Introducing the American Renaissance Movement Incorporated (ARMI)

Founded in 2011 by professional black men, the American Renaissance Movement Incorporated (ARMI) is an organization dedicated to the reconstitution of America’s finest economic, social and political traditions. Informal discussions among these men led to the realization that their political identities were not aligned with the aims of contemporary, secular liberal politics, but much more with that of conservatives and moderates on most issues of importance in current national politics. A close examination of the political philosophies of the two major U.S. political parties confirmed that our fundamental belief system was fiscally conservative and socially moderate.

These founders of the ARMI came from diverse geographical regions across America; however, we shared the very same love of family, God and country. They wanted for their families the very same traditional values that served them well as they matured into manhood and took their place among the strong and purposeful men and women of our great nation. As political popularity gradually supplanted rule-of-law among the nation’s highest ranking office holders, these men became increasingly concerned. They chose to break with the pop-culture, media-fed machine created by the entertainment industry which produced an illusion of national well-being within a progressive agenda.  They examined the social, economic, political and cultural conditions of America’s black enclaves and concluded that they could no longer continue to passively ignore the tragic decline of goods and services to these communities. In a relatively brief amount of time, these men realized that their value system paralleled that of a traditional conservative ideology and their political thought evolved accordingly. Once fully formulated, their political ideology favored Republican values, rather than secular liberal politics.

To all Americans of good will, but particularly those who share the fundamental values generated from the love and nurturing within a traditional family, who respect and honor America and who acknowledge the primacy of God, we extend an invitation to visit our site. On the site you will find black political history, glimpses of the long and successful struggle for emancipation waged by American blacks with the support of the 19^th century Republican Party, contemporary political opinion, entertaining political satire, suggested readings, selected current events and…all through a conservative black American point of view. Find us at www.visitarmi.org and join us today.  And always remember that …“the American people created our government…the American government did not create the people.”

Click here to join the ARMI today!

TRAILBLAZERS AT 7th & T IN WASHINGTON DC

By Purnell (ARMI)

It’s a cool, clear afternoon in Washington D.C. with just enough snow remaining along the edges of sidewalks and in tree boxes to remind pedestrians of the mini-blizzard that just blew through the city. As a colleague and I make our way from the subway station to our destination we face a chilly headwind. We have one corner to turn and we should be almost there. Heading around the corner of the last leg of our short trip, our conversation is about the “Golden Age” of the U Street corridor and all the personalities, clubs and…whoa! Didn’t expect this. There are about 30 people ahead of us and they are in line waiting to be admitted into the building we are headed for. In front of the building is a chartered bus with a sign on it indicating that the passengers are from Ohio. These political stalwarts have braved ice and snow to be here this afternoon. All of us are standing on T Street N.W. in Washington D.C. between 7th Street and Wiltberger Street N.W. This is arguably one of the most famous intersections in the history of this traditionally black area of uptown D.C. known as LeDroit Park. Above us is an elaborate neon sign announcing the location of the Howard Theater…impressive and historic.

Howard University’s Theater

Today, the junction of 7th and T Street in Washington D.C. bears little resemblance to its former self. The inexorable advance of gentrification is now evident in all directions. There was a time when this section of D.C. bustled with a vibrancy produced singularly by the black residents in this tight-knit community. This was the place where black college students from local colleges and universities, the African American social and political intelligentsia, hustlers of all types and an assortment of talented entertainers – some aspiring and others well-established – melded into a dynamic, organic community. At the vortex of all of this activity was the world renowned “Howard Theater.”

The theater, built in 1910 to provide a venue for showcasing black talent, fell into disrepair after the 1968 riots that devastated the area. Its decline was somewhat analogous to the plight of black Republicans in America’s political party system; after being marginalized, ridiculed and castigated because of their party affiliation by the mainstream media, they are resurrecting themselves almost phoenix-like after decades of popular indifference towards them. On this crisp, brisk day in the first week February 2014 a group of 300 black Republicans gathered at the classically refurbished Howard Theater to honor its distinguished leaders, past and present, for their service and dedication to the party. The venue was highly appropriate and the program, again this year, was poignant in its message while tastefully charming in its format. The Howard University Choir performed a stirring rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” That song affects me in a powerful, personal way and I am sure it made a similar impression upon most of those at the affair.  Thanks to the work of Ms. Kristal Quarker Hartsfield and others, the luncheon was a rousing success.  Honorees included former Secretary of Health and Human Services Louis Sullivan, former Assistant Secretary of Labor William Brooks and Judge Sara Harper, former U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Jurist and member of the Ohio District Court of Appeals. Each of these honorees shared the highlights of their professional accomplishments interspersed with interesting and entertaining anecdotes.

