US Features

Black Republicans favour content of McCain's character (News Feature)

By Frank Fuhrig Sep 5, 2008, 3:48 GMT

St Paul, Minnesota - Augustus Shaw's mother marched with civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, and she doesn't understand why her son supports Republican presidential nominee John McCain over Democrat Barack Obama. But Shaw cites King's most famous oratory, the so-called 'I have a dream' speech to a massive rally in Washington, to answer why he disagrees with the overwhelming majority of African-Americans supporting Barack Obama's historic bid to become the first black president. King, a Southern preacher, described the hope for his children to someday 'live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.' 'That was Martin Luther King's dream,' Shaw said. 'I'm going to judge these presidential candidates by their characters, not the color of their skin. ... When I remind Mom of that line in his speech, she pauses.' Shaw, 35, an Arizona delegate to the Republican National Convention, is an attorney and US Navy veteran who enlisted during the 1991 Gulf War. He called Obama - who accepted the centre-left Democratic presidential nomination on August 28, the 45th anniversary of King's speech - 'very articulate, smart. He loves his country.' But McCain, a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War with 26 years in Congress 'has the best life experience to lead,' Shaw said. Brian Summers, 36, a Republican strategist and delegate from the US capital of Washington, has been a staff worker on past Republican presidential campaigns. He said he disagrees even with his wife about politics, calling himself the 'white sheep' of the family. 'I'm an African-American, Southern conservative man. I can tell you: bring it on, Democrats,' he said. 'We will meet you anywhere, Obama.' As a native of North Carolina, where his family grew tobacco, Summers recalled both 'the history of the Republican Party,' founded in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, and the Democratic legacy as the party of segregation in the South until the 1960s. He cited more recent grievances as a farming family, too. 'It was Democrats that imposed taxes, made it hard to earn a living,' Summers said. He acknowledged that Obama has made history as the first African- American major-party presidential nominee. 'Hats off,' he said. 'I applaud him for living the American dream.' But Obama 'forgot to get the rest of the lesson' about America, Summers said, that every American is an individual, rather than a member of a group in identity politics. His only regret toward Obama is that 'part of me wishes it had been the Republicans' to nominate the first African-American to a national office. Shaw, the Arizona lawyer, voiced respect for Obama and his achievements. 'Barack is a great man. He has a lot to offer this country,' Shaw said. 'I just feel he's not the best qualified candidate.' Shaw insisted that he has 'no mixed feelings' in supporting McCain. 'I'm an American,' he said, rejecting race as a political motivation. Laughing, he added: 'But Barack Obama will get 90 per cent of the African-American vote.'

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Thanks Mr.Shaw.Sep 5th, 2008 - 05:05:20

'Shaw insisted that he has 'no mixed feelings' in supporting McCain. 'I'm an American,' he said, rejecting race as a political motivation. '

Thank you Mr. Shaw. People like you are why I too am honored to be an American.

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Jesse JamesSep 6th, 2008 - 04:10:12

Proud to be an American...? Shaw forgets civil rights is only 40 something odd years removed. Shaw forgets, people died for the right to be recogonized as a person. Shaw forgets the Republicans made the war on drugs a war against Blacks while whites were raking in millions of dollar s in the ghettos. Shaw forgets the republicans who sit and sat in congress, professing their hate for Blacks...Shaw forgets the millions of Black men who sit incarcerated, targeted because of their skin. When I travel to thoer countries, I am always asked: How can you be proud to be American when the US oppresses your people so....? Shaw needs to look around him at the convention, look in the eyes of those he shakes jhands with and become a fly on the wall to hear what they really think of him and his 'KIND'....

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-Sep 6th, 2008 - 07:04:00

Jesse James, you are just nuts. The pathetic thing is you believe all that sh*t. Stop making excuses, man up and no one will ever be able to hold you back, white or black.

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DaveSep 6th, 2008 - 20:49:39

Jesse sir you need to grow up. You completely misunderstood Martin Luther King's dreams. You have altered it to fit your hatred and agenda, one Mr. King would not be pleased with. You so completely leave out the fact that it was under a Republican president that slavery ended, that a majority of those southern Democrats were the ones giving blacks all the problems they have encountered over the years, that there were more Republicans who supported the civil right act than Democrats, that the so-called Great Society was a failure and was an idea brought about by Democrats, how the Democratic party promises, promises and promises for decade after decade and they have failed you time and time again only to use blacks as an arguing point against Republicans but never offering anything of substance. Its time for you Mr. Jesse to get potty trained. Finally there are blacks all over the country who are starting to wake up to the fact that the Democrats are nothing but a bunch of socialists who will use anything or anybody to advance their socialist agenda of taking over peoples lives and frankly I am damned proud of those who have woken up. Get off the mothership is in orbit gig.

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SP4: Dear Professor JesseSep 7th, 2008 - 00:16:30

The marches are over. Most of us do not remember them, or were very young. The generations now populating America were taught tolerance.

Having said that, those living amongst the cultur-of-grievence african-americans have brand new, and valid, objections to their behavior.

If the war on drugs was a war on blacks, blacks need to get out of the drug business. One only has to visit a theatre anywhere there is a black population to make us run out and buy a plasma TV, or drive to another theatre.

We have watched the black-on-black crime stats, reminding us of the Old Richard Prior gaff ' I went to the Arizona State Penetentury and it had 80% blacks, interesting because I never saw any black people on the streets. After going there...I'm sure glad we HAVE penetenturies.!'

In a word, blacks are wasting their opportunites. If Obama represents anything it is success, even Equal Opportunity success and that is laudible. The black communities response: He doesn't act black enough.

Physician, heal thyself.

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Keke from NCSep 10th, 2008 - 16:14:37

I agree with Mr. Shaw. While, I laud Mr. Obama's success, I don't feel he is the right man to lead this country. Neither do I believe the values of his running mate strengthens his credibility. And yes, I am a registered republican.

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BLKGOPSep 14th, 2008 - 16:54:14

I agree with Mr. Summers Republicans need to stand on principal and be the party of ideas, I'm impressed to see an Afro-American Southern taking such strong conservative views that don't trash the other canidate

Let's get back to politics of ideas

BlkGOP

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