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Archive for the ‘Republican’ Category

Young, Black & Republican: documentary

Posted in African Americans, politics, Republican, tagged , , , on August 18, 2010| 5 Comments »

I am a moderate Democrat but a young conservative brother from Atlanta who works for a South Carolina GOP member of congress sent me the short documentary “Young, Black & Republican.”  As a kid reading Black Enterprise magazine and watching Tony Brown’s Journal on PBS, I remember this pro-business, self-determination type African-American Republican.  Hell, every striding Black family could be considered conservative because “if you wait for the government to do for you, you will be waiting awhile” was the mindset.

The 2010 election season will be wild and as twisted as a mile of bad road—brace yourself for some ugliness.  The fellow in this video who loves his party’s positions but questions the tone had me saying amen to the computer. Since the best documentary series follow-up with the subjects later, we should hope that the “tone” of the Far Right doesn’t push these outstanding young people out of a major political party before Thanksgiving.  (That would be similar to moderates bailing out on the Dem Team over government spending.)

Keith with Peanut Politics blog is a young conservative Democrat who thinks the Black exodus from the GOP started in the primary and that it will kick into overdrive from the campaign rhetoric this fall. They might take my Blue Dog pin for saying this but stand your ground in the red team—be logical and cool when presenting a healthier “tone” option.

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RNC Fear Methods: Republicans Why?

Posted in Conservative, Georgia, politics, Republican, tagged , , , , on March 4, 2010| 5 Comments »

Watergate was an unnecessary mess because Nixon was winning anyway. In politics and policy, you have different layers and levels of involvement. The average American voters wants the nation to function better. Then, you have your issue activists and party enthusiasts who mean well but tend to get carried away and swear that the other side is never correct.

I am ticked-off with the Blue Dogs who supported Bush 41 and Bush 43 when these presidents were somewhat right yet those same conservative Democrats aren’t turning to the GOP members with whom they worked in the past and saying “come on fellows…not all of these ideas are bad.”

The most dramatic level of politics and policy would be the professionals who earn a living from the conflict—more mess, more money.  I am one southerner who has grown weary of fighting for fighting sake. 

To the people I know in the GOP, you can win in November on the issues but resorting to fear, hate and traditional ugliness is unbecoming and counterproductive.  Your team should notice how Rep. Paul Ryan, Mario Rubio and even Senator Isakson debate and voice opposition  constructively.  The worst-case scenario would be the continue use of techniques and methods similar to the hate-baiting from our past.  It is interesting that some of those “win at all cost” political leaders of the past had righteous transformation before going to glory and explain what they did for opportunistic purposes.  Of course, the same can be said about folks on our side.  To feed your family, a hater got to do what a hater got to do.

Earlier this year, President Obama told the both sides that they should be careful how they debate because the average Americans is going to start believing that they really hate each other.  Newsflash: they don’t; it’s political theater.  While they sincerely hate the issues and the growing debt, I don’t think there is a member of the Georgia congressional delegation who “hates” another member. 

The wildcard factor is the successful division of the media that “stays paid” from the conflict.  I want to say that I have recently learned that this division is not really journalists but some new form of political commentators for entertainment—Rush, Glenn, Michelle, Ed, Keith, Rachael.  (Thank you Glenn Beck for explaining it.)  Can the average American separate political entertainment from Cronkite-style journalism.  Cronkite and Brinkley would turn to another camera and the words “commentary” would appear across the bottom of the screen. 

On MSNBC’s Morning Joe today, they did a report about a coming RNC insider effort to drive donations with fear and boy won’t it work. But, playing this card from your sleeve is not needed when the cards in your hand are not that bad.  Can you see why centrists support the few sensible people on the Right?  The old Chinese proverb goes “it is better to light a single candle than curse the darkness.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036789/vp/35706805#35706805

March 4: Msnbc’s Joe Scarborough offers his take on an RNC fundraising document, obtained by Politico, that encourages the use of “fear” and “negative feelings” to solicit donations.

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Bridging the Divide: Senator Isakson and Georgia A.G. Baker Fighting The War On Meth

Posted in augusta, Conservative, Georgia, Independent, politics, Republican, tagged , , , , , , on March 1, 2010| 3 Comments »

I received the following Media Alert today about an important initiative that deals with one of the fastest-growing and addicting drugs ever to hit the state of Georgia and beyond. I took special notice to the two high profile Elected officials who have teamed up to unveil this statewide prevention campaign next week. They are: Republican U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson and Democratic U.S. Attorney General Thurbert Baker. If you think about it, most if not all, issues that our elected officials must address impact a variety of people. Even those that are considered Republican,  Democrat, Independent, Green, Liberterian or other. And no matter if one person voted for another. The prevalence of and the impact of Meth in Georgia is staggering and doesn’t target a particular political party of people. And such is the case with virtually every other social or  economic challenge facing us today. It sure would be nice, and would be much more effective, if all of our elected officials, from Washington, DC to our local municipalities can work together, on causes that address people (constituents), no matter what one’s political affiliation. This initiative is an indicator that it can happen. And I do realize that is not an isolated event. But it needs to happen much, much more.

