BarryLaverty Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Good analysis of the cynical and dishonest moves made to supposedly reach out to minority voters. (NY Times) Republicans’ Depressingly Effective Minority Outreach Strategy July 17, 2024 By Charles M. Blow Opinion Columnist, reporting from the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee The 2020 Republican National Convention featured a procession of minority speakers that was, as reported at the time, almost certainly unprecedented. The 2024 R.N.C. lineup may rival or exceed it. It would be easy to mock this week’s lineup of speakers of color as mostly performative, but you would be wrong to do so. Republicans are strategically — almost surgically — trying to carve away minority voters from Democrats. And to some degree they’re succeeding. Let’s recall how we got here: In 2013, not long after losing a second presidential election to Barack Obama, Republicans produced a 100-page report titled the “Growth and Opportunity Project,” often called the Republican autopsy. It chastised the party for “driving around in circles on an ideological cul-de-sac” and insisted that it must broaden its appeal to minority voters: “We need to campaign among Hispanic, Black, Asian and gay Americans and demonstrate we care about them, too.” Of course, in 2016, Republican voters spurned a crowded and relatively diverse Republican field in favor of Donald Trump, the man who mainstreamed birtherism and who traffics in racially and ethnically inflammatory statements — “I think Islam hates us,” “look at my African American over here” and so on. It felt like a full rejection of the autopsy. But as time went on, the party began achieving its diversity objectives while seemingly spurning them: According to an April report from the Pew Research Center, “White voters make up 79 percent of Republicans and Republican leaners. In 1996, they constituted 93 percent of the party’s voters.” Republicans — driven for much of that span by Trump and MAGA — seized upon an uncomfortable but (for them) beneficial reality: Racial and ethnic tension extends well beyond the white-nonwhite binary. They didn’t have to dial down their zero-sum take on race in America; they simply had to make more people believe that they had a stake in it. Nine years after giving the campaign announcement speech in which he infamously said, “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. … They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people,” the Trump Republican approach has gelled into a strategy with at least four pillars. Portray Immigrants as a Threat to Minorities Republicans have realized that an anti-immigrant message doesn’t just appeal to xenophobes and white nationalists. It also appeals to some people of color, including some relatively recent immigrants, who worry about what Republicans portray as the negative effect of new arrivals on their socioeconomic status. That’s why, for instance, during last month’s debate, Trump said of new immigrants, “They’re taking Black jobs, and they’re taking Hispanic jobs.” The line was roundly and appropriately mocked, but there’s no question that it landed with some voters. It’s part of a broader scaremongering effort: As Robert Bartels Jr., a New York union leader, told the convention crowd on Monday, “We have an open border inviting illegal immigrants to take our American jobs and lower our wages.” It recasts fear of immigrants as a pan-racial struggle against financial — and cultural — diminution. Wave Away American Racism In his convention speech on Monday, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina predictably repeated his frequent refrain that “America is not a racist country.” Representative John James of Michigan expanded on that theme: “Even though they endured racism, it did not define the nation they loved,” he said of his parents. “They taught me I could do anything I set my mind to.” Their dismissal of the existence and persistence of systemic racism is a means to absolve its beneficiaries of any responsibility to combat it. And though their pitch — Just like me, you too — is a craven gloss on history and present-day reality, it also appeals, almost certainly, to many white Republicans as the proper way for minorities to process racism and helps make all the overt minority outreach more palatable. Highlight Supposed Racial Conversions For Republicans, it has become standard to enlist celebrities to offer testimonials that pooh-pooh the idea that there’s any racial animus associated with Trump and his movement. In simple terms, it’s an attempt to neutralize G.O.P. negatives. At the convention on Monday, the entertainer Amber Rose, who is multiracial, said that in the past she believed “left-wing propaganda that Donald Trump was a racist,” but after doing her “research,” she “realized Donald Trump and his supporters don’t care if you are Black, white, gay or straight. It’s all love.” Her framing places the charge that Trump is a racist in the category of liberal conspiracy, a mere tactic meant to guarantee minorities’ allegiance to Democrats, evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. Make Patriarchal Appeals to Minority Men For some men of color, the perquisites of the patriarchy are a stronger draw than racial oppression is a repellent. Trump has tapped into that. He has crafted a persona that sends the message that toxic masculinity can be flaunted unapologetically and without consequence. To some, that makes him a hero — a video game version of a man. In his convention speech, North Carolina’s lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, called Trump “the Braveheart of our time.” Most minority voters reject these overtures as displays of rank cynicism, but Republican success doesn’t require a mass defection, only a gradual erosion. If Republicans can shave a few percentage points away from Democrats, it may not only mean that they’re slowly gaining ground philosophically, it may also be enough for them to win this year. Democrats have to stop laughing at this strategy and soberly combat it; if not, they may soon need an autopsy of their own. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 More propaganda from the trash MSM....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmokedOut Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Lmao. I liberal white man questioning the motives of conservative minorities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryLaverty Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 3 minutes ago, RETIREDFAN1 said: You really, really don't want Michelle Obama to get into the race, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, BarryLaverty said: You really, really don't want Michelle Obama to get into the race, right? He won't....... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeahBuddy Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 15 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: You really, really don't want Michelle Obama to get into the race, right? Please list her accomplishments in life!! I’m curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, YeahBuddy said: Please list her accomplishments in life!! I’m curious. You mean his...