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In a More Diverse America,


Lt_Ripley

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In a More Diverse America, A Mostly White Convention

Washington Post Staff Writers

Thursday, September 4, 2008; Page A01

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 3 -- Organizers conceived of this convention as a means to inspire, but some African American Republicans have found the Xcel Energy Center depressing this week. Everywhere they look, they see evidence of what they consider one of their party's biggest shortcomings.

As the country rapidly diversifies, Republicans are presenting a convention that is almost entirely white.

Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago. Each night, the overwhelmingly white audience watches a series of white politicians step to the lectern -- a visual reminder that no black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator or U.S. House member in the past six years.

"It's hard to look around and not get frustrated," said Michael S. Steele, a black Republican and former lieutenant governor of Maryland. "You almost have to think, 'Wait. How did it come to this?' "

Republicans spent much of the past decade working to improve their minority outreach, particularly to blacks and Hispanics. But a number of setbacks, including an anti-Republican national mood, anger over the response to Hurricane Katrina and the Democratic nomination of Sen. Barack Obama, have largely negated their efforts, several Republicans said..........

.........The look in the convention hall is similar to that of a typical McCain event. This summer, for instance, 67 people showed up for one of his town hall meetings in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. One of them was black.

The lack of diversity is out of sync with the demographic changes in the United States. The Census Bureau reported last month that racial and ethnic minorities will make up a majority of the country's population by 2042 -- almost a decade earlier than what the bureau predicted just four years ago. Two-thirds of Americans are non-Hispanic whites, 12.4 percent are black and 14.8 percent are Hispanic, according to 2006 census numbers.

What has helped Republicans is that working-class whites, a bloc they rely on, are more likely to vote than other groups. "But if there is a loss this time, and it is attributed to a smaller and smaller base of white voters, there might be a rethinking" of GOP strategy, said Robert E. Lang, co-director of Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, which studies demographics and other development patterns.

"If we don't get better at reaching out, we're in big trouble," agreed Michael Williams, a black Republican who chairs the Texas Railroad Commission and who spoke Wednesday night. "It doesn't take much to see that this is not what America looks like. . . . We're trying, but we're not there yet." .........

cont .....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...av=rss_politics

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I'm not sure if this is due to racism but it's hard for one not to think that it is since slavery was accepted in this country until it was ended in 1865 and finally abolished in 1928 after bloodshed--not to mention the harsh discrimination that followed afterwards and is still present to this day.

White men created this and ironically enough white men are the majority in the House and Senate.

Maybe african americans didn't attend the convention because many of them are serving sentences in prison for petty crimes.

Edited by CosmicStar
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What about the Asian, pacific islanders and other race in the crowd, they don't count as minority?

Blacks and minorities have mostly been pro Democrats, that is their choice really. But minorities who understand what the GOP is all about are making their way to the Republican party, they just realize it has nothing to do with race but with belief.

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What about the Asian, pacific islanders and other race in the crowd, they don't count as minority?

Blacks and minorities have mostly been pro Democrats, that is their choice really. But minorities who understand what the GOP is all about are making their way to the Republican party, they just realize it has nothing to do with race but with belief.

not many Asians or those of other races either.

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not many Asians or those of other races either.

On whose eyes then does it have to be satisfactory? Minorities are welcome to join the party, but if they don't have the same political belief then as a party you can't abandon your core belief just to recruit, right?

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On whose eyes then does it have to be satisfactory? Minorities are welcome to join the party, but if they don't have the same political belief then as a party you can't abandon your core belief just to recruit, right?

and what is that core belief that attracts mainly those who are well off and white ? that working class white is getting more and more fed up ( 70% of America thinking we are on the wrong path really points that out ) . The republican party as a whole is shrinking .

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and what is that core belief that attracts mainly those who are well off and white ? that working class white is getting more and more fed up ( 70% of America thinking we are on the wrong path really points that out ) . The republican party as a whole is shrinking .