Actor and host Joseph Phillips

Howard University Choir

Chairman of the Republican National Committee, Mr. Reince Priebus, addressed the gathering and urged the continued and expanded effort to engage the black community. He announced a major investment into an initiative to attract a greater portion of the black electorate into the GOP. There is every reason to believe Mr. Priebus’ sincerity as this election is a “must win” for the Republican Party. His message went out to a receptive and optimistic audience. Spirits at the “Trailblazer Luncheon” were high, the music was delightful, and the message was clear…Republican ties to the black community MUST be firmly reestablished. With mid-term elections just 9 months away and the GOP needing 6 seats in the Senate to totally control the U.S. Congress, the opportunity to restore some measure of traditional consistency to American government is well within reach. In tight Senatorial races in November 2014, the black vote might well be the difference between GOP senatorial elective success or its failure.

It was not surprising that liberal political pundits’ reactions to the Trailblazer Luncheon were self-righteously negative. Shrill opposition from the liberal media is actually a sure sign that they are concerned about the GOP’s initiatives aimed at the shifting of black support away from the democrats and toward the GOP in significant numbers. Persistent disillusionment with the Obama administration’s policies and tactics has alienated some of the democrats’ most ardent supporters. Even members of Congress who are democrats and face mid-term elections, are quietly distancing themselves from President Obama; a political act which was unthinkable until the botched roll-out of Obamacare.  At this point, no amount of hyper-criticism of the GOP will diminish the magnitude of democratic incompetence and arrogance that characterizes the present administration’s blunders. The RNC has a golden opportunity within its reach, considering the general disaffection of most Americans with Democrats, to make significant inroads into the hearts, minds and political sentiments of black Americans who faithfully value family, God and country.

So what does it all mean? It should be obvious to even the mildly politically informed by now that the confluence of democratic miscues during an election period…favors Republicans. Smart money has to be with the GOP to dominate in the midterms with momentum for the general election coming off of those interim victories. Barring some Godforsaken GOP self-generated political implosion, right now the Republicans appear to have a “lock” on regaining the Senate in November 2014. And an increasing portion of the black community is eager to be part of the mounting groundswell to oust democrats and return the majority in both the Senate and the House to Republican control. At the luncheon RNC Chairman, Reince Priebus, announced that the GOP was allocating $10 million for the placement of urban outreach staff around the country and that 11 states are presently game-ready. Is that enough of a commitment? Not likely…it’s probably going to take 10 times that amount to make serious political entrees into the black communities of America.  Of course the money is necessary, but African Americans also want to be made to feel that they are a part of GOP renaissance that moving America back to slightly right of center. Republican strategists might want to be planning a comprehensive approach to garnering the black vote; commercials, radio/TV spots, mailings, etc with targeted messages. Some young Republicans of all races should be recruited to carry the Republican message to college campuses…and of course the whole social media stratagem has to be formalized. All of these approaches have to seemingly be utilized simultaneously for the synergy to be effective. There is much work to be done while the window of opportunity remains open. Everyone knows what’s at stake in these national next elections. It may be a defining moment in the trajectory of America’s future.

From left to right: John Kirksey, former Congressman Allen West, and Purnell Pinkney.

From left to right: John Kirksey, Raffi Williams, and Dr. David Caruth.

Unquestionably, “The Trailblazer Luncheon” was great, the speeches were highly motivating…but action is the solution to the malaise in the black community with regard to the GOP message.  And as the Democratic foray into hyper-liberalism limps to an inauspicious end, they appear to have inadvertently succeeded in providing the GOP with the perfect opportunity to shift black allegiance away from liberalism and toward conservatism … on a silver platter!  Blacks will return to the GOP in earnest when they see it winning elections again…elections in which black folks helped formulate the party platform. And in this election cycle, victory seems very much straight forward.  To win these upcoming elections, the greater Republican Party has only to take advantage of the democrats’ blundering administrative incompetence while at the same time conscientiously avoiding internecine struggles and then…game, set, and match.

