Bishop Harry Jackson Reflects On the National Black Republican Association (NBRA)

by Richard Ivory

Well it seems I am not alone in finding that the recent ads put out by NBRA as being counter productive. Recently on our online yahoo group a few people sounded off on this but the most intelligent response I believe came from Desmond Waters who said that "I definitely feel it's counterproductive to the black conservative message. I mean, to your average black voter, this is going to come off as ridiculous for somebody to say "they're racist against blacks" when their candidate himself is black. I mean, who's going to take that seriously? The real message that needs to be sent to undecided black voters is policy.

I'd love to see the NBRA preach more about the benefits of a limited government to the black community. Even if it comes in an older, whiter, and a less charismatic package like John McCain (who I'm proudly voting for, btw), the long-term benefits of his policy will give African-Americans huge strides in a free world; as opposed to a more controlling government policy in Barack's that recognizes blacks as victims, but will keep them victims for the rest of their lives.

From a purely strategic standpoint, their message is a fail, because it would only appeal to a percentage of blacks who are ALREADY voting Republican, but not to undecided blacks. The NBRA can represent us better than this, and have the brain power to preach an alternative message (and in my opinion, far superior message) without stooping to their level.

~ I agree 100% I would only send that with an ad where the focus of attention will be on the ad and not the message the candidate is trying to present is counterproductive. Also before running these ads you should at least ask the candidate you are claiming to be supporting to see if he or she is okay with it.If they are okay with it then by all means but possible they may seek to edit it somewhat..or they may not want it run at all.


Here is a small part of the article

Asserts Harry Jackson Jr., an evangelical conservative commentator who comments on a recent ad campaign by the National Black Republican Association: "Despite the hard work and vigilance of this group, they have recently stepped on a political land mine. Last week, the NBRA embarrassed itself by stooping to race baiting and name-calling. They launched a regional radio campaign in several major markets that played the race card in a most unusual way. The first ad used its first six words to call Democrats 'party racists.' Although I agree with their values and their history, I had to reject their methods.

As I listened to ads and viewed the video presentation that accompanied these pieces at their web site, I was filled with many questions. I wondered how this group of business-minded blacks could have slipped so far from both their roots and their typically outstanding use of facts, data, and persuasive debate. The overt use of name-calling and the racial stereotypes made me think that I was hearing the cry of a desperate organization. They seem to have bought into liberal predictions about the black vote in 2008 and beyond. The three false ideas follow along with an explanation as to why these ideas are not self-fulfilling policies. In addition, I will give the NBRA some advice about a new focus for their efforts."Mr. Jackson Jr. explores what he calls myths: "

1. The window of opportunity for Republicans to reach blacks may be closing. Most pundits noted that the 2004 election marked a watershed moment for conservatives. Record numbers of black Christians voted for George Bush in the 2004 election because of black concerns about family breakdown, abortion, and other 'moral values' issues. I maintain that the faith window is still open for blacks to unite with white, Hispanic, and Asian leaders among the conservative faith community. The valiant leaders that rallied in 2004 are ready to ride again, if they hear the right sound. Now is the time for the NBRA to lead the way in creating a new unifying dialogue with the faith community in which they can discover and promote the shared values that social conservative and biblically grounded folks share.

2. An Obama presidency may lock blacks into the Democratic Party for another 8 to 10 years.

In a static political world this statement would seem like a truism. People that think in this manner do not expect the Republican Party to support exciting, new black candidates. It will be easier than ever before for the RNC to find the next generation of black leaders it needs. Ambitious, conservatively blacks may not want to spend countless years jockeying for local positions. In liberal states like Maryland the atmosphere is just right for emerging leaders. Further, there are quite a few black conservative leaders on the political sidelines that should be taken off of the 'injured list.' This list could include men like Ken Blackwell (former Ohio Secretary of State), Michael S. Steele (former Lt. Governor of Maryland), Condoleezza Rice (current Secretary of State), Colin Powell (former Secretary of State), and J C Watts (former Congressman from Okalahoma).

In addition to these black luminaries, there are scores of black pastors in major metropolitan areas who can be mobilized to reach strategically significant areas. The Democrats have used black pastors for years in both local and national races.

3. Republican campaign dollars may shift to Hispanics who may give the party 40 - 50% of their growing vote. Wise Republican Party leaders would not view the recruiting of blacks and Hispanics as mutually exclusive. It should recruit both communities. Regardless of the growing number of Hispanic voters, there will always be communities that will have black voter majorities. In addition, Bara[c]k Obama’s campaign proves that the right black candidate can cross the color barrier and win. The NBRA needs to help train promising black candidates. This training should include fund raising, strategic assistance in campaign development, and networking/coalition building."