Georgia Meth Project – Media Alert sent by Jackson Spaulding

The Georgia Meth Project will launch its statewide prevention campaign—and unveil its innovative television, print, and outdoor advertising—at the Georgia State Capitol on Monday, March 8, 2010.  The news conference will begin at 11 a.m.

The Honorable Johnny Isakson, United States Senator, and Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker will be joined by members of the Georgia Meth Project Advisory Council, substance abuse experts, and Georgia families whose lives have been impacted by Meth use.

The goal of the Georgia Meth Project is to significantly reduce first-time methamphetamine use in the state, and address the social and economic burden caused by Meth use in Georgia.

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Georgia Gubernatorial Candidate Karen Handel on Helen Blocker Adams Radio Show Friday at Noon

Posted in Georgia, politics, Republican, tagged on June 11, 2009| 2 Comments »

Handel and Helen at GOP State Convention

Handel and Helen at GOP State Convention

Helen Block Adams (HBA) sits down with Georgia Secretary of State and Candidate for Governor Karen Handel at high noon on Friday.  I bet HBA will have all the candidates for governor before the end of the year. 

In my opinion, a party that seems stagnate could use some fresh blood with a woman perspective for governor and/or congress (stay tune for something big…hopefully.)  You have the Nathan Deal crew, the Eric Johnson crew, the Ox crew, and the Austin Scott youth crew before you get to the drama on the Democratic side. We will see.  The GOP should learn that you get more people with honey than cutting them down and the Dems need to learn that our community won’t always be marshalled around.

Listen online

http://www.newsradio1230.com/

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Joe Scarborough and the GOP: Start with Temperament

Posted in Conservative, politics, Republican, tagged , , on June 9, 2009| 2 Comments »

Former GOP congressman, turned author and T.V. guy Joe Scarborough has the formula for fixing his party and “hateorade” is not in the mix.  In his new book, The Last Best Hope outlines a technique for debating issues in a substantive matter without the bitter temperament that helped drive America into President Obama loving arms.  Is Obama the nicest person ever?

Scarborough always points out that President Reagan did not walk around with a heart full of hate like many leaders today.  My personal list of cool temperament politicians from Georgia would include Senator Sam Nunn, Senator Johnny Isakson, and Rep. Sanford Bishop.  The next group of Georgia GOP congressional leaders could include a woman or two with the same vibe if they were smart enough to look in the correct places.

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What’s Gnu: Democrats and Republicans

Posted in African Americans, Conservative, Georgia, politics, Republican, tagged , , on May 31, 2009| Leave a Comment »

My sister just got back from business in South Africa and is heading back next week.  While looking at her African safari pictures, I see that her truck was near a Gnu or wildebeest.  I can not stand the sight of those things because I was chased by a goat coming from midget football practice.  I was coming from practice; not the goat but I am a Worth County and Albany State Ram…talk about your irony.  Also, I am not a midget and as a moderate Democrat I should refrain from using un-P.C. terms like that one. Forget P.C. unless you are talking about Panama City Beach; Little League was called midget football in my day.

So, I don’t like Gnus (if that is the plural) because that goat chased me and wildebeest look like those pictures of the devil from church while we were growing up.  You see the devil on his throne of evil looking like those ugly things the big cats of Africa chase.  One night I when to sleep and woke to hear on one of the smart people TV channels that the largest migration in history is the annual movement of wildebeests.  There is no away I am stepping foot on an African safari and I am careful at Wild Adventures in Valdosta and Chehaw Park in Albany.

The hypocritical part is that I like snakes, another biblical icon of the devil.  Tom from Thomasville use to worked with me in Rep. Bishop’s office and I remember him from his time as a campus leader at Fort Valley State.  In college, we could listen to stories Tom got from old wise people all night long.  When we would ask what’s up in the Valley, Tom would say that a little boy ran on the porch to tell his grandmother that there was a snake behind the barn in the high grass.  The grandmother told the boy that there was no problem if the snake was behind the barn and the boy was there on the porch.  Grandmother said, “Don’t be concerned with the snake in the grass, you need to be worried about your own Black ___.” 

When you think about it, the boy might have been right because the snake behind the barn today could be in the house tonight.  People function under the mindset to trust and fear certain things and groups.  Candidate for Governor Eric Johnson wrote a detailed essay a few years ago about the history of the relationship between Blacks and the two major political parties.  Yes, the GOP was started to stop the expansion of slavery because slaves would do jobs without pay in new territories that new immigrants from Europe wanted to be paid to do and the Democrats (or Dixiecrats) fought for most of the last century to keep the Black restrictive laws in place.

