The Broken GOP System and Breaking the Minority Barrier

 

Kuuleme T. Stephens

Today I will be writing from the heart! I won’t provide any links, map, or diagrams. This is just strictly my own personal views.

I have tried to figure out how we have lost focus as Conservatives of this Nation. Where are we going wrong????  What is it that the Democrats are doing that we are not???? Why people are attracted the Democrat Party even though deep down they are Conservative minded??? It can’t be just the “Entitlement Mentality”…… Many other people come to me asking these questions as well.

About 2 weeks ago I decided to go into the “bottom level” of Politics and voluntarily signed up to be a Precinct Committeeman of my Local GOP Legislative District. I was in absolute shock at what I found.  There is so much in-fighting going on, people deciding who moves up and who doesn’t, and no one following any rules or Bylaws. People are railroading other people out simply because they don’t agree on Social Issues, meetings that come to violence at times because of differences. People (Libertarians, Liberty Minded, or just people the “Old Guard Republicans” disagree with), being told that they need to go back to their splinter parties or the Democrat Party. There were even smear campaigns against each other when it came to their own election process.

When I went there I went in ready to work, but you can’t work in a system that is failing and expect to get anywhere, especially where the people do not want to work together towards one common goal. I feel as if I stay with my local LD, it would be like banging my head up against a brick wall. In fact, the meetings I attended and the various GOP and LD Pages on Facebook gave me a whole new perspective and it was very disturbing. I cannot honestly tell anyone much less minorities that the GOP is the place for them.

It is sad to say, but after how things went and are going, I can’t honestly say one positive thing about the GOP; and that’s a first for me. Many folks don’t know, but I am a political radio guest speaker on radio stations all across our Country. I have been on CBS Radio with Dan Rhea on Nightside and Grassroots Radio out of Colorado to name a few. I have been putting off going on air since my local LD meeting. I’m also a political writer and even have a book out. My stuff has been featured on Red White and Blue news, Herman Cain PAC, enidnews.com, rightlinksblogs.com, amplify.com, The Conservative Praetorian, the Rowdy Republican, and many other places. I have been a political advisor to many people as well. I have always been one to say that the Republican Party is not as bad as people think it is. That is accepting of everyone no matter your age, sex, or color….That it is Conservatives Core Values, Morals, and Ideology that matters… But now….. I’m not so sure about that…… I have even put off writing on The Last Civil Right up until now, because I really don’t have anything positive to say about the GOP right now.

As in most Black families I was “born into” the Democrat Party. By the time I could carry things, I was helping out in various functions (They recruit very young in the Democrat Party), as I got older the responsibilities grew greater as most of my family are heavily involved in the Democrat Party. I have been to numerous meeting, events, and even Conventions of the Democrat Party growing up. It was only until I got out on my own, joined the Navy, and experienced the world for myself, did I choose to switch parties.

When I first switched parties I switched to being a Republican. I attended a few of their functions but eventually stopped because I felt extremely unwelcome. The few events that I did attend, no one talked to me, they all looked at me like “what is she doing here”, and I would sit by myself in the back. If anyone did talk to me it was because I initiated the conversation. They would be very quick in replying to me then they would walk off very rapidly like there was a fire in the room or like I had some kind of contagious disease to get back to their cliques.

I then went on to switch my party affiliation to being an Independent just so I could have my Conservative views, yet remain apart from the people who didn’t seem like they wanted me to be a part of them. Imagine how hard that is, to not be accepted in your own community because of your Conservative views, and then be felt left out by the people whose views you do for the most part agree with. I was an Independent up until I switched my affiliation in order to become a Committeeman.

I had chosen to remain an Independent up until I chose to become a Committeeman, because I do not like the dirtiness of politics on either side of the fence, but I thought I may be able to help in fixing this broken GOP system and breaking the minority barrier. To me, things should be straight forward. Either you are a Conservative or you are a Liberal. Not to what degree you are of either. It should not matter whose friends with whom, who you think is a Libertarian or not Republican enough, or what age or sex you are. The only things that should matter as a whole are Limited Government, Moral Fabric of the Nation, Fiscal Responsibility, Personal Responsibility, Rules of Law, National and State Sovereignty, and getting good Candidates in office. Everything else like Social Issues is secondary and should be handled as such.

When you lose focus on the bigger picture, you allow room for failure of the system, like the mess the GOP is in now. When you are in an organization as big as this, NO ONE is going to agree on everything all of the time. They must learn to come together under a Big Umbrella and strive for the same BASIC thing if you are to begin to defeat the Democrat Party!!! Roberts Rules and Bylaws are a way of keeping this organization together as ONE because no one agrees with each other on every topic all of the time! They MUST be followed in order to maintain a healthy organization that is as big as this. I had one lady tell me she has NEVER read the Bylaws or Roberts Rules of Order, and she’s a long time Committeeman.

Minorities already feel like they don’t belong in the GOP and being a minority person, I can understand why……. That is why I chose to remain an Independent for so long. Minority Conservatives are already cast out of their own Communities and from the looks of things as they are now; the GOP is not equipped or ready for them either. The way I get treated at most GOP functions, most minority people would have already run. That is why you have separate party groups like Hispanic Republicans and Black Republicans. They don’t feel a part of the regular GOP, yet they consider themselves Republican because of their Conservative views and ideology. I however am more head strong and don’t get my feelings hurt as easily as most.

Do you know no one walked up and talked to me when I first went into my Local GOP meeting? It was only until I initiated conversation did people say something. Eventually some of the LD Leadership introduced me to a few people and they just looked at me in disdain and were very snotty and arrogant. I went to my local LD meeting with another Committeeman; she introduced me to a few people before we made it inside, but once inside it was a whole new ball game when it came to the people.

