by Mel Rodriguez

Created on: November 12, 2009   Last Updated: November 14, 2009

Racism is such a strong word. To call an entire segment of the population racists is quite a stretch. To say that there are racists within the party is not out of the realm of possibilities. The same would be true of the Democratic or Libertarian Party. There are reasons that there would be allegations of racism due to the face of the Republican Party.

During the general election, the scenes from the floor of the Republican convention were very, very white, Caucasian, male and mature (old). The lack of diversity was blatant. When the cameras continually revert back to the same shot of the same African-Americans, it did not help the image of not being racists.

That might be one factor in the perception of the party but not the only one. Let's face the facts; the Republican Party supports the advancement of corporate America. The ideology of creating jobs through giving those who employ workers tax incentives looks great on paper but to the average American minority it doesn't play out as well. In the hopes that through corporate success that the ills of the society will disappear is not realistic.

We need only look at the current state of affairs to see why the party that supports big business and their need for greed may be thought of as a party that not only supports greed but racism. This is a stretch, to suggest that this is true. I present this view as an insight to what the average minority may focus on.

If the Republican party made a real effort to consider the need for social programs to assist the less fortunate and make that one of it major selling points, it could go a long way to dispelling the racist idea. The other factor that hurts the Republican Party is the ultra-right winged faction of their party.

Most Americans are centrist. Most Americans want to see basic needs and issues taken care of and not have to listen to the far right or far left. Both extremes from either party are basically fanatics, preying on the fears of the less educated and uninformed of our country.

Rational people consider rational solutions to common issues and challenges. This is the type of rhetoric that needs to be heard in order to drill down and find out what kind of real solutions can be constructed to help our country and its citizens.

Let's not get wrapped up in the "Race Card". Let's find a way to make our elected officials do their job. The job of helping this nation move forward financial, socially, afford its citizenry to be safe and to pursue life and liberty.

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