My St. Louis friend Stacy Washington wrote the cover story this month at Townhall magazine “Minority Issue or Messaging?”
“Minority Issue or Messaging?,” by Stacy Washington:
Typically, economic factors forecast voting patterns; convention suggests that there must be overall improvements in the quality of life for blacks to justify a level of support merely 5 percent lower than the last election. In August of 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent within the black community—less than a percentage point below the 14.9 percent rate at the end of the Great Recession, and well above Bush-era rates, of 9 percent and under.
Furthermore, when looking at household wealth and homeownership, two hallmarks of the American Dream, the Census reports that blacks have fared poorly as well. Between 2005 and 2010, the gap in white and black household wealth widened: whites went from 15 times that of blacks’ to 22 times. CNN Money reports that in 2010, white median household net worth stood at $110,729 versus $4,995 for blacks. This enormous chasm of wealth disparity opened up during the Great Recession and has persisted under the leadership of President Obama. …
The GOP has tried running black candidates on the ticket, and while that’s important, it isn’t the answer. Nor is it enough to feature conservative black pundits on television and radio. Neither of these alone will convert blacks into Republican voters. What will work is illustrating how Republican policies will improve blacks’ lives and economic standing…
Read the rest here.