Chicago Republicans

History has a particularly effective way of distinguishing leaders from pretenders. When we look back at African American’s long struggle for civil rights in this country, a long list emerges of black men and women that gave their lives for their people. Some of them literally died in the course of their service, such as Dr. King, while others lived out their days selflessly helping their community. We rightly honor these people because their actions backed up their rhetoric. When we examine our country’s political leaders we must also judge on actions; as the saying goes, talk is cheap.

The first American President that took a decisive stand against the evils of slavery was Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican President. Although historians still quibble over his personal beliefs, the fact is that he accomplished something no prior president had even attempted. Lincoln not only ended slavery, but also laid the groundwork for the experiment of reconstruction that briefly opened the doors of political and economic power to African Americans.

Another instance of Presidential action was Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and 1965 Voting Rights Act, despite widespread opposition among his fellow Democrats. Republican President Richard Nixon passed the 1972 Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the 1973 Comprehensive Employment and Training Act. Ronald Reagan passed the 1982 Amendment to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, which closed further voter discrimination loopholes. In 1983 Reagan created the Civil Rights Commission. In 1988 he passed the Federal Contract Compliance and Workforce Development Act that further combated discrimination in federal contracts.

Despite this list of civil rights accomplishments, which doesn’t even include the 19 civil rights laws and three Constitutional Amendments passed by Republicans after the Civil War, Democrat Bill Clinton was lauded as “The first Black President.” But what precisely did he do to earn such an honor? As we will see, the Clinton legacy on civil rights is one of rhetoric void of action.

In 1994 a group of African American and Hispanic longshore workers filed a discrimination suit against the Pacific Maritime Association. The judge who heard the case, the Honorable David Kenyon, agreed with the minority workers and ordered the Clinton administration to force the 100 member-shipping companies to develop an affirmative action plan to end the discrimination. Surely Clinton, the first black President, rose to the occasion and acted on behalf of his black constituents! Sadly, during his 6 remaining years in office Clinton never implemented the judge’s decision. However, the Clinton administration did prove itself effective in fighting “reverse discrimination.” When a group of white janitors at Illinois State believed they were suffering under an affirmative action plan, the Clinton Administration filed a reverse discrimination suit.

In 1994 one of Clinton’s black appointees, Secretary Bushnell (Deputy Secretary over African American Affairs within the State Department) warned Clinton of the impending Rwandan crisis. She urged him to intervene if the Rwandan President were to be assassinated because she feared an outbreak of violence. Clinton ignored here warnings and then, when 800,000 Rwandans were massacred in the next two months, hesitated to even describe the butchery as genocide. However, Clinton did heed the warnings about Bosnian genocide and sent United States troops to Europe to prevent bloodshed. Despite Clinton’s double standard, many African Americans continue to revere him. Why?

Clinton missed another golden opportunity to help the black community in the area of judicial inequality. At the time, the federal mandatory minimum sentence for a person convicted of possessing 5 grams of crack cocaine was 5 years. This law specifically targeted poor African Americans and was especially unjust when compared to the rules regarding cocaine in powder form. No mandatory minimums applied to the so-called “white drug.” Clinton had an opportunity to end this practice and opted not to act.

Democrat leaders can certainly talk the talk when it comes to civil rights, but time after time they fail to walk the walk. Governor Blagojevich also has left African Americans in the lurch. In 2003 the Illinois legislature formed the Freedom Trail Commission to educate schoolchildren about the Underground Railroad. 16 members were appointed after the 93rd general assembly, but the governor has failed to fund the commission, gutting it of any real significance. He did the same with the Amistad Commission, which was formed to promote awareness of slavery and the slave trade in Illinois. This commission was formed last year but once again the governor refused to fund it. It is easy to sign a bill, but money talks. It is time that blacks in Illinois hold state and national leaders accountable for what they do, not merely what they say.

The Chicago Republican Party applauds all the brave men and women throughout the years who have moved the civil rights cause forward through their actions. We urge the black community to demand more than lip service from elected officials. We believe that the Republican Party is poised to deliver the type of reforms in education, city and county hiring, city and county contracts, and health care that will help the black community achieve its dreams.