Stephen A. Smith: Bite the hand that feeds you.

[fskimospy]

Maybe republicans should alter their party platform for one election cycle to actually appeal to black voters. I mean the parties are supposed to court the voters, not the other way around, right?

 

[emperus]

Democrats are the hand that feeds blacks....wow.

I didn't read it that way initially and given what he's written in this thread I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Democrats are the only party that looks out for the rights of African Americans. Think about the Southern Strategy, the new drive to disenfranchise the black vote, the refusal to repair the voting rights act, etc. etc. There are many ways to feed someone...

 

[Greenman]

Maybe republicans should alter their party platform for one election cycle to actually appeal to black voters. I mean the parties are supposed to court the voters, not the other way around, right?

What would you recommend? What appeals to black voters?

 

[fskimospy]

What would you recommend? What appeals to black voters?

My first thought would be simply to change their rhetoric. Even when confronted with blatant racism like what happened in Ferguson the Republican response was muted or in some cases outright dismissive. Not going to win a lot of black friends when you're doing that. They need to simply admit that anti-black racism is a problem, which is something they have a great deal of difficulty doing.

Second, they would need to change their platform to be a bit less focused on tax cuts for rich people, as black people tend not to be them. Maybe focus your tax cutting fervor on people further down the income scale. That doesn't mean that they need to turn into Democrats or anything, but lay off the rich person tax cuts for a bit.

There was a tax plan floated by Marco Rubio that initially did something like this. (expanded child tax credit, etc) When they tried to run with that though they were immediately smacked down. Then they went back and stapled on the elimination of capital gains taxes, etc, and other huge giveaways for rich people. Gotta stop using up all your tax cut money on rich people if you want non-rich people to be more interested in you.

 

[shira]

Proof?

On average hispanics, blacks and other minorities are religious, value family and oppose abortion.

All of which fly in the face of liberal democrats.

Republicans are also anti-immigration, anti-social-welfare-programs, anti-affirmative-action, pro-voter-suppression-of-minorities, anti-diversity, and pro-big-business. Totally in step with minority views.

 

[Jhhnn]

I didn't read it that way initially and given what he's written in this thread I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.

The Democrats are the only party that looks out for the rights of African Americans. Think about the Southern Strategy, the new drive to disenfranchise the black vote, the refusal to repair the voting rights act, etc. etc. There are many ways to feed someone...

Black people probably figure that if they ever voted Republican en masse it'd be the last time they could vote...

Modern Repubs might as well emblazon their elephant with the Stars & Bars...

 

[Jhhnn]

What would you recommend? What appeals to black voters?

Jobs appeal to black voters, given that they bear the brunt of joblessness in this country. Education appeals to black voters. Opportunity appeals to black voters.

While race relations are far from perfect here in Denver, I think black people have had better chances here & it shows in our neighborhoods. We do have minority neighborhoods, no doubt, but they're basically the same as white neighborhoods other than the color of the kids playing in the yards...

 

[schmuckley]

Or vote in the fucking primaries for candidates that want what you want.

I'd be interested to know exactly what it is that he thinks they aren't getting from Democrats.

Jobs,The American dream,opportunity.

Black people probably figure that if they ever voted Republican en masse it'd be the last time they could vote...

Modern Repubs might as well emblazon their elephant with the Stars & Bars...

http://images.nbra.info/docs/librar...irst Blacks in Congress - All Republicans.pdf

 

[trenchfoot]

Jobs,The American dream,opportunity.



http://images.nbra.info/docs/librar...irst Blacks in Congress - All Republicans.pdf

Interesting link. I'm interested to know what your opinion is about why that was the case?

 

[emperus]

Jobs,The American dream,opportunity.



http://images.nbra.info/docs/librar...irst Blacks in Congress - All Republicans.pdf

You lost all credibility in this discussion by posting that link.

 

[schmuckley]

You lost all credibility in this discussion by posting that link.

Why is that?
I presented facts previously unknown to you?

Interesting link. I'm interested to know what your opinion is about why that was the case?

..because Northern and Southern Democrats are who voted in favor of slavery.

 

[Blackjack200]

Why is that?
I presented facts previously unknown to you?



..because Northern and Southern Democrats are who voted in favor of slavery.

