Why (most) African Americans are a lost cause for the GOP

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/why-most-african-americans-are-a-lost-cause-for-the-gop/2012/07/11/gJQATgaSdW_blog.html

Posted at 02:47 PM ET, 07/11/2012 TheWashingtonPost Why (most) African Americans are a lost cause for the GOP
By Jamelle Bouie

<snip>In the years since the 2008 election, many Republicans have adopted racially charged narratives on everything from the financial collapse — minorities and the Community Reinvestment Act are to blame — to a program meant to compensate African American farmers for racial discrimination (it’s actually “reparations”). What’s more, in its attacks on Obama, a large portion of the Republican base has adopted an explicitly racial frame. The attacks aren’t motivated by race — the apocalyptic tenor should be familiar to anyone who remembers Bill Clinton’s presidency — but race acts as a filter for their appearance. Birthers — including prominent members of the GOP — demand evidence of Obama’s citizenship, local Republicans depict Obama’s parents as chimpanzees, and online conservatives portray Obama as an African witch doctor.