About (ARMI) 

Founded in 2011 by professional black men, the American Renaissance Movement Incorporated (ARMI) is an organization dedicated to the reconstitution of America’s finest economic, social and political traditions. Informal discussions among these men led to the realization that their political identities were not aligned with the aims of contemporary, secular liberal politics, but much more with that of conservatives and moderates on most issues of importance in current national politics. A close examination of the political philosophies of the two major U.S. political parties confirmed that our fundamental belief system was fiscally conservative and socially moderate.

These founders of the ARMI came from diverse geographical regions across America; however, we shared the very same love of family, God and country. They wanted for their families the very same traditional values that served them well as they matured into manhood and took their place among the strong and purposeful men and women of our great nation. As political popularity gradually supplanted rule-of-law among the nation’s highest ranking office holders, these men became increasingly concerned. They chose to break with the pop-culture, media-fed machine created by the entertainment industry which produced an illusion of national well-being within a progressive agenda.  They examined the social, economic, political and cultural conditions of America’s black enclaves and concluded that they could no longer continue to passively ignore the tragic decline of goods and services to these communities. In a relatively brief amount of time, these men realized that their value system paralleled that of a traditional conservative ideology and their political thought evolved accordingly. Once fully formulated, their political ideology favored Republican values, rather than secular liberal politics.

To all Americans of good will, but particularly those who share the fundamental values generated from the love and nurturing within a traditional family, who respect and honor America and who acknowledge the primacy of God, we extend an invitation to visit our site. On the site you will find black political history, glimpses of the long and successful struggle for emancipation waged by American blacks with the support of the 19^th century Republican Party, contemporary political opinion, entertaining political satire, suggested readings, selected current events and…all through a conservative black American point of view. Find us at www.visitarmi.org and join us today.  And always remember that …“the American people created our government…the American government did not create the people.” You’re invited to join the ARMI today.

RNC Luncheon

By Purnell, Black Men In America.com Guest Columnist

MENDING FENCES ON THE HILL…

It opened with the “Pledge of Allegiance” followed by the singing of the “National Anthem” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing.” This was powerful patriotic material tastefully presented, well received and resulted in an electrifying effect upon the audience. There was even a sprinkling of “Amens” heard at the end of James Weldon Johnson’s famous song!

Formal luncheons are usually mundane affairs on the Capital Hill circuit, but a Commemorative Luncheon on August 26, 2013 dedicated to the 50^th anniversary of the historic March On Washington in 1963 sponsored by the RNC Chairman Reince Priebus and hosted by Kristol Quarker, the African American Liaison Chairperson…proved to be an exception. It was a delightful, cordial affair attended by an over-flow audience of local as well as national Republican personalities. Present was a representative blend of age and racial groups connected by a belief in and a dedication to, the tenets of Republican philosophy.  Some invitees were seemingly longtime local members of the party, others were well known national Republicans, while quite a few appeared to be recent political converts eager to hear the ideas of those steeped in a political philosophy they were now being invited to explore. The new folks were highly pleased by what they heard and favorably impressed by the sincerity of the speeches delivered by the honored guests. If not there to adopt a more conservative alternative political philosophy, the guests had at least expressed enough interest in the GOP for the Republican hierarchy to extend an invite. This event was special in several ways and for several reasons, but what made the affair unusually important was that a cohesive African American group was willingly and publicly edging closer toward Republicanism.

The irony in all of this is that it was white abolitionists who founded the Republican Party in 1854…to end slavery. By 1860 the first Republican President of the United States had been elected: Abraham Lincoln, “The Great Emancipator.” True to their credo, the first Republican president issued the “Emancipation Proclamation” to free all slaves on January 1, 1865. Radical Republicans of the 39^th, 40^th and 41^st U.S. Congresses finished the job of making former slaves full citizens of these United States by passing the 13^th, 14^th and 15^th Amendments between 1865 and 1870. Later in the South, following the “Compromise of 1876,” southern black men were the mainstay of the Republican Party at great personal risk. They maintained their allegiance to the GOP well into the 20^th century despite the murderous onslaught of white racist extremists in Dixie and the crippling effects of prejudice in the North. American politics is uniformly silent on this heroic legacy, to the detriment of African Americans and to the regret of White Republicans of goodwill.