Because it's disingenuous to connect the Republican party of 1870 to the Republican party of 2015.

This is what the republican party looked like by the 1960s. Do you seriously think that you're contributing anything to the thread by flogging the same talking points that everyone realized were bullshit twenty years ago? You're just making a fucking clown of yourself.

 

[Victorian Gray]

Because it's disingenuous to connect the Republican party of 1870 to the Republican party of 2015.

This is what the republican party looked like by the 1960s. Do you seriously think that you're contributing anything to the thread by flogging the same talking points that everyone realized were bullshit twenty years ago? You're just making a fucking clown of yourself.

Umm, possibly a bad choice for an example as Wallace never left the Democratic Party. And, in point of fact, ended up 'seeing the light' and disavowed his old segregationist beliefs after he was 'born again' in the late 70's.

 

[emperus]

Why is that?
I presented facts previously unknown to you?



..because Northern and Southern Democrats are who voted in favor of slavery.

Because your post had no point. Or would you like to explain what point you were trying to make that has anything to do with this thread.

 

[Blackjack200]

Umm, possibly a bad choice for an example as Wallace never left the Democratic Party. And, in point of fact, ended up 'seeing the light' and disavowed his old segregationist beliefs after he was 'born again' in the late 70's.

lol, oops. Point is that it really doesn't fucking matter what a party's platform was in 1870 or even 1960. It matters what policies and attitudes they have today.

 

[Jhhnn]

lol, oops. Point is that it really doesn't fucking matter what a party's platform was in 1870 or even 1960. It matters what policies and attitudes they have today.

I think it's important to understand how we got here. When the Republicans embraced disaffected Southern Democrats from 1968 forward it changed the Party a lot more than it changed the newcomers. It was nearly complete by 1980. It's entrenched today.

 

[Victorian Gray]

lol, oops. Point is that it really doesn't fucking matter what a party's platform was in 1870 or even 1960. It matters what policies and attitudes they have today.

True enough. I certainly wasn't taking issue with that.

 

[Meghan54]

I think it's important to understand how we got here. When the Republicans embraced disaffected Southern Democrats from 1968 forward it changed the Party a lot more than it changed the newcomers. It was nearly complete by 1980. It's entrenched today.

The '68 election was just a culmination of what transpired in the '64 Republican convention and the '64 general election when Goldwater's nomination as the Repub. candidate for president split the Republican party as it was then....a mix of conservatives and moderate-liberals.

The moderates bailed on the party during the general election and Goldwater won 6 states, his home of Arizona, and the deep South--SC, GA, AL, MS, and LA. He even lost in Vermont, a state that had never been carried by a Democrat until the '64 election.

 

[zinfamous]

He's talking about this - http://www.mediaite.com/tv/stephen-...ack-american-would-vote-gop-for-one-election/ -



I am not a Stephen A. Smith fan, at all - I find him a self-important windbag whose opinions are often half-baked - but there is a kernel of truth hidden in there. The Democratic party has long counted on having black voters in their camp - black people in fact vote Democrat more reliably than people who self-identify as Democrats. That being said, the reason they do so is presumably that, broadly speaking, they feel Democrats are likelier to honor their interests and help them. Whether or not that's true depends on what one believes is in black people's best interests. My sense is that most black voters would not agree it would be a good idea to vote Republican for a single election cycle in the hopes that it would incentivize both parties to cater more to black voters.

It's true, and pretty much similar to how poor, rural whites reliably vote on Republicans, yet against their own best interests.

The one reliable metric of any political party is that they are, by and large, going to be screwing over any poor, minority community in the end, no matter what their candidates say.

 

[Attic]

Smith's point was that the parties need to take the black vote seriously, to take it seriously they need to compete for the black vote.

Right now there is no competition for the Black Vote, it's just a default Dem vote. So the vote while valauable to the politician, doesn't net any value back to the black community becuase their is no real incentive to net any value back to the black community if the vote is so easily (almost a default) going to be Dem.

Smith saying vote GOP if you are black misses his larger, more worthwhile point. How to create value for the black voter given the black voter has little value if there is no competition for that vote?


We need a viable strong 3rd party, but Smith would still be in a pickle if he came out and said blacks should vote for a 3rd party, though perhaps less than if he went with the GOP (so much hate for the GOP from Dems). Almost 8th wonder status. Get a dem worked up just mention the GOP and the hate regulator blows a gasket.



