Diverse GOP presidential field confounds Democrats by not talking about diversity Written by Allen West on December 29, 2014 Sunday morning I was on Fox and Friends to discuss the status of “race relations” in America. Apparently President Obama thinks it’s all hunky-dory while the rest of the country seems to disagree. What has happened in America — which cannot be debated — is that we’re being “balkanized” along every single line of separation available by progressive socialists — all for political gain. We have the war on women. Then there’s the one versus the ninety-nine percent. As Rahm Emanuel said, “never let a good crisis go to waste” — and so Ferguson, Missouri and other instances have resulted in the liberal hypocrisy of “black lives matter.” I’d like to think all lives matter. For the left, everything is viewed through the prism of identity politics, hence why I found this piece in Poltico quite interesting. Written by Katie Gleuck and Tarini Parti and entitled “Race and the race,” the point of the article is that they can’t believe such a diverse GOP slate for 2016 isn’t resoundingly talking about race — in other words, identity politics over substantive issue based discussion. They write, “Bobby Jindal is Indian-American, but you’ll never hear him describe himself that way. Marco Rubio insists he’s an “American of Hispanic descent.” And Ted Cruz “certainly” identifies as Hispanic, but he didn’t run for office as “the Hispanic guy.” These Republican lawmakers, along with African-American conservative favorite Ben Carson, look poised to make the 2016 GOP presidential field the party’s most diverse ever. They are all mulling over White House runs as the GOP continues to struggle with minority voters and as racial tensions over police conduct have captivated the nation.” “But none is planning to play up his race or ethnicity in a presidential campaign, or even to stress the potentially historic nature of his candidacy. Instead, according to interviews with donors, strategists, aides and several of the possible candidates themselves, each is more likely to hit broader themes such as the American dream and the importance of hard work, which, for Jindal, Cruz and Rubio, would include nods to their parents’ immigrant experience.” Plain as day, these writers find it hard to believe that someone wouldn’t lead with their race or ethnicity but instead address the principles of a Constitutional Republic and offer policy solutions to issues. These writers would prefer the political gimmickry of a black presidential candidate, a woman presidential candidate, or a Hispanic presidential candidate as the focus — well, it worked for Barack Obama, all to the detriment of a nation — and to an extent, the world. And now we have bumper stickers like “I’m ready for Hillary” — ready for what? Apparently these writers never took note of Dr. Martin Luther King’s words promoting the color of one’s skin over the content of their character. And I’m truly amazed that for the progressive socialist left, if you are a minority conservative not embracing identity politics or leftist positions, it’s as though you’re in denial of your ethnicity. “It’s not enough to be of Hispanic descent, you have to actually understand where someone’s coming from — be able to identify with them,” said Maria Teresa Kumar, the head of the Hispanic young voter advocacy group Voto Latino. “And all we unfortunately hear from Ted Cruz is, ‘we have to close the border,’ ‘the crime of being undocumented.’ It’s hard for Latino voters to swallow.” So in other words, Kumar means if you are of Hispanic heritage, you cannot support protecting the sovereignty of the American Republic. You must surrender the ideals of America to the collective will. And boy, don’t go and be black and not sing Yippee ki-yay with Al Sharpton and Barack Obama – well, y’all know the ensuing invectives. “Compared to Jindal, Cruz, Rubio and most others in the emerging 2016 GOP field, Carson’s chances of gaining the nomination are virtually nil. Still, if he runs, he also isn’t expected to talk about much about race, although he may emphasize his story of working his way out of poverty and into medicine, where he earned plaudits for his expertise in separating conjoined twins. Strategists close to Carson suggested that he would bring more blacks into GOP politics simply by asking for their vote. “I’m trying to think if he’s ever mentioned that he’s black,” said Vernon Robinson, campaign director for the National Draft Ben Carson for President Committee. “He doesn’t talk about race.” So what is the vital message to convey to America? Why does it have to be first and foremost “will he talk about race?” Why isn’t the conversation about — as I’ve often stated — economic growth, better opportunities, beginning with a quality education, and the promise of the American dream? The answer is simple, because for the leftist progressives, as well as their media accomplices, it has to be about that which divides us. Think about the AP story of the year, “Police killing blacks” — that is the narrative, one of divisiveness, not unity. And it’s funny, remember when some folks declared Obama as the “Great Uniter?” That was never part of the fundamental transformation of America. The article by these two writers even takes aim at the Governor of Louisiana, Bobby Jindal, describing his as “The Louisiana governor, who changed his name from Piyush to Bobby as a child and later converted to Catholicism, said in a statement to Politico that he’s “against the idea of hyphenated Americans.” I guess they wouldn’t warm to another American of Indian descent who is a female GOP Governor, Nikki Haley — and quite successful. “If Jindal decides to run, he, too, will most likely offer a pitch centered on restoring the American dream — bolstered with stories about his parents’ immigrant experience — but he won’t specifically highlight his Indian background, said Timmy Teepell, partner at OnMessage Inc. and former chief of staff to the governor. “As a son of immigrants, he never took for granted the fact that they got to live in America,” Teepell said of Jindal. “That has had a profound impact on him … He’s the first Indian-American governor in the country’s history. That’s fantastic, but that’s not why he ran for governor. He ran for governor because there weren’t enough opportunities in Louisiana for people to pursue the American dream.” I too am representative of the American dream and it was my own dad, the astute and incredible Buck West, who stated to me early on — never see or use your color as a crutch. Dad instructed me to know the standard and exceed it and gain as much education as I could in order to preclude anyone from denying me the opportunities this country affords. The message my parents instilled in me — and I can bet the parents of Senator’s Rubio and Cruz, Governor’s Jindal and Haley, and Dr. Carson did as well — was to never see yourself, as a victim but seek to be a victor! And that’s what these writers missed out on. Instead they focused on how “The Democrats have recent experience with “historic” candidacies: The 2008 Democratic primary saw both a woman, Hillary Clinton, and an African-American, Obama, win major swaths of the party vote. The Clinton-Obama dynamic generated major excitement with the base, party leaders said. “It drove great enthusiasm among folks,” said Scott Brennan, the Iowa Democratic Party chairman. “We saw diversity at our state convention like we had never seen before, particularly among the African-American community, but, in addition, certainly a lot of folks were very interested in a seeing a woman elected.” The Democrats marketed unaccomplished candidates who promoted an image but actually advanced the idea of victimization as a political means to attain and maintain power. Sure, there was a lot of enthusiasm, but I must ask, for what? As we move towards the presidential election cycle of 2016 I hope folks remember the song by The Who, “We won’t be fooled again.” America must not fall for the candidate representing a “historic” moment through identity politics. It is imperative that this Republic elects the best-qualified individual who represents the finest qualities of the American experience and not another soothsayer. The only “first” America needs is to be once again first as a global leader in every way. Tags: Ben Carson, Bobby Jindal, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz Share Tweet Share Email
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 23:40:16 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015