Race baiting again, a perfect example of how you Libs hold on to the minorities. Make them feel as rotten and as treated unfairly as possible by the GOP WHITES, I mean it's the only way you can keep them on your side really.

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Race baiting again, a perfect example of how you Libs hold on to the minorities. Make them feel as rotten and as treated unfairly as possible by the GOP WHITES, I mean it's the only way you can keep them on your side really.

It is funny that you don't see this brought up by the GOP very often, it is usually the Democrats that are complaining about the unbalance of minorities in the Republican party. Well, as I see it, it is not the republicans that are constantly pointing out who is different and who is not. Which would tell me, logically, that the minorities are enjoying being put in a place where they are required to stand out.

If we want to be all one nation, with no segregation, then it is necessary to stop pointing out what color is who. In full honesty, no BS, I see this happen by Democrats FAR more than Republicans. No one in the republican party is out to recruit people just because of their color or ethnicity, and likewise, you're not seeing them tell anyone no.

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One of the main fundamental differences between the conservative and liberal ideologies is their stance on how much taxes we should be paying, and how much influence government should have in our lives based on those taxes, and the programs they fund.

In general, conservatives emphasize less government/taxes, and therefore less domestic programs like welfare that so many underprivileged rely on. This means a greater reliance on personal responsibility and a greater income(through less taxes) to achieve the American Dream.

Liberals understand that even if the underprivileged paid zero taxes, they still couldn’t afford to fund their American Dream, simply because the benefits they receive through government programs(and therefore taxes paid by others) far outweigh the amount they pay in taxes.

So it’s not just the majority of blacks, but the majority of all the underprivileged. Unfortunately, there are a lot more blacks than whites who are underprivileged, in terms of percentages to total population. Until there is more of a financial balance between the races, I see the conservative movement primarily a white one.

This is intended to be a very simplified explanation, but it is also a factual one. I purposefully left out the government programs the liberals love so much are not intended to teach the underprivileged how to fish, but rather to give the underprivileged a fish so they remain attached to the programs that provide political leverage to the liberals.

My two cents :)

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One of the main fundamental differences between the conservative and liberal ideologies is their stance on how much taxes we should be paying, and how much influence government should have in our lives based on those taxes, and the programs they fund.

In general, conservatives emphasize less government/taxes, and therefore less domestic programs like welfare that so many underprivileged rely on. This means a greater reliance on personal responsibility and a greater income(through less taxes) to achieve the American Dream.

Liberals understand that even if the underprivileged paid zero taxes, they still couldn’t afford to fund their American Dream, simply because the benefits they receive through government programs(and therefore taxes paid by others) far outweigh the amount they pay in taxes.

So it’s not just the majority of blacks, but the majority of all the underprivileged. Unfortunately, there are a lot more blacks than whites who are underprivileged, in terms of percentages to total population. Until there is more of a financial balance between the races, I see the conservative movement primarily a white one.

This is intended to be a very simplified explanation, but it is also a factual one. I purposefully left out the government programs the liberals love so much are not intended to teach the underprivileged how to fish, but rather to give the underprivileged a fish so they remain attached to the programs that provide political leverage to the liberals.

My two cents :)

Couldn't have said it better myself.

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It's always been my sense that the majority of minorities are democrats because they can count on the dem leadership to take money from other people's pockets and put it into theirs.

Or put bluntly :

A government that takes money from Peter and gives it to Paul can always count on the support of Paul.

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It's always been my sense that the majority of minorities are democrats because they can count on the dem leadership to take money from other people's pockets and put it into theirs.

Or put bluntly :

A government that takes money from Peter and gives it to Paul can always count on the support of Paul.

I agree, which was what I meant in my 3rd and 5th paragraph above.

So that there is no misunderstanding my earlier post, I was criticizing the conservatives and liberals.

Libs need to stop dancing around the issue of helping the underprivileged long term, and neocons need to understand that until there is more economic balance through long term programs, the underprivileged will continue to need government assistance today. They simply can’t make it financially with the ‘benefit’ of a tax break alone.

