September 24, 2015

 

By STEVE PEOPLES 

Associated Press 

 

As his critics grew louder, Republican White House contender Ben Carson retreated slightly late Monday from his weekend charge that Muslims shouldn’t serve in the presidency.

 

In an interview with Fox News, Carson said he would be open to a moderate Muslim who denounced radical Islam as a White House candidate. But he also said he stood by his original comments, saying the country cannot elect people “whose faith might interfere with carrying out the duties of the Constitution.”

 

“If you’re a Christian and you’re running for president and you want to make this into a theocracy, I’m not going to support you,” Carson told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview to be broadcast later Monday. “I’m not going to advocate you being the president.”

 

Carson said members of the Islamic faith who are willing to accept the American way of life “will be considered infidels and heretics, but at least then I will be quite willing to support them.”

 

The intensifying political fallout is a distraction at least as the retired neurosurgeon tries to capitalize on recent momentum in the unruly GOP field. But it also highlights a sentiment among voters in both parties who agree with Carson’s reluctance to elect a Muslim to the nation’s highest office.

 

Carson’s campaign reported strong fundraising and more than 100,000 new Facebook friends in the 24 hours after he told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday: “I would not advocate that we put a Muslim in charge of this nation.”

 

His campaign manager Barry Bennett told The Associated Press on Monday: “While the left wing is huffing and puffing over it, Republican primary voters are with us at least 80-20.”

 

“People in Iowa particularly, are like, ‘Yeah! We’re not going to vote for a Muslim either,’” Bennett said. “I don’t mind the hubbub. It’s not hurting us, that’s for sure.”

 

The head of the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group called on Carson to drop out of the 2016 presidential contest during a Capitol Hill press conference on Monday, declaring him “unfit to lead because his views are in contradiction with the United States Constitution.”

 

“Not long ago, some people thought that a Catholic cannot be a president, an African-American cannot be a president,” said Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic relations. “They were wrong then, and they are wrong now.” He cited Article 6 in the Constitution, which states, “no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States.”

 

A couple of Republican candidates joined a chorus of Democrats condemning Carson’s statement.

 

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said Sunday that the comment “shows that Dr. Carson is not ready to be commander in chief.”

 

Businesswoman Carly Fiorina also denounced rival Carson’s recent comments about not wanting a Muslim elected to the White House.

 

The leading Democratic presidential candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, addressed the issue Monday on Twitter: “Can a Muslim be President of the United States of America? In a word: Yes. Now let’s move on.”

 

While the law is clear, the politics of Muslim culture in America are not. Fourteen years after Islamic extremists executed the deadliest terrorist attack in U.S. history, a suspicious stance resonates with some voters despite the fact that — as Democratic Sen. Harry Reid put it Monday — “they teach in our schools, fight in our military and serve in Congress.”

 

The U.S. Muslim population is growing, according to a May survey by the Pew Research Center, which found the group represented just under 1 percent of the U.S. population.

 

A June Gallup poll found that 54 percent of Republicans would not vote for a well-qualified Muslim nominee from their own party; 39 percent of independents and 27 percent of Democrats said the same.

 

“Carson is not going to lose any votes in a GOP primary with those comments,” said GOP strategist John Feehery. “He could probably gain a few.”

 

Indeed, conservatives have repeatedly embraced anti-Muslim sentiment in recent years.

 

Nineteen states introduced legislation in 2015 to restrict the use of foreign law in state courts, Republican-backed steps largely designed to block the influence of Shariah — the legal framework that regulates many aspects of life based on the Quran and Islamic tradition in some Muslim countries. Nine states have already implemented such laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

 

And conservatives have consistently tried to link President Barack Obama to Islam throughout his presidency, using imaginary religious ties.

 

Republican front-runner Donald Trump declined last week to correct a voter who inaccurately stated that Obama is a Muslim. For Trump, the election of a Muslim president was “something that could happen. Would I be comfortable? I don’t know if we have to address it right now.”

September 24, 2015

 

By LaTrina Antoine 

Special to the NNPA News Wire from the AFRO 

 

President Obama presented a very “pro-women” message during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation(CBCF)’s Phoenix Awards Dinner on Sept. 19. He stressed the importance of female strength, education and health, while also advocating for more positive opportunities for the youth.

 

“I’m focusing on women tonight because I want them to know how much we appreciate them, how much we admire them, how much we love them,” Obama said during the event that capped the 45th Annual Legislative Conference.

 

“Because all of us are beneficiaries of a long line of strong Black women who helped carry this country forward. Their work to expand civil rights opened the doors of opportunity, not just for African Americans but for all women, for all of us – Black and White, Latino and Asian, LGBT and straight, for our first Americans and our newest Americans. And their contributions in every field – as scientists and entrepreneurs, educators, explorers – all made us stronger.”

 

The president spoke of holding civil rights leader Amelia Boynton Robinson’s hand when they walked across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the anniversary of Bloody Sunday, the seminal march on March 7, 1965, when Alabama State troopers attacked Blacks who were protesting for their right to vote.

 

“Like every parent, I can’t help to see the world increasingly through my daughters’ eyes,” Obama said. “And on that day, when we were celebrating that incredible march in Selma, I had Ms. Amelia’s hand in one of my hands, but Michelle had Sasha’s hand, and my mother-in-law had Malia’s hand, and it was a chain across generations. … And that tells me that if we follow their example, we’re going to cross more bridges in the future. If we keep moving forward, hand in hand, God willing, my daughters’ children will be able to cross that bridge in an America that’s more free, and more just, and more prosperous than the one that we inherited.”