screw loose with this topic.

Does Michael Steele have a screw loose? How about Colin Powell when he said that the GOP shouldn’t be a white male country club, or something like that?

That is the question. Remember Republicans are to the left of conservatives…. when you answer.