Haven't we had several years of tax beaks already under the current administration? While at the same time having record deficits/debts and during a war? :blink:

I had an economics class many moons ago, and I think they said the key to a sound economy is a balanced economy. The goal is to have more money coming in than you have going out. So why are neocons(I feel strange writing that because I'm not a lib) so into the intentional reduction of our government's income while we finance the payment of our current bills? :blink:

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Haven't we had several years of tax beaks already under the current administration? While at the same time having record deficits/debts and during a war? :blink:

I had an economics class many moons ago, and I think they said the key to a sound economy is a balanced economy. The goal is to have more money coming in than you have going out. So why are neocons(I feel strange writing that because I'm not a lib) so into the intentional reduction of our government's income while we finance the payment of our current bills? :blink:

The federal budget is already several trillion dollars. Don't you think that's enough?

Let me put it another way:

Between my Federal, State, FICA and Medicare taxes I loose 37% of my pay before I see it.

With what is left I have to pay property tax, sales tax, use tax, excise tax, import tax, energy tax, "sin" tax, port tax, disposal tax, recycling tax, required licenses/permits/fees, etc.

Just how much tax is enough??

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The federal budget is already several trillion dollars. Don't you think that's enough?

Not necessarily. Elementary math tells us that our budget deficit is the result of our trillions of dollars of income still not being enough to cover our trillions of dollars of bills. That deficit spills over into our ever growing National Debt, which increases the amount of interest payments that comes from our budget.

A weak economy(still growing, but barely) and a weak dollar only adds to the problems.

Just how much tax is enough??

You’re missing my point. Economics 101 says you don’t reduce your income while simultaneously increase your expenses.

I wasn’t exactly saying lowering taxes was a bad thing. I was saying lowering taxes while government spending is out of control is a bad thing. In the context of what you quoted, my argument wasn’t how much taxes is enough, but that one of the platforms the cons talk about is fiscal responsibility. Reducing your income while charging your current bills to your credit card is the exact opposite of fiscal responsibility, and spending has been out of control before the libs took over congress.

The tax burden you have further illustrates my previous point about why theres almost no blacks backing the conservative ideology. In general, blacks are more underprivileged than whites. The underprivileged can’t afford to finance their own American Dream with the amount they pay for taxes, so the libs want to spread the wealth so everyone can live the American Dream.

The government is forcing you to finance the benefits of the underprivileged, just like it’s forcing you to finance aid packages to other countries whether you like it or not, and forcing you to finance everything else under the Sun.

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In a More Diverse America, A Mostly White Convention

Washington Post Staff Writers

Thursday, September 4, 2008; Page A01

ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 3 -- Organizers conceived of this convention as a means to inspire, but some African American Republicans have found the Xcel Energy Center depressing this week. Everywhere they look, they see evidence of what they consider one of their party's biggest shortcomings.

As the country rapidly diversifies, Republicans are presenting a convention that is almost entirely white.

Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago. Each night, the overwhelmingly white audience watches a series of white politicians step to the lectern -- a visual reminder that no black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator or U.S. House member in the past six years.

"It's hard to look around and not get frustrated," said Michael S. Steele, a black Republican and former lieutenant governor of Maryland. "You almost have to think, 'Wait. How did it come to this?' "

Republicans spent much of the past decade working to improve their minority outreach, particularly to blacks and Hispanics. But a number of setbacks, including an anti-Republican national mood, anger over the response to Hurricane Katrina and the Democratic nomination of Sen. Barack Obama, have largely negated their efforts, several Republicans said..........

.........The look in the convention hall is similar to that of a typical McCain event. This summer, for instance, 67 people showed up for one of his town hall meetings in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. One of them was black.

