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Promoted from the diaries by streiff. Promotion does not imply endorsement.
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Anyone who’s followed my work knows that one of the things I desire to see the most is for black Americans, and other minorities embrace conservatism and reject the push for socialism. Up until this point, the conservative movement and the Republican Party has failed to make inroads with black voters. 

Prominent leaders on the  right have often explained its failure to woo black voters by peddling various narratives about the black community to excuse the GOP’s missteps in addressing black voters. You have likely heard, and perhaps subscribed to, many of these inaccurate arguments about black Americans. 

This isn’t an indictment on rank and file conservatives; I used to believe some of these myths myself. But after years of watching, reading, writing, and analyzing the relationship between the GOP and black America, I began to understand the real reasons why conservatism has failed to attract black support. I’ve seen plenty of others come around on this issue as well. From where I sit, it is the failure to create a cohesive and attractive message for blacks and other minorities that has made it nearly impossible to move the needle. 

The issue is that is that most of the arguments conservatives use to attract black voters fall flat. The reason they fall flat is because most of them are based on false stereotypes and narratives perpetuated by the media — and yes, I’m talking about left-leaning and right-leaning news outlets.

I’m going to start a series designed to give the conservative movement better arguments. We cannot continue to use the same plantation talk, slavery arguments, and false narratives about the black community. Let’s face it, we’ve been using this approach for decades and it has failed miserably. There is absolutely no chance that it will ever work. It’s time for something new. After all, we know the definition of insanity, right?

The new arguments I will give will have something for everyone. Do you love to bash the far left? Then I’m going to give you better ways to expose their malfeasance. Instead of relying on the usual “Dems did slavery and stuff,” talking points, we will point to actual wrongdoing the Demorats are doing to the black community right now, not 150 years ago. And for those who like the idea of selling conservative principles instead of just bashing the left, I’ll lay out areas of commonality that the black community has with authentic conservatism. 

As you read the series and consider the points I will make, I would encourage you to also be open to rethinking some of the points you have heard from the conservative establishment. Yes, there is some truth to some of the false narratives, but a modicum of research will reveal that they often do not tell the entire story. Just like Trump upended the right-wing establishment in Washington, the cultural right-wing establishment also needs a makeover. 

Better arguments require better understanding. Many on the right don’t understand the black community because the establishment has fed us with faulty information. This is why most of our points fall flat with black Americans. There are several myths that we must rethink. This is why I wrote an article debunking the notion that black people don’t talk about black-on-black crime. 

But there are other misconceptions that must be addressed. One of these is the notion that the majority of black children are raised by single parents. Another is the idea that black Americans only vote Democrat because they want welfare ie “free stuff.” One of the favorites is that the black community votes 90% for Democrats because we’re all mental slaves on some fictional Democratic Plantation. These are only a few, but I plan to address them all.

Let’s face it: America’s demographics are changing. black and Hispanic communities will become a larger percentage of the population. Yes, that includes black folks; abortion is certainly an issue in the black community, but it is not going to prevent our numbers from growing. The Republican Party cannot afford to only market to one group of voters; it must broaden its base if it wishes to remain relevant. When it returns to being the Party of Lincoln, the GOP will see a difference.

This requires speaking to minority voters in person, not just from the airwaves and social media. Will it be easy? Of course not. But it is necessary. Chances are you won’t agree with me 100% of the time. That’s fine, we’re conservatives, we can disagree without whining about it. But as long as we recognize that it is necessary for the conservative movement to alter its strategy, we can affect the change we wish to see. Times are changing. And now, it is time for the conservative movement to adapt, or die. 

What do you think? How can the GOP earn more black voters? Let me know in the comments below!

Follow me on Twitter @JeffOnTheRight