Republican Party - Real Minority Inclusion or Hype?

The Republican National Convention- being held in Philadelphia, PA-got underway this week with much fanfare and ballyhoo. And if you look hard enough you will notice more than a smattering of Black and Latino Americans in the sea of White faces crowding the convention floor. What is this you say, minorities at the Republican Nation Convention? Yes minorities, both on the floor and on the podium, and of course providing the lions share of entertainment.

The Republican Party would like us to believe that the Party has been reborn; that it seeks to embrace all Americans as together we look forward to a brighter American century. And in this new spirit of openness and inclusion, minorities are being openly courted at the convention. George W. Bush' compassionate conservatism mantra has reached all corners of the Party, uniting the rank and file behind the Platform like no other time in the Party's history save its inception. In the Republican Party Platform Preamble these words were offered as proof of the parties' sincerity:

The diversity of our nation is reflected in this platform. We ask for the support and participation of all who substantially share our agenda. In one way or another, every Republican is a dissenter. At the same time, we are not morally indifferent. In this, as in many things, Lincoln is our model. He spoke words of healing and words of conviction. We do likewise, for we are bound together in a great enterprise for our children's future.

We seek to be faithful to the best traditions of our party. We are the party that ended slavery, granted homesteads, built land grant colleges, and moved control of government out of Washington, back into the hands of the people. We believe in service to the common good - and that good is not common until it is shared.

Is this for real, and can it be trusted? Is the Republican Party, the "party of Lincoln," serious about wanting sustained minority involvement, or is this just a political ploy to win the Black and Latino vote assuring George W. Bush' place in the Oval office? The Party has gone to great lengths to show America that it is the party where all can feel welcome. Several prominent Black Americans are playing key roles in the Convention, or have been invited to speak.

For instance, Okalahoma Representative J.C. Watts was named deputy permanent co-chairman of the 2000 Republican National Convention. Watts, the only Black Republican in congress is in his third term in the House of Representatives and serves as chairman of the House Republican Conference. On Monday night retired General Colin Powell the "highest ranking African-American in the Republican Party" spoke eloquently on behalf of our nations children. Powell is highly rumored to be Bush's choice for the next Secretary of State if he is elected President. It's even rumored that Powell was Bush's first choice for Vice-President but that he begged off the job.

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