In some circles, Stephen A. Smith just committed a cardinal sin. He had the audacity to publicly suggested Blacks possibly vote for a Republican. (We hope you sense the sarcastic tone)Yes, we are talking about that Stephen A. Smith, the talking head on ESPN.
However, speaking at a symposium just the other day at Vanderbilt University on inequality, the TV sports personality entered the arena of politics, (I call it common sense) arguing that blind loyalty of African American voters to the Democratic Party is self-defeating.
I for one am glad that Smith said it.
Smith’s point is something many of us have articulated for years. That blind loyalty to the Democratic party or the Republican Party for that matter, can be a huge mistake. It can lead to being taken for granted.
Many African Americans will tell you they find today’s Republican Party tough to stomach, much less even support, pointing to attacks on the Voting Rights Act to begin with. Here is our debate on FiOS TV on this issue.
Perception often does became reality in politics, so the Republican Party has alot of work to do if it really does want to be that big tent its leaders have talked about, but it’s my premise that instead of blind loyalty by any group, every voter should look at the issues, and the individual candidates in that election and then make their decision, even possibly absent of party label. It should come down to who best represents your personal interests.
Smith’s suggested that, “for one election, just one, every black person in America vote Republican.”
What’s wrong with shaking things up?
Smith was so on point in my view, that If he was actually in