MichaelFauntroy.com

TV Interview: Michael Fauntroy on Obama Cabinet Selections

Here is a clip of an interview I did with BET Washington Bureau Chief Pamela Gentry.  Andrea Roane moderated the discussion, which aired on WUSA-TV, the CBS affiliate in Washington, D.C.

Hey Republicans, Don't Double Down

I’m not a Republican (or a conservative), so I won’t be surprised if the Grand Old Party ignores my advice.  However, a well-functioning democracy requires at least two counterbalancing political parties able to compete with each other for the hearts and minds of the masses.  Tuesday’s election results show that one party – the Republicans – may be lurching toward irrelevancy and national oblivion.  The Republicans have been brutalized in the last two national election cycles and, if the reporting on party machinations is correct, seems determined to repeat the mistakes that have led it to significant electoral defeats.  If the Republicans double down on the kinds of conservative-led simple-minded, narrow-issue, intellectual hatred that has led the party to great success during the last generation or so, then it will become a largely impotent regional party teetering on oblivion.  The party must take three steps to avoid real and sustained marginalization.

First, recapture the moderates.  For all the talk about the Democrats’ problems in the South, Republican performance in the northeastern part of the country is an embarrassment to a party that purports to be national in reach.  Chris Shays’ loss on Tuesday marks the end of an era in Republican politics.  He was the last Republican to represent a New England district.  Even when Republicans were dominating the south, there were still Democrats in the house from that region.  Add to that the beating moderates have been taking for years at the hands of conservatives, it’s no wonder many moderate voters have decided to join up with the Democrats.  Delusional pronouncements from Republican leaders notwithstanding, America is not a center-right country – to believe otherwise shows contempt for the mounting evidence to the contrary.  If the GOP doesn’t recapture moderates, then it can forget ever being competitive with the Democrats.

Second, acknowledge that the arc of ideology is bending away from conservatism.  All ideologies have their day and recent elections have shown that conservatism is approaching dusk.  It will rise again, just as liberalism is on the upswing now after years of decline.  Just not now.  The current crop of conservatives who argue that the party is losing because it is not conservative enough are in desperate need of push back from party moderates and liberals.  The conservative takeover of the party brought it great success.  That same movement has run its course and is turning off voters left and right.  An ideology based on saying “no” to helping people and “yes” to war, wasteful spending, and expanding the gap between rich and poor will continue its downward trajectory.

Third, embrace diversity.  Did you see the crowd shots during speeches at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul?  It resembled an America that no longer exists.  The Census Bureau issued a press release in the summer of 2008 that projects that by 2042, the United States will no longer be a White majority nation.  Of course, you would have never known that by watching the Republican National Convention.  African Americans, for example, comprised just 1.5 percent of the delegates to this years convention.  Relying on a graying base of a shrinking demographic to win elections is a losing proposition when the other side is collecting virtually all of the groups that are growing.  President-elect Barack Obama won 95 percent of the Black vote.  That’s not a big surprise, but a four-point increase from Vice President Al Gore’s 2000 performance.  Moreover, Obama’s larger share came from a larger pie, as total Black turnout grew all over the country.  GOP performance with Latino voters is growing worse by the day as well.  Obama won 67 percent of the largest and fastest growing minority group in the country.  That’s a 14 percent jump from 2004.  The Republican’s deport, arrest, and build a wall approach to illegal immigration has inflamed Latino voters, many of whom voted GOP on cultural issues.  If they GOP doesn’t get serious about diversity, then it will have to write off sections of the far west.  How can a party win a national election if it’s not competitive in the northeast, mid-Atlantic, or far west?

The Republicans have a bigger problem than they think.  Continuing with the same ideological leadership and ignoring the demographic reality facing the country will only make things worse.  While I do take a bit of a perverse delight in the current state of the party, I also understand that two parties competing for the center of the electorate is, ultimately, better for the country than one.  The GOP is so far out of the mainstream and riven with delusion about how they got there that a reality is necessary.  Let’s hope someone is listening.

Michael K. Fauntroy is a professor, author, and, a political commentator whose most recent television appearances include the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and the CBS Early Show.

An Open Letter to Black America

Please forgive me for hitting the “pause” button on your celebration, but a reality check may well be required in these exciting times.  The reality of politics and race are such that having a Black President will mean little if there are no changes in the material conditions of Black America.  I hate being the skunk at the party, but the reality of politics may be lost on some. Politics is about dividing government resources to competing interests. Those resources could be about who gets tax cuts and who doesn't; who goes to prison and for how long or who gets a second chance; who gets a student loan and who doesn’t.  Please remember this as you celebrate the historic and earthshaking election of Barack Obama as our president.  Politics is serious business and an election is just the start of the fight.               

Obama’s election will prove to be a grand, yet symbolic, achievement if there are no changes in public policy that has hurt Black communities around the country.  The list of issues is legion.   The tax and fiscal policies that have only expanded the gap between rich and poor, home lending policies that saddled African Americans with a disproportionately high levels of sub-prime loans which removed billions of dollars of wealth from Black households, and prison-industrial complex crime control policies that warehouse African Americans are but a few of the issues that must be addressed.  The over incarceration of Black people (and, oh by the way, Black women comprise the fastest growing segment of America’s prison population) is having a devastating impact on Black communities and all the personal responsibility talk in the world won’t fix the problem if the policies remain the same.  We must focus more attention on diversion programs and other efforts that give people real second chances.

Some will say, “he’s the president of the United States, not the president of Black people.”  I absolutely agree.  There are far more things that unite us than divide us.  We all want safe streets, fair taxes, good schools, clean air, and no war.  However, there are issues that have particular impact on various communities because of their religion, geography, or race and we shouldn’t ignore those issues because they are too complicated or will put our brother, the president, in a difficult position.  He works for us too and we owe it to ourselves and future generations to make sure that he fulfills his promise.

Rather than stick our heads in the sand and act like we are all the same, I would prefer that we acknowledge, respect, and embrace our differences.  That’s what really makes us who we are.  Let’s hope that reality, not delusion guides our public policy going forward.  Keep your eye on the ball.

Peace and Love,
Mike.

Michael K. Fauntroy is an assistant professor of public policy at George Mason University and specializes in racial politics.  He blogs at: www.MichaelFauntroy.com.

Audio Interview Clip: Michael Fauntroy Analyzes Presidential Campaign Ads for Minnesota Public Radio

I, along with Bill Adair, the Washington Bureau Chief for the St. Petersburg Times, and editor of PolitiFact, discussed presidential campaign ads and their impact on voters on the Monday, November 3 edition of "Midmorning" on Minnesota Public Radio.  Kerri Miller is the host.