Interestingly enough, in the course of the observance held at the Republican National Committee’s headquarters on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C., a common theme seemed to reoccur. This repeated message found expression in various ways coming from dissimilar speakers recounting experiences from different time periods and within the context of a variety of professional situations. The crux of the matter is the seeming inability of the GOP to attract and retain a significant number of African Americans. It seemed to defy logic that an obvious political oversight had been ignored for so long that it has become a glaring embarrassment to the GOP and regrettably generates the grounds for accusations of racism from GOP detractors. A nagging embarrassment for Republicans, the problem is continually bewildering for many black Republicans and exerts an especially inhibitory circumstance for the growing number of African Americans who are reconsidering their blind allegiance to the Democrats. The difficulty as articulated repeatedly was this: “How can the GOP gain traction in African American communities in the United States following decades of neglect and what is the most promising approach to accomplishing that task?” Each time that the concern was elaborated upon, the audience responded with generous applause followed by thoughtful silence. That pattern between the speakers and the luncheon guests…agree that there is a problem and call for a prompt, rational solution…characterized attempts to address a sensitive, seemingly incongruent truism in contemporary Republican Party affairs.

               However, it seems that the means to solve the GOP’s dilemma with regard to black voters in America is inherent in the general description of the problem itself: a dormant mutual political HISTORY of long standing. It is incumbent upon the Republicans to establish that within the shared history of blacks and “The Party of Lincoln” can be found common values, ideals and a conservative ethic. Despite all the appeals to reason and sentiment served up as rationales for reconnecting blacks with Republicans, the element of motivation is apparently lost. So how best can the African American community be convinced to re-embrace Republican political thought and initiatives? Perhaps the historical approach combined with a substantial dose of conservative philosophy would work. This idea seems to hold the most promise for a political reconciliation. But why use an historical approach?

Carved in stone above the entrance to the U.S. Archive, America’s repository for its national narrative, are the words, “What Is Past, Is Prologue,” meaning…what is past, is “first.” Not many Americans look up as they walk into the imposing entrance to this building, but the words are there. For the GOP, the words above the entrance to the Archive could be instructive. It’s a relatively simple proposition for the Republican Party…they have to tout the finest aspects of their past relationship with blacks with emphasis on areas of shared agreement and then proceed to point out areas of political and value-based commonality. Extend an invitation to blacks to join the GOP mid-term and 2016 efforts to regain the White House and the Senate. There will be vigorous opposition to that partnership by the Left and the secular liberals who dominate the media…that’s their job. Their wailing will have to simply be ignored.

Notice that as blacks became estranged from the GOP, America drifted into a wonderland existence where there is no right or wrong and where dissent is vilified. Take for instance education; it is well known that secondary and higher education has been dumbed-down to pathetic levels by the adoption of secularist’s educational philosophies. And further, how can it be that 2 or 3 dozen colleges and universities out of a total of some 4,100 in America are managing through research and development to maintain US technological superiority in the world. Even worse, among the 30 top industrialized nations in the world, the US educational attainment now ranks 25^th or lower on virtually all measures. These circumstances highlight a pathetic national reality. Ironically though, there is an opening here for the GOP.

               Republicans must respectfully elevate American political discourse with reliable, verifiable information, presented in novel ways, intended to capture the attention of African Americans long enough to loosen the grip of the other party and begin to neutralize the bandwagon-effect of using super liberal celebrities as instruments of political persuasion. A value system to live by has to be clearly articulated. A common-sense approach to the national problems of today and a move toward God, family and country needs to be formulated. An overpowering government needs restraint. Moreover, a clarification of the Republican ideology for the black community is long overdue. The list of essential actions obviously goes on, but the idea of active engagement has relative merit and the GOP must decide upon a course of action aimed at embracing its African American brethren.

               Clearly, today’s GOP is not the “Party of Lincoln” as its detractors self-righteously take every opportunity to point out. Republicans have to counter that criticism by simply establishing that the GOP is a body of guiding principles which transcend individual personalities…and that those principles have remained viable and intact. Republicans have to proudly claim and advocate for the ideals and values that carried African Americans through their epic struggle for freedom from American chattel slavery. They have to rally around their philosophical body of thought and make it clear that they are as legitimate today as they were in 1854. Surely those cherished traditional ideals deserve to be revisited by old friends seeking common grounds.

Republicans Goin’ Black

Business Exchange By William Reed

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Reince Priebus inherited a simple mission: stop inflaming racism and expand the voter base beyond White, male America. Like so many Republicans before him, Priebus repeatedly gets in his own way in his attempts to appeal to Blacks and other minority groups.

