We have talked many times previously about the naked appeals to racism that have grown in the Republican party since the election of Barack Obama. One California Republican has finally had enough.
As of late, however, when I look at myself in the mirror there is one question which perplexes me: Can I, in good conscience, remain affiliated with an organization whose message purveyors of racism and bigotry find attractive?
Generally speaking, Republicans are decent people, and naturally, many of my closest friends vote Republican. As with any large organization or group, there will always be people at the fringes who hold views that are not representative of the body.
An organization cannot control the behavior of each individual actor, but it can control its response to abhorrent conduct.
The latest incident in a string of tawdry, race-based actions was the promotion of a racist cartoon by elected Orange County Republican Party Central Committee member Marilyn Davenport. The cartoon depicted President Barack Obama and his parents as chimpanzees, while simultaneously implying that the president is not a legitimate American, but rather an African-born interloper.
While the Orange County GOP chairman and a number of other committee members were quick to condemn the image and Davenport, what’s disturbing is the incredible number of people who continue to defend Davenport’s actions as well as the cartoon itself.
The Republicans are on a path of self-destruction. They aren’t appealing to younger voters and they aren’t appealing to the growing Latino community. I think criticism of Democrats taking the votes of African-American voters for granted is right, but what alternatives are there?
In the meantime, what are African-American conservatives to do? I’m a big supporter of trying to build and influence your party in the direction it needs to go. Can the Republican party be saved now?