by Monty Hamilton

Created on: November 19, 2007   Last Updated: March 19, 2008

The Republicans' failure to capture the black vote in the past two presidential elections has certainly not hurt them, but without a candidate of the stature of George Bush in the running this time around, they may need to pull out all the stops to reel in black voters before all is said and done.

Who are the top 2008 Republican presidential candidates? Well, former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani probably ranks at the top of the list followed by for Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, former Tennessee senator Fred Thompson, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Arizona senator John McCain, Texas congressman Ron Paul, California congressman Duncan Hunter, and, finally, Colorado congressman Tom Tancredo.

What do the Republican presidential candidates stand for? Their choices really run the gamut, and differ quite starkly in some cases. For instance some are pro-choice while others support ending abortion all together. There is support that marriage be between a man and a woman, but that for legal and medical reasons same sex relationships get the same rights as if they were married under law. Some oppose the Iraq War and interventionist U.S. foreign policy while others are very much committed to the war on terror and the Iraq War. Flat tax, strong restrictions to keep and bear arms and harsh punishment for illegal weapons or non permitted weapons, opposition to tax increases and spending bills, and more restrictive immigration policies are all also big on the Republican agenda as a whole.

When is the best time for Republicans to begin their pursuit of the black vote? Since they don't have a time machine that we know of, now is that time. The election's in 2008, and it's 2007, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that time is running out for Republicans to reverse hundreds of years of momentum against them in the black community to their favor.

Where is the best place for Republicans to approach black voters? Traditional places such as the NAACP and black churches are all well and good, but if they really want to sway the vote of black America, Republicans have to go all out. That means going on black radio stations, into poor, middle class, and rich black communities to gather information and get the word out in a grassroots fashion, on Black Entertainment Television, and to black colleges, black businesses, and local black schools.

Why have black voters given Republicans the cold shoulder? Simple. Republicans don't care about what concerns the black community, and they don't try to learn what that is to care. Issues such as lack of health coverage for, poor education of, and rising violence in the black community are what most concern black voters, and if Republicans want their votes, then those things should be things that concern them, too.

How can Republicans capture the black vote? Again simple. Republicans must learn to care about black people, or, at least, take action as if they do, by imagining that things that black people need help with are instead things that people they care about need help with, and then taking the appropriate actions to help with those situations as best they can.

The Republicans have a long way to go in a short time if they hope to win over enough black voters to make a difference in the 2008 presidential election, but if they're really serious about doing it, I believe they could make great strides in that direction between now and then.

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