OPINION:
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, like many other Republicans, would like to encourage more blacks to support Republican candidates or officeholders at all levels. Unfortunately, Mr. Paul makes the same mistake that many aspiring presidential candidates before him have made in the past, by criticizing Republicans for the almost nonexistent support from the black community. He faults the “Republican brand,” implying that the black community would be much more supportive of Republican candidates if only they would interact more with that community.
Mr. Paul’s criticism of the Republican brand may play well with the liberal media, but it is not grounded in reality. The fact of the matter is that the difference between Republicans and the black community is a philosophical one. Republicans in general are suspicious of and resist a large, big-spending, all-powerful, intrusive government. The black community, however, seems generally comfortable with an all-powerful government, since such a government likes to parade as having the black community’s best interests at heart.
Mr. Paul is free to embark on his fantasies of winning greater support from the black community for his presidential aspirations through criticism of the “Republican brand.” His time and efforts would be more productive, however, if he undertook to convince the black community that they and all Americans would benefit more from the optimism the Republican brand offers in the form of individual freedom, personal responsibility, support for strong families and the economic opportunities that would flow from smaller government rather than from a leviathan government.
DAVID MARTINEZ
Reston
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