Slate on Black GOP Politicians

Slate‘s Jamelle Bouie linked to a recent New York Times article on Oklahoma’s T.W. Shannon, former Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and his mixed ethnic heritage. Part black American and part Chickasaw, Shannon’s loyalties have come into question. (I liked that Bouie used “Indian,” and not the politically correct “Native American.” I’m also a native American.)

“There is a long tradition of black-American conservatism, and black Republicans have always had a decent profile in the GOP, despite their small numbers,” Bouie writes. “But since the election of Barack Obama in 2008, we’ve seen a whole host of black conservative personalities who substitute bombast for seriousness, playing to conservative audiences and winning acclaim in the cloistered world of right-wing politics.”

Bouie bemoans black conservative “types” he contends the GOP “can’t get enough of.” Herman Cain, Ben Carson, Allen West, Jesse Lee Peterson, and E.W. Jackson get a critical mention, but Shannon is the exception. Bouie calls him a “genuine lawmaker” focused on a conservative agenda and not becoming a black Republican personality. Bouie brings up an important point: Obama’s days in office are counting down.

We at BCN and CURE want to focus on a post-Obama era that will see (hopefully) more conservatives in elected positions of power. We advocate a true conservative agenda of traditional values, personal responsibility, limited government, and the free market. Bouie, as a liberal, has some credibility when he says skeptical black voters might be receptive to the GOP if it focuses more on people like T.W. Shannon.

Related post: T.W. Shannon – Rising Black Republican Star