Over the months since the Democrats’ decisive electoral victories among Blacks, Hispanics and Asian Americans, officials at the RNC have talked a lot about engaging the country’s different and more diverse communities. At their Boston summer meeting session the Republicans declared that “engaging youth and building the party at the grassroots level is key” to the party’s successes toward 2016. The RNC’s latest effort to sell itself is a plan to showcase the diversity in the GOP ranks. The Rising Stars initiative highlights the next generation of Republicans: a group of activists, authors, elected officials and candidates who combat the GOP’s “old boy” image.

In its initiative, the RNC’s publicity professionals will be shining a spotlight on its younger, minority up-and-comers every three months. The first batch of Rising Stars includes T.W. Shannon, Oklahoma’s first African-American Speaker of the House and a protégé of former Rep. J.C. Watts. The RNC plans to thrust Black Republicans like Shannon into the limelight.

To grow and expand the party among Blacks, the GOP should remember that “it’s all about the economy.”  Despite woeful, to no, economic gains under Democratic political leadership, African Americans have allowed themselves, and their issues, to be dumbed down to accept mediocre governance. The last 40 years, the Black vote has gone so overwhelmingly for Democrats that the GOP has never invested much effort in trying to capture it. In what Priebus says is “an unprecedented effort”, the RNC is putting money and muscle into getting more African Americans to vote Republican. The RNC just hired 150 field staffers “to help court new voters.”

Throughout the spring and summer of 2013, Priebus and a core group of Republicans, lurched from convention-to-convention in a kind of “rock star” procession seeking “grip-and-grin” photo-ops with notable Blacks. What he needs to do now is move out of the picture, replacing himself with strategic “outreach” professionals and techniques “to effectively spread the word” specifically, among African Americans.

Some say Preibus should spend his money elsewhere and think that the Republican Party faces an impossible task adding Blacks to their ranks. With targeted efforts, the RNC can easily capture 30 percent of the Black vote by 2016. Party leaders can’t second guess themselves and they must continue to provide the resources necessary for the outreach to be successful. The Republicans have to deliver messages among African Americans that explain to them why the GOP’s world view is in their best interest.

The Republicans need to project images and an agenda that Blacks can relate to. In order to be effective, the party needs to provide the Black outreach team the budget and autonomy they to need to set up networks that allow them to consistently engage African Americans through their media, about their issues. In addition to the field representatives Priebus announced in Boston, the RNC headquarters outreach team includes Amani Council, director of the RNC’s African-American Communications, Kristal Quarker-Hartsfield, who heads up the political arm; and Raffi Williams, whose focus is the youth vote.

Priebus says the RNC expects the staffers they recently hired to live and work in minority communities and pitch Republican values. Between the headquarters’ crew and field representatives, Republicans should be putting forth issues that Blacks truly care about, and through new technology and local news outlets to “meet them [Blacks] where they are.”

Republicans can take a page from companies that target and develop the African-American consumer market. It’s time Priebus & Company allow their “Black outreach” team the full reign they need to effectively sell the Republican message, convene conferences, and be a resource on Republican ideals, and assemble and conduct political education among African Americans that touts: strong families, faith in God, personal responsibility and equal economic opportunities.

William Reed is publisher of “Who’s Who in Black Corporate America” and available for projects via the BaileyGroup.org

Fear Factor

By Raynard Jackson

I originally had no intention of commenting on the recent controversy surrounding the Republican National Committee’s (RNC) most recent foray into racial politics.  But, because of the volume of phone calls and emails asking me to give my take, I have decided to oblige my followers.

Let me state this in the strongest possible terms, the Finance Director, Rob Bickhart (a paid, fulltime staffer) and Finance Chairman, Peter Terpeluk (a non paid volunteer and former ambassador to Luxembourg under President George W. Bush) should have immediately been fired and removed from his position, respectively.  They are both dead men walking.

The bigger question that I have is, what does Bickhart’s and Terpeluk’s actions say about how they view Michael Steele, the first Black chairman in the party’s history.  What type of environment has Steele allowed to fester under his leadership, that his staff would feel comfortable making such a presentation?  This is the pressing issue I would love to have the RNC answer.

Does this mean that Bickhart or Terpeluk are racists?  I won’t attempt to judge a person’s mind or heart, but there can be no debate that their actions were stupid.  These are two very seasoned political operatives who should have known better.  This is why they both must go.