The lack of diversity is out of sync with the demographic changes in the United States. The Census Bureau reported last month that racial and ethnic minorities will make up a majority of the country's population by 2042 -- almost a decade earlier than what the bureau predicted just four years ago. Two-thirds of Americans are non-Hispanic whites, 12.4 percent are black and 14.8 percent are Hispanic, according to 2006 census numbers.

What has helped Republicans is that working-class whites, a bloc they rely on, are more likely to vote than other groups. "But if there is a loss this time, and it is attributed to a smaller and smaller base of white voters, there might be a rethinking" of GOP strategy, said Robert E. Lang, co-director of Virginia Tech's Metropolitan Institute, which studies demographics and other development patterns.

"If we don't get better at reaching out, we're in big trouble," agreed Michael Williams, a black Republican who chairs the Texas Railroad Commission and who spoke Wednesday night. "It doesn't take much to see that this is not what America looks like. . . . We're trying, but we're not there yet." .........

cont .....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...av=rss_politics

Why is it that Obama has somthing like 90% support from blacks? is that racists? yet liberals claim we have come a long way?

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The Republicans tend to draw most of their electoral support either from the upper-middle to upper class, or from hinterland, suburban middle-class people who also happen to be conservative christians (read "evangelical", for the most part). Those people tend to be overwhelmingly white in demography, so I don't blame them for being a white convention, by and large; that's just who their voters tend to be.

I think the Republican Party, however, ought to be more worried about the lack of Latinos at their convention. Considering the demographic trends, they could easily lose Florida and the lower Southwestern states (Arizona and New Mexico) over the next few decades.

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The Republicans tend to draw most of their electoral support either from the upper-middle to upper class, or from hinterland, suburban middle-class people who also happen to be conservative christians (read "evangelical", for the most part). Those people tend to be overwhelmingly white in demography, so I don't blame them for being a white convention, by and large; that's just who their voters tend to be.

I think the Republican Party, however, ought to be more worried about the lack of Latinos at their convention. Considering the demographic trends, they could easily lose Florida and the lower Southwestern states (Arizona and New Mexico) over the next few decades.

I think the Republicans just stick to teaching how to fish as to the Dem giving a fish and at the end even the latinos will understand the difference between the 2 party.

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The Republicans tend to draw most of their electoral support either from the upper-middle to upper class, or from hinterland, suburban middle-class people who also happen to be conservative christians (read "evangelical", for the most part). Those people tend to be overwhelmingly white in demography, so I don't blame them for being a white convention, by and large; that's just who their voters tend to be.

I think the Republican Party, however, ought to be more worried about the lack of Latinos at their convention. Considering the demographic trends, they could easily lose Florida and the lower Southwestern states (Arizona and New Mexico) over the next few decades.

With all the People moving from blue to red states, due to jobs, taxes and the cost of living I could see the electoral college favoring the Republicans. states like North Carolina, Florida and Texas, from New York, Mass, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania. I think Mass was the only state to have a shrinking population, I was one of them :D . but it amazing how many people I work with that are from the North. we all left for the same reasons.

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I found it funny last night how the camera's were on a mission to make sure they found those token ethnic groups to flash compared to the day before.

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I found it funny last night how the camera's were on a mission to make sure they found those token ethnic groups to flash compared to the day before.

Funny how there are those like you that even notice such thing.

Quite clear it's what your party does.

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What about the Asian, pacific islanders and other race in the crowd, they don't count as minority?

Blacks and minorities have mostly been pro Democrats, that is their choice really. But minorities who understand what the GOP is all about are making their way to the Republican party, they just realize it has nothing to do with race but with belief.

I guess they are classified somehow under white.Don't ask me,i don't know.

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It's always been my sense that the majority of minorities are democrats because they can count on the dem leadership to take money from other people's pockets and put it into theirs.

You believe the majority of minorities receive government assistance?

Why is it that Obama has somthing like 90% support from blacks? is that racists? yet liberals claim we have come a long way?

Probably for the same reason Kerry pulled 88% of the black vote in 2004 and Gore took 90% in 2000.

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