Black Republicans conflicted about Obama

By James Wright
Special to the NNPA from the
Afro-American Newspapers

WASHINGTON (NNPA)- With Sen. Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic Party nominee for president, some black members of the Republican Party face a dilemma: support their white candidate (Sen. John McCain RAriz.) or cross party lines and vote for the first African American with a serious chance to win the White House.

The conflict came to light recently when the National Black Republican Association (NBRA) released plans to criticize the Illinois senator for what some call his inexperience and what they perceive as his aloof attitude toward working-class people in radio ads on black stations in key battleground states. Francis Rice, president of the NBRA, said that the ads will show the American people the real Obama.

"We want to make sure that when we as Americans go to the polls on Nov. 4 that we choose the right president and not just a black president," Rice said. "[The National Journal] rated Barack Obama as the most liberal member of the Senate. The American people need to see that he is a far left-wing radical who is an arrogant, elitist millionaire."

Rice's assessment is not shared by many other black Republicans, including Johnnie Scott Rice [no relation], a longtime District Republican who has been active in city politics for decades.

"I love Barack Obama and I support him as president," said Rice, chairwoman of the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area chapter of the National Congress of Black Women. "For those of us in the civil rights community and who were active during the civil rights era, he is one of the fruits of our labor. We nurtured them and we are now seeing them blossom."

The disagreement over Obama between the Rices is a reflection of the conflict taking place within several black Republican circles. J.C. Watts, a former congressman from Oklahoma who is now a businessman and lobbyist, has not endorsed McCain and in a [U.S. News and World Report] interview declared himself a "free agent" in the presidential race.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has confirmed that he has met with Obama a few times over the past six months, advising the senator on foreign policy matters. Though he has served in the Reagan and both Bush administrations in high-level positions, he has not endorsed McCain.

"I will vote for the candidate I think can do the best job in America," Powell said, "whether that candidate is a Republican or Democrat or an independent."

Conservative commentator Armstrong Williams, a confidante of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and the late Sen. Strom Thurmond, admitted recently that he is seriously considering voting for Obama.

"I don't necessarily like his policies; I don't like much that he advocates, but for the first time in my life, history thrusts me to really seriously think about it," he told the Associated Press.

It is the sense of history and unity that is fueling black Republican support of Obama, said Dr. Michael Fauntroy, an assistant professor at the George Mason University School of Public Policy. "In regards to history, this is the first time that a black man has a realistic shot at winning the white House and as black people they do not want to miss out on that," Fauntroy said. "They understand the impact of having an African American president and what it could mean. So many, I suspect, will vote for him out of racial solidarity."

Fred Odelainde, a District Republican, said that he is proud of the campaign that Obama has waged. A self-professed Reagan Republican, Odelainde said that he has not made up his mind who he will vote for in November.

"I want to see the policy implications of both Obama and McCain and see where they stand on certain issues such as abortion and then I will make up my mind," Odelainde said. "I also want to see who their running mates will be." Some political pundits have speculated that if McCain adds an African American as his vice president, it will increase his share of the black vote to win battleground states as Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Missouri.

Names that generally come up are Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Watts, Powell and GOPAC Chairman Michael Steele. But Fauntroy said that choosing an African American running mate will not increase the black vote for McCain.

"Many people will see it as a desperation move," he said. "Blacks will link Condi Rice to George Bush and the failed policy in Iraq. A black Republican may not be what he needs in order to win."

Odelainde agrees.

"I love Dr. Rice and I think that would help, but really it is about what John McCain has to offer," he said.

Michael Steele, the chairman of GOPAC, a political action committee that funds state and local GOP candidates, said that Obama "makes a good speech but what is important is what issues are important to the country? I am proud of the success that he has had so far," said Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006, said. "However, blacks are asking the same question that others are asking, which is, 'what does it mean for me?'"

Steele is firmly in the McCain camp and thinks that blacks should vote on issues, not anything else.

Fauntroy, who is the author of a book, "Republicans and the Black Vote," said that black Republicans voting for Obama will send a message to party leaders.

"Black Republicans who vote for Obama want to let it be known that they are frustrated with the party's inability to court the black vote," he said.

As for the NBRA anti-Obama campaign, Fauntroy predicted it will have no impact.

"Ninety-five to 98 percent of black people are going to vote for Barack Obama," he said.

This is part of the July 23, 2008 online edition of Frost Illustrated.

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