A must read article about Sen. Rand Paul’s speech at Howard University, civil rights and Paul not being afraid to tackle racial issues, including the disservice of the civil rights groups to the communities they purportedly represent: “How did the party that elected the first black US Senator, the party that elected the first 20 African-American congressmen become a party that now loses 95% of the black vote?” He said after the Great Depression and Civil Rights Act, blacks wanted “economic emancipation” and began voting Democrat because Democrats promised “unlimited federal assistance”. He added: Republicans offered something that seemed less tangible-the promise of equalizing opportunity through free markets. After nearly 50 years of Democrat policies, Paul argued the evidence shows that big government is not a friend to African Americans. He pointed to persistent high unemployment among blacks, presently 13.3%, nearly twice the national average, blacks trapped in failing schools and their declining wealth.
Paul tackled some 30 minutes of tough questioning ranging from Malcolm X to the Environmental Protection Agency. When asked by a former Obama intern how he felt about voter ID laws, Paul said he didn’t think it was a burden for people to show a driver’s license to maintain the integrity of the polls, but didn’t approve of 100-page literacy tests Democrats forced blacks to take during reconstruction to suppress their vote.
Ouch. And more:
Paul asked a hushed audience:
Some other Republicans could take a lesson from Rand Paul on how to handle these issues. Some popular Republicans are petrified of talking about these issues, unless they are saying how they will capitulate on issues like Voter ID. Paul provides a different model.
More at PJ Media, including some misguided student who attended the event with a sign profoundly noting: Howard Does Not Support White Supremacy.
Who does?