Maryland's Republican Party And African Americans

Maryland's Republican Party has problem with African American voters. Okay, okay, this isn't much of a news flash and it is unfair to just mock Maryland's Republican party for its failure in this area. Republicans all over the country can't seem to get African Americans to vote for them.

It is infuriating for me that Republicans have chosen to give up in marketing their message to African Americans. If we truly believe that our message of personal responsibility, small government, and free enterprise is valuable to all Americans it is a sin to neglect African Americans just because their votes will be a little bit harder to get.

It is tragic that we don't offer a competing political view. As Republicans we believe in choices and competition yet we allow Democrats to present a monopoly of ideas in the minority communities around the country. In some communities it has been years since a Republican has come and visited.

What can we do to remedy this? Well, it certainly will be a lot of hard work and could perhaps take many years but we need to emphasize these ideas:

1.) Personal Ownership: From personal social security accounts to home ownership this could be a winning issue. African Americans have long been at a disadvantage at acquiring wealth in this country because of past discrimination.

2.) Education: If Republicans truly believe that an individual can help themselves achieve we need to be the leading advocates of education and school choice. An education is the only thing that can help African Americans move up the economic ladder. That means we can't back down from those who are against school choice in the form of vouchers.

3.) Strong Laws Prohibiting Discrimination: We can't remain silent when hard working African Americans are shut out of jobs because of the color of their skin and where they grew up. We can't pretend that everyone can succeed in America if these barriers still exist.

4.) Fair and Effective Crime Enforcement in African American Communities: We must be sure to cut down on the skyrocketing crimes rates in cities like Baltimore. One of the first steps is addressing the concerns of the African American community and abuses from the police force. Only when the community works hand in hand with the police can crime be cut.

5.) Faith-Based Initiatives: Get the money for social problems out of the hands of the government and give it to community churches and private groups that are driven to help their neighbors.

But the most important thing Republicans can do is to sit down and truly listen to African Americans. Truly care what they want and show them how Republican principles can achive it. It might seem like common sense but we haven't been doing it.