I know many Committeemen in other States as well. In fact one of our Co-Authors of the Last Civil Right is out of Illinois. She is a Republican and is Eric Holder’s cousin, so you can imagine the flack she takes! She is a Committeeman and see’s the same things I have, as have many other Minority people throughout the GOP……. So this is not just a small problem for the GOP, it is a big one! It pretty much leaves us Minority Conservatives displaced and disenfranchised…. We are cast out by our own communities for being Conservatives and yet minorities are still not fully accepted within the GOP……..

I myself am thinking I may switch back to being an Independent and better to serve elsewhere where the people actually get along, focus on the bigger picture, and want to work….. I’m beginning to think that working with my local LD is not my places for helping with change. It looks as if it may be too far gone and no one knows what they are doing. My local LD, other LD’s in AZ, and the GOP LD’s across the Nation; are not a good face to bring anyone into in its current condition.

I guess what people in the GOP are failing to understand is, the bottom of the rung is most people’s entry way into Politics (be it the Republican side or the Democrat side) and if it is corrupt, non-accepting, and chaotic; people will run for the hills! I do not think I can bring people (much less minorities) into an organization that eats their own. In fact, they are giving the Democrats the ammunition to call us minority Conservatives “Tokens” (and other foul names) to the GOP, making it a harder road for those who are already Conservative; and pushing away any who even think about coming out as a Conservative.

Early on I had been told I need to watch what I say and watch the people I associate with by various groups within the group in my local LD. I was told by several other PC’s that their paperwork was “lost” by the “powers that be” simply because they didn’t like them for one reason or another and they had to wait and be elected as a PC just to be able to be able to work in the LD. I had already heard through the grapevine that my paperwork as a PC was going to be stalled or “lost” this time around, because some of the people on the Executive Committee don’t like me already. Wow, that didn’t take long! I heard this news from people within my local LD and some that aren’t even in my LD. Amazing how news travels…..

Things like that are appalling. I guess they are not as open to having Minority Members or new Conservative Members for that matter in the GOP as they say they are, after all, they’re already trying to railroad their own out. They really should be more up front when they have people signing up to be a PC. Maybe put it on the PC informational flyers that in order to be a PC you have to think and be a certain way, and give a detailed listing of how you are supposed to look, be, and think to be a part of “their” GOP. The “powers that be” in my local LD and others in the GOP LD’s are going to have to understand at some point that, people come to the GOP voluntarily. They can also leave voluntarily too. If they continue to do things the way they are now, there will be no one left…….

So as to what I think is the GOP’s major problem is…..

The Democrats are more focused and accepting than the GOP is over-all. Being “born” Democrat, I know this well. They are able to put “petty” differences aside and focus on the big picture and a common goal. They accept everyone and don’t care whether you are Black, White, Brown, Red, Blue, Green or Purple. They are all in lock-step in one common goal and that is to defeat the Republican/Conservatives at all costs. When they put forth people in their party, take notice, they pick ONE and stand behind that person in UNISON!

The GOP picks 3 or 4 and then argues as to who is a Rhino, the more Conservative or a “real” Republican. I do understand that people want to put the best candidates in place. Take Romney for instance, a lot of Conservatives did not want Romney and felt as if he was being rammed down their throats. They expressed their feelings on this all over social media outlets as well. I myself am guilty of this as I said I didn’t have Romney in mind when he was picked but I would support him as he was the GOP Nominee on my Facebook Page. Tell me how many times did you hear a Democrat say “I didn’t want Obama, he’s not Democrat enough for my tastes”??? Yes, exactly!!! Said 1 democrat, NEVER!!! Get the point yet???

The Democrats are basking in glory right now! They think it’s funny how the GOP eats its own and divides themselves. It makes their jobs a lot easier. Even at the bottom rung of the GOP you see the division between Conservatives. I just recently had a woman in my local LD tell me she didn’t like the candidate I advised during his campaign (who won in a Democrat held District by the way) because “he talks to everyone (even Democrats) so he’s leaning too far left and is not a real Republican”. How do you expect to win hearts and minds if you close yourself off to everyone in your community and only talk with people “like-minded”???? It’s no wonder the candidate who she was the campaign manager for is getting “frozen out” by the GOP at higher levels.

You cannot forget who you represent when you take office. Not only are you there to represent your Party, but you are also there to represent your community as well. Often you can change someone’s mind about the GOP and Conservatives by being open to hearing them out and talking with them. You can’t accurately judge someone or put someone down, if you don’t know where they are coming from and why they hold their views or ideology. Listening to them does not mean you are changing your morals, ideology, or political stance, but at the very least you are showing that you are personable and willing to reach across the aisle and try to work with people. A lot of people would do better for themselves to learn from that concept.

Many people don’t want to hear what I have had to say, and some may even get mad. To tell you the truth, I really don’t care if you get mad, I’m mad as hell too! This is not how the Conservative Movement should be!!! I’ve grown up in Politics and know a lot about how things are supposed to work, imagine being a fresh face to it and how one might react to the things I have described above!!! You would think I was talking about Democrats, but instead it was Conservatives!!!

The GOP has a long way to go if they want to defeat the Democrats. Until they can come together under one big banner and put their pettiness aside, they will not be an effective opponent against the Left. They will have to figure out a way to encompass all ages, Conservative ideologies, racial backgrounds, monetary backgrounds, religious backgrounds, and even sexes; if they are to be successful against the Democrat Party. It they don’t, there will be more Conservative minded 3^rd Parties popping up and it will eventually lead to the GOP’s demise.

In conclusion of my from the heart rant, I will leave you all with a quote from a song made by Depeche Mode:

   “You can’t change the world
But you can change the facts
When you change the facts
You change points of view
We change points of view
You make change a vote
And when you change a vote
You may change the world….”