At the end of the day, political parties change for the better, for the worst, and then back again—the same can be said about individuals, groups and races.  What’s Gnu is that our fears and concerns of the past might have been unfounded or no longer relevant (the defense mechanism of the wildebeest must be being ugly and running scared in large groups.)  I should leave this along before I write that the same can be said about the extreme elements of both ends of the political range.

But, when you thing about it the Gnu GOP just wants survival in the jungle just like the cool snakes on the Democrat Team.  I hope President Obama’s African and American DNA helps him sort out what’s what.

History of GOP according to State Sen. Eric Johnson http://www.pickensgop.org/gagop_history.html

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Michael Steele and Red Dogs

Posted in African Americans, Georgia, politics, Republican, tagged , , on May 19, 2009| 5 Comments »

While speaking at the Georgia GOP State Convention recently, RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s statements included:  

The chairman said he had inherited leadership of a party that was “stuck in a 1980s philosophy, using a 1990s strategy to win campaigns.”

The Republican demand for orthodoxy and purity, Steele said, risks making the party irrelevant to “the changing heartbeat of this nation.”

“We can no longer be afraid that to open up, to invite someone in, diminishes us. I don’t know how that works,” Steele said. “If you are true to your convictions, to your core, why are you so afraid to share that?” 

Before he when to Savannah, Steele should have swung by southwest Georgia so we could sit on the porch, sip some sweet tea, eat a few locally produced Nether’s Pork Skins (made by a guy from my church) and I could have hooked a brother up with what’s what. 

I would have explained to Steele that the South dominates his party now and those southerners are accustom to have things their way most of the time.  If we are talking about 10 political points, they want their ranks in line on 9 points and the missing point can’t be the pro-life issue.  The faith aspect makes abortion non-negotiable. 

The GOP doesn’t need to let anyone “in;” that is not necessary.  Steele needs to help them understand that elections are won with coalitions i.e. Reagan Democrats.  Those coalitions are built on situations and circumstances of mutual benefit. 

The GOP took power in Washington in the 90s because large numbers of faith-oriented, patriotic heartland Americans (Rs and Ds) supported them on faith issues, strong defense and what seemed like their commitment to fiscal restraint.  The Democrats seem sincerely committed to addressing the kitchen table issues that current families are handling—Rs and Ds.   

I would have told brother Steele that he could win some contested races in the congress next year if the grassroots of his party understood that sometimes non-Republicans support GOP candidates who are experts or advocates for the major issue in those voters’ lives.  It is that simple.

For example, Georgia farmers agree with most of the Georgia congressional delegation on agriculture issues and USDA programs.  In southwest Georgia, Republican farmers reluctantly vote for Rep. Sanford Bishop while southeast Georgia Democrat farmers support Republican Jack Kingston.  It is all about the wallet in Georgia on agriculture, military bases, veterans, and transportation spending.

While the Democrats welcome “outside” support, Georgia GOPers are don’t understand that outsiders are there for different yet important reasons.  Could the allied forces have won World War II without Stalin and the Russians? 

I would have told Steele that my friends and I were cheering for him when he ran for the Senate in Maryland and that he will always have a home in the community if his party decides he should be elsewhere.  That’s how we roll.  Finally, I would have said that like private schools and churches, some of the grassroots people in his party join with the understand that most of the people there were….well, you know.  Hey, is that the reason I when to a Black college?  That Kumbaya Obama stuff is a sweet concept but in the meantime, you get in where you fit in down here and some of his party members join….you know..and they know too.

If moderate and centrist Democrats can coexist in a big party with the San Fran crew, then Steele’s party can do likewise or send the centrists right over.  We can call them the Red Dogs.

“Red Rover, Red Rover, send Condi, Colin and Maine’s senators over.”

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Georgia Republican Convention in Savannah

Posted in African Americans, Conservative, Convention, Georgia, politics, Republican on May 15, 2009| 10 Comments »

Thunderstorms are immiment, but I’m still headed to the beautiful city of Savannah for the Georgia Republican Convention.                                  

I’ve got my mini digital tape recorder, my note pad and plenty of business cards in an effort to meet and greet each of the Gubernatorial candidates, the Honorable J.C. Watts, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele, and Herman Cain. I’m expecting to hear and see a different tone that exudes diversity and open mindedness with an emphasis on re-energizing their core values. Let’s see what happens. Stay tuned for further updates throughout the weekend.

If you’re my Facebook friend, you can get the information much quicker.

Oh, and I intend to count the number of ‘people of color’ in attendance.

Peace.

Helen

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