Volume CXXXII, Number 12 January 24, 2003 f

Republicans and race: a bad reputation
JAMES BAUMBERGER
COLUMNIST

In a Martin Luther King Day address on racial equality, President Bush said that "even though progress has been made there's more to do." Since the Trent Lott catastrophe, Republicans have promised to do more to make minorities a priority in national policy. However, we have seen in recent weeks that the Bush Administration is doing little to combat racial inequality.

The Lott scandal was a giant misstep for the Republican leadership. The controversy emerged following Senator Trent Lott's comments expressing regret that segregationist candidate Senator Strom Thurmond was not elected president in 1948.

A series of increasingly remorseful apologies and an appearance on Black Entertainment Television were not enough to quell the relentless media coverage. The incident and subsequent reaction played as the top news story for two weeks. By the time Lott resigned his leadership post, the damage had already been done.

While President Bush attempted to keep his distance, his failure to call for Lott's resignation spoke for itself. He denounced Lott's remarks, yet had no public qualms about the ability of a racist to perform the duties of Republican leader in the Senate.

Only days after Lott's racist blunder, Republican Congressman Cass Ballenger told the press that he despised a certain black congresswoman so much that he had "segregationist feelings."

Ballenger and Lott, by the way, are both still in office.

Surely only a small number of elected Republicans are racist, but in order to convince the nation that their party stands for all people, the Republicans will need to adopt a no-tolerance policy when it comes to the racist views of its elected officials. Tolerance, we know, is a tacit form of acceptance.

A more conciliatory tone emerged from the Republican leadership following the Lott debacle. But after promises to pursue minority-friendly policy, recent political developments reflect a not-so-changed party.

Despite massive opposition from the black community, the newly elected Republican governor of Georgia is planning on offering a referendum to reinstate the old state flag. If the measure is passed, the new flag would be set aside in deference to the old one, which boasts a significantly larger image of the Confederate flag.

Also surprising was the President's re-nomination of conservative judge Charles Pickering to the federal bench. His previous nomination failed last year after strong opposition to his stance on civil rights. Pickering is opposed by both the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus.

Lastly, the Bush Administration signed on to a Supreme Court case that seeks to challenge the affirmative action program at the University of Michigan. Colin Powell, the highest ranking African American in the administration has publicly expressed his disagreement with the decision. Bush's decision would not be so egregious if his administration was otherwise seriously committed to providing equal opportunity for all.

Politically speaking, African-American support is not essential to a Republican's chances of reelection. After all, only 9 percent of blacks voted for Bush in the 2000 election.

More important, however, are the non-minorities who view racial issues as important. Many of these voters will not vote for a candidate if they feel he does not serve the best interests of the nation's minorities. The Republicans will risk alienating these voters if they do not hold true to their promises.

Looking to the 2004 presidential race, the Republican effort to hold on to their already small support from minorities will be tougher if Sen. Joe Lieberman wins the Democratic nomination. Currently the front runner among the large contingent of Democrats seeking the nod, Lieberman seems to have inherited the Clinton-Gore popularity among blacks. Unless the policy direction starts to change, race could be a defining issue in 2004.

Bush and his colleagues now face a test. We will find out exactly how important achieving racial equality is to the "Party of Lincoln." They will be graded on their success, or lack thereof, in the next election.

since 11/01/02 FastCounter by bCentral