Are Black Republicans Extinct? Hollywood Says No!
I have never aligned myself with any political party, because they all hold values that I agree and disagree with. I personally think it’s more important to vote your values than to vote because you give allegiance to a particular party.
Making matters worse, I was appalled as I read an article late last night where Hollywood actress, Stacey Dash (you may remember her from the teen movie Clueless), was verbally attacked and even threatned because she endorsed Mitt Romney for President. Here’s the article where she spoke of being a black republican. Her Twitter page ignited with insults, and people wrote some very trashy and rude comments toward her because of her views.
Is Stacey Dash the Only Black Republican in Hollywood?!
Absolutely not! You might be surprised to know that rappers 50 Cent and LL Cool J, comedian Sheryl Underwood and actor James Earl Jones are just some of Hollywood’s finest who have supported the Republican party. (I can’t call them black republicans technically, because I don’t know where they stand today). But Stacey is not alone.
One of the uglier comments posted on Dash’s Twitter page hinted that Dash should be doubly ashamed to consider herself a black republican because she was both “black and female”—like Stacey Dash didn’t realize that!
This is all so preposterous to me! Assuming that all blacks are democrats is a very immature way to approach politics. Lest we forget Abraham Lincoln, by which the Emancipation Proclamation was carried out, was Republican!
Where I Stand
This post would literally be hundreds of pages long if I tried to address every reason why most blacks are democrats. Again, my place is not, nor ever will never be, to tell people (black, white or purple or green) how to vote. Vote your values! I say. I just think it’s absurd to assume that there are no black republicans, or that black republicans are somehow “sellouts” or misguided. There are some incredibly smart, compassionate black republicans (Colin Powell comes to mind) that are highly esteemed among both parties alike.
I say we stop the judging. Stop the bigotry. Stop the unfounded assumptions. And people please, stop hating on others of a different political party!
As for Stacey Dash and any other “black republicans” out there, stay true to who you are and never allow other’s expectations of you to deter you from what you believe is right.
Have you heard similar stories of what happened to Stacey Dash or other black republicans? Please comment and share!
There are black Republicans everywhere! Why do some ppl think that is not the case? What the actress, Ms Dash experienced was wrong as well as unfortunate. Sadly, the way she was attack happens on both sides. I had ppl jump on my page because I’m Democrat but yet it wasn’t as “ugly” as her attack was. Americans, have the right to vote for who they want to vote for. Ppl should just respect that and move on
Agreed Margaret. I personally would never attack a person bc of who he/she votes for. Be passionate and respectful. Thanks for commenting.
Did you say 50 cent, LL Cool J…. Not those down for my hood brothers!!!! Thank you for enlightening us…. I bet there are many other “gangster rappers” that are republicans too…. But they won’t say it cuz they have an image to uphold.
I don’t know about “many” other rappers. LOL. However, I do believe there are people on both sides that are “in the closet.” People can be very nasty about their political beliefs and I can see why watching what Stacey Dash went through.
Obama 2012. If you want to be a republican than so be it. But Dana remember Colin Powell voted for Obama in 2008. I think after Obama is out of office politics will be the last conversation folks will be having. Trust me!
For the record, I didn’t say I was a Republican. 🙂
Dana, I think another question that should be asked is, “Are there any moderate black Republicans?” Not withstanding the celebrities you mentioned, the vast majority of black Republicans that I have seen, certainly on Fox, have been so extreme, almost so to prove to (white) Republicans that they are in fact Republicans. Examples such as Clarence Thomas and Herman Cain come to mind. It would be a worthwhile exercise to see how many 8-1 Supreme Court decisions there were, in which Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenter, and he was further to the right than even Justice Scalia. There have also been many 7-2 decisions with Thomas siding with Scalia. The thing that bothers me with those of that view is that there is almost a denial of their own racial identity. I have heard Colin Powell speak in person and I have long admired him and Condeleezza Rice. What I admired most about them is that when then Senator Obama was elected president, they both spoke glowingly of the historic significance of the event and what it meant to African-Americans (and the US as a nation), though Powell and Rice were both Republicans. In other words, they recognized an historic moment that transcended political party affiliation. Yet, at the same time, I saw black Republicans on Fox that were saying that the “gangster” and “hoodlum” from Chicago had cheated his way into the White House. It’s really not a complicated issue to understand the connection (or lack thereof) between the Republican Party and African-Americans. In one poll that I saw, Mitt Romney had less than 1% of African-American support. This would be the lowest percentage of any Republican running for president. What’s interesting to me is that many African-Americans, such as myself, are conservative, often even more so than the general population. African-Americans have never been afraid to openly talk about God, their faith in Jesus, their belief in traditional marriage etc. When I watch BET on Sunday afternoons, every one of the plays I see make so much mention of God. Yet, many African-Americans (the vast majority) still won’t align themselves with the Republican party because, at the core, they are distrustful as to whether the Republican Party cares about the issues that are important to them.
Wow, Desmond, your response took me back to my early college days of reading a professor’s work and being amazed. 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing. I think there are differing issues of importance to the African American community, however. I am seeing a trend with younger black voters becoming more conservative. I don’t have the stats to prove it, but in my conversations, I’m quite surprised.
Dana, I also agree with you too about younger black voters becoming more conservative. As we move further away from the civil rights era, racial issues are not as prevalent in the black community. With younger voters also concerned with economic mobility for example, those voters are looking to see which party will address their needs. My own frustration with the Republican Party is based on what I consider to be a lack of any serious effort to really attract African-American voters.
Yes, I agree that younger voters aren’t simply looking at party affiliation. They are truly listening to the message. Personally, I align myself with those who share the same values as I do and have plans in place to help the majority, to uplift the poor by teaching them how to live and not become dependent on the government.