This is exhibit “A” in support of diversity.  There are no Black staffers in the finance office and probably none on the finance committee.  I would like to think if the RNC had some Blacks on staff in this area that those staffers would have objected to such a presentation while it was in the planning stages.

Many whites in the party I spoke with during this controversy attempted to explain it away by stating that the presentation had absolutely no racial connotations and that I (and other Blacks) were being overly sensitive about race.  This is a usual retort from Republicans when they have no intelligent defense for their actions.

In a moment of brutal honesty, the presentation detailed how the RNC gets small donors to give.  They are motivated by “fear, extreme negative feelings towards existing Administration, Reactionary.  Aren’t these the same emotions that were ginned up during the Kennedy/Johnson administration during the height of the Civil Rights Movement that included several assassinations (Kennedy, King, Kennedy, etc.)?

Notice that the presentation didn’t say what these small donors should be afraid of.  This is the old Nixonian principle of “plausible deniability.”  You don’t expressly state a specific action, but you use euphemisms that are vague and general in nature, but when directed towards a particular group, it carries a specific meaning.  For example, if talking to a CIA officer about wanting someone killed, you would say, “exterminate with extreme prejudice, my uncle will probably die next week, or brakes have been malfunctioning on cars lately.”  If summoned to court, the person could truthfully state they never told anyone to kill a person.  “Plausible deniability.”

So, you motivate small donors to give by fearing a Black president, though it was not stated directly.  So, when someone like me challenges the party on issues like this, they try to make me feel like I am hyper-sensitive to race because there was no overt racial verbiage.  “Plausible deniability.”  What we have here are the great grandchildren of the “Southern Strategy” coming home to roost.

This approach is totally unnecessary because Obama and the Democrats have given Republicans more than enough ammunition to mount a winning campaign strategy for the fall elections.  Republicans are in the process of talking themselves out of victory because they can’t stay away from race politics.

In the end, Republicans have nothing to fear but themselves.

Raynard Jackson is president & CEO of Raynard Jackson & Associates, LLC., a D.C.-public relations/government affairs firm.  He is also a contributing editor for ExcellStyle Magazine (www.excellstyle.com).

The Fall of Michael Steele

By Brandon Whitney

Mike Steele is in bad shape, but then so is the Republican Party. A party that has been very much unified, but that has used a short term strategy deficient in practicality but heavy in ideology, is on the ropes. Mike has gotten a Republican party that is in the same condition as the nation, battered and bruised. Both Barack and Steele are African American men who received leadership positions after their organizations have been put into precarious positions, the difference is the level of skill and competence level that the men possess.

Barack Obama is a grassroots guerrilla guy. His approach to government is asymmetrical, he thinks creatively and outside of the box. Obama is an imaginative thinker who attacks problems in new ways. Barack is revitalizing American government and Mike Steele, if his approach was similar, could do the same to the Republican Party. He won’t, or at lest hasn’t so far. Mike Steele seems unsure of himself. His attempts at being more inclusive of minorities have been clumsy at best. Mike has be inconsistent in his message, he has appeared weak an ineffectual in his leadership, both because of his apology to Limbaugh for stating his opinion, and because he has yet to hire a staff for the RNC.  He is failing and is probably going to be drummed out of leadership.

As a Democrat, I see the dissolution of the Republican Party and Michael Steele’s failure as an opportunity to push the progressive agenda. However, as an American, I find the destruction of the opposition party, or its return to extremism, to be unfortunate. It is best when the two sides of the debate are moving in a common direction even if they have different ways of getting there. The extremist Republicans vision of America is narrow and self-limiting. It is my hope that the Republican Party reemerge as a useful part of our nation’s political process. Unfortunately, at this point it seems that both Michael Steele, and his party, is sinking into a mire of self delusion and bitterness. Hopefully, the Party of Reagan will reemerge as the Party of Lincoln and political debate will replace the foul and disheartening monstrosity that we have been victim to since the 1994 revolution.

Brandon Whitney is the creator of Homelandcolors.blogspot.com a blog that focuses on issues that affect the African American community. He is also a frequent guest on News and Notes’ Blogger Roundtable. Brandon has political experience as an Outreach Director for the Democratic party and is passionate about being a positive force in his community regarding African American issues.  He is also a frequent guest on News and Notes’ Blogger Roundtable. You can read more of Brandon’s work at Homeland Colors.