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBizzle Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 In true democrat fashion, they again tell everyone that black people are too stupid to understand what's going on. The black people who vote republican are dupes who were tricked by the Republican lies! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte1076 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 10 minutes ago, JBizzle said: In true democrat fashion, they again tell everyone that black people are too stupid to understand what's going on. The black people who vote republican are dupes who were tricked by the Republican lies! But we're the racists, somehow. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryLaverty Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 59 minutes ago, JBizzle said: In true democrat fashion, they again tell everyone that black people are too stupid to understand what's going on. The black people who vote republican are dupes who were tricked by the Republican lies! 48 minutes ago, Monte1076 said: But we're the racists, somehow. Yep. Somehow. It's a mystery! If the issues are looked at with even a bare modicum of understanding, it is very obvious that Black Americans have been better served by voting in line with their interests, economically and for social justice, with Democrats, for the past 50 years. Poor, poor white people ignore those FACTS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte1076 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 7 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: Yep. Somehow. It's a mystery! If the issues are looked at with even a bare modicum of understanding, it is very obvious that Black Americans have been better served by voting in line with their interests, economically and for social justice, with Democrats, for the past 50 years. Poor, poor white people ignore those FACTS. And who are you, exactly, to speak for them as a bloc and tell them what their interests are? And how is it a mystery when Republicans believe that black Americans are capable of their own successes, just like all other Americans, yet Democrats are constantly the ones saying, "you can't do it without our help"? Which of those is more racist to you? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 21 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: Yep. Somehow. It's a mystery! If the issues are looked at with even a bare modicum of understanding, it is very obvious that Black Americans have been better served by voting in line with their interests, economically and for social justice, with Democrats, for the past 50 years. Poor, poor white people ignore those FACTS. A white guy there folks...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte1076 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, RETIREDFAN1 said: A white guy there folks...... He doesn't see it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte1076 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 1 minute ago, RETIREDFAN1 said: Ever notice that the "pro choice" arguments seem to lean very heavily toward the "abort it" side? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryLaverty Posted July 18 Author Share Posted July 18 13 minutes ago, Monte1076 said: And who are you, exactly, to speak for them as a bloc and tell them what their interests are? And how is it a mystery when Republicans believe that black Americans are capable of their own successes, just like all other Americans, yet Democrats are constantly the ones saying, "you can't do it without our help"? Which of those is more racist to you? This coming from the guy who supports African American History waylayed, doesn't support any DEI programs while inequities still exists and generally gnashes his teeth over any public services being made available, which are most needed by the lowest socioeconomic groups in our country, with a far too high percentage of Black Americans needing assistance. That spin of yours is twisted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RETIREDFAN1 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 9 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: This coming from the guy who supports African American History waylayed, doesn't support any DEI programs while inequities still exists and generally gnashes his teeth over any public services being made available, which are most needed by the lowest socioeconomic groups in our country, with a far too high percentage of Black Americans needing assistance. That spin of yours is twisted. All made up Dimnut talking points........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeahBuddy Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 13 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: This coming from the guy who supports African American History waylayed, doesn't support any DEI programs while inequities still exists and generally gnashes his teeth over any public services being made available, which are most needed by the lowest socioeconomic groups in our country, with a far too high percentage of Black Americans needing assistance. That spin of yours is twisted. Your party is the reason they’re the lowest socioeconomic groups. They’ve held them down for decades. It infuriates you when you see a minority actually show they’ve figured it out. Who’s the racist actually? You are. You are the party of giving other people’s fish away. We are the party that teaches people to fish. Losing your death grip on minorities throats is making your leaders mad. The power trip is almost over. Trump wants America great for all Americans. That’s why they tried to kill him. Edited July 18 by YeahBuddy 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeahBuddy Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 (edited) 3 minutes ago, RETIREDFAN1 said: All made up Dimnut talking points........ Like I said, he’s about as deep as a skoal can. And that may be giving him too much credit. Poor fellow can’t even think for himself Edited July 18 by YeahBuddy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monte1076 Posted July 18 Share Posted July 18 13 minutes ago, BarryLaverty said: This coming from the guy who supports African American History waylayed, doesn't support any DEI programs while inequities still exists and generally gnashes his teeth over any public services being made available, which are most needed by the lowest socioeconomic groups in our country, with a far too high percentage of Black Americans needing assistance. That spin of yours is twisted. How's it twisted for me to believe that the African American community is perfectly capable of success, just like any other American? And to that end how is that racist? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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