Rise of the Black Republican

[brooklynite]

Axios

This week marks a milestone for African American Republicans in politics: Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the only Black Republican in the Senate, will formally launch his presidential campaign in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Monday.

Driving the news: Scott's historic announcement follows a resounding primary victory last Tuesday by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who is seeking to become the state's first Black governor of Kentucky.

Cameron, a protégé of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who also is backed by former President Trump, comfortably won a hotly contested GOP primary — even as he faced a barrage of attacks from his top rival.

Despite being outspent and losing out on a last-minute endorsement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Cameron won by a whopping 26-point margin. He's seeking to become the first Black governor in a state where 86% of the population is white.

[Walleye]

1. Clarence Thomas is a great example of Black people who are republican

[snowybirdie]

2. You mean all 20 of them?

Uncle Tom's all

[Demsrule86]

3. I call bullshit on this...I have heard it all over the place and it is pure nonsense.

They are and will remain the party of White Supremacy, Nazis, and the Klan...right win terrorists too. Scott has no chance...not even a small one. The Tennessee GOP made laws that allow people to refuse to marry interracial couples. The attack on Black history is ongoing. This is just the bullshit media wanting to pretend it is a horserace because it isn't. Roe and their behavior toward minorities in terms of erasing history and not allowing colleges to teach reality and their treatment of LGBTQ doom them to being the biggest losers ever!

[Mad_Machine76]

4. Yes and.......

They all promote the same standard right-wing ideology/talking points. You could literally switch them out with the latest Caucasian GOP wunderkind and nobody would really notice. However, the media and Republicans suddenly get all excited about "identity politics" when an African-American is a Republican.

[JustAnotherGen]

5. Its almost like

Axios has never heard of Keyes or Carson or the 9-9-9 guy.

[RegulatedCapitalistD]

6. I wish I could post graphics here...

I have one that shows how few AA are elected by Republicans in the House and Senate...and how many we Democrats have

As the beloved Ann Richards once said..."If you don't have a seat at the table....you are on the menu"

[Caliman73]

7. There has always been Conservatism in every racial group, including Black people.

Black Conservatives are often elevated by a media that while Conservatives claim is "liberal", will spend enormous amounts of energy trying to normalize Conservative ideas, even as they become more extreme. Black Conservative politicians are useful in advancing that "normalization". The Conservative movement can and often does, point to the ONE Black Senator or the handful of Black representatives to show how they are not racist, while enacting policies that while targeting poor people generally, hit Black people hardest because Black people are way over represented among the ranks of the poor.

Black Conservatives serve the dual role of shield and cudgel. The shield part I explained above. The cudgel part is the propensity of Black Conservatives to describe problems that affect Black people as "problems with the culture" or the individual, rather than understanding how the racial history and the institutional and systemic obstacles put into the way of Black people throughout our history, have affected the ability of Black people to achieve the success that other groups have achieved. You have examples like Bill Cosby telling Black young men to "pull your pants up" and excoriating Black teenage girls for getting pregnant. Similarly, people like Alan West and Tim Scott may discuss "racism" but mainly as having existed in the past, separate from the larger society, and then claiming it is an excuse for Black people not to get their act together.

[Lunabell]

8. Black rethuglicans can hate LGBTQIA folks as much as white ones.

Or Mexicans, Hondurans, Jews or even other black people. They aren't immune to hate and fascism.

Kanye...

I came across this article.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/22/minorities-extreme-right-wing-groups-ideology?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[maxsolomon]

9. They're not a monolith!

[forthemiddle]

10. Isn't assuming that all African Americans should be Democrats

A little racist?
I know why we think that they should love all of our platforms, but that is assuming any racial makeup is a monolith of thoughts.
I find the term “Uncle Tom” in itself racist. Why can’t we celebrate that , just like whites, blacks can have different political beliefs.
Please, feel free to criticize their Republican ideals, but when you say they shouldn’t feel that way because of the color of their skin kind of rubs me the wrong way.