Words Mean Nothing, Action is Everything

Maybe to win African-American votes the GOP should do more than just talk about the "proud history" of Lincoln freeing slaves, and actually implement legislation benefiting African-Americans. Perhaps instead of sugarcoating recent Republican transgressions (e.g. Nixon's racial polarization strategy) the GOP should fully admit to its mistakes and take steps to win the black vote.

Even the recent speech by GOP leader Ken Mehlman at the NAACP National Convention skirted around the issue with disingenuous claims and inaccurate historical summarizations. Saying:

"Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican Chairman to tell you we were wrong."

Some Republicans? How about the President of the United States?

"The history of the other party is a different one. Democrats were the party of Jim Crow and Democratic filibusters blocked progress for decades."

Mehlman fails to mention that these Democrats soon were proud members of the new Republican Party after Johnson's Civil Rights Act.

To erode some of the huge African-American support for Democrats, Republicans need to demonstrate their willingness to reach out to the African-American communities. Improving public schools and access to health care would be step in the right direction. Not only would it help the GOP expand its electoral base but also it would be better for all Americans.