Beyond all that the real issue is money. Raise the minimum wage or otherwise pump funding into impoverished areas and minorities will gain advantages and footing they currently lack..... regardless of the color of that minorities skin today or tommorow. The color barrier never gets truely breached by focusing everything on color rather than content.

 

[emperus]

Smith's point was that the parties need to take the black vote seriously, to take it seriously they need to compete for the black vote.

Right now there is no competition for the Black Vote, it's just a default Dem vote. So the vote while valauable to the politician, doesn't net any value back to the black community becuase their is no real incentive to net any value back to the black community if the vote is so easily (almost a default) going to be Dem.

Smith saying vote GOP if you are black misses his larger, more worthwhile point. How to create value for the black voter given the black voter has little value if there is no competition for that vote?


We need a viable strong 3rd party, but Smith would still be in a pickle if he came out and said blacks should vote for a 3rd party, though perhaps less than if he went with the GOP (so much hate for the GOP from Dems). Almost 8th wonder status. Get a dem worked up just mention the GOP and the hate regulator blows a gasket.



Beyond all that the real issue is money. Raise the minimum wage or otherwise pump funding into impoverished areas and minorities will gain advantages and footing they currently lack..... regardless of the color of that minorities skin today or tommorow. The color barrier never gets truely breached by focusing everything on color rather than content.

I think missed the point. If you wanted to ensure value for your vote, African Americans just need not vote in one election in order to swing the election to the Republicans. But, to reward a party that is actually disinterested in and actively works against your civil rights is asinine.

Yes the GOP does work up African Americans because of their rhetoric. The House Majority Whip (who is still the GOP Majority Whip) gave an address to a KKK affiliate. That should speak for itself.

 

[emperus]

It's true, and pretty much similar to how poor, rural whites reliably vote on Republicans, yet against their own best interests.

Tell me more how you believe it is similar to how poor rural whites reliably vote Republicans? Why is it similar?

 

[hal2kilo]

I think missed the point. If you wanted to ensure value for your vote, African Americans just need not vote in one election in order to swing the election to the Republicans. But, to reward a party that is actually disinterested in and actively works against your civil rights is asinine.

Yes the GOP does work up African Americans because of their rhetoric. The House Majority Whip (who is still the GOP Majority Whip) gave an address to a KKK affiliate. That should speak for itself.

That's about right. Blacks have nothing to gain by voting Republican, but they can definately not show up at the polls to have an impact on the Dems.

 

[Blackjack200]

Smith's point was that the parties need to take the black vote seriously, to take it seriously they need to compete for the black vote.

Right now there is no competition for the Black Vote, it's just a default Dem vote. So the vote while valauable to the politician, doesn't net any value back to the black community becuase their is no real incentive to net any value back to the black community if the vote is so easily (almost a default) going to be Dem.

So there is no difference between the Democratic Party's platform today, and what it would be if black people couldn't vote? That's what SAS seems to be suggesting, and what you seem to be agreeing with. Does Eric Holder go to Ferguson if there's no black vote? Does Obama change the crack laws with no black vote? How many cabinet positions have gone to blacks and minorities?

It is astounding to me that someone would suggest this. The Democratic Party simply cannot win elections without big support from women and minorities.

Meanwhile, just 36% of working class whites voted for Obama in 2012. Why does no one suggest that they should be demanding more from their party as well, espcially considering that they arguably get less? Did Romney promise them a minimum wage increase? Did Romney promise better working conditions? More access to health care? How exactly was his campaign oriented to the working class whites who voted for him?

 

[schmuckley]

Because it's disingenuous to connect the Republican party of 1870 to the Republican party of 2015.

This is what the republican party looked like by the 1960s. Do you seriously think that you're contributing anything to the thread by flogging the same talking points that everyone realized were bullshit twenty years ago? You're just making a fucking clown of yourself.

FAIL
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace
" having served two nonconsecutive terms and two consecutive terms as a Democrat: 1963–1967, 1971–1979 and 1983–1987. Wallace has the third longest gubernatorial tenure in post-Constitutional U.S. history at 5,848 days.[1] After four runs for U.S. President (three as a Democrat and one on the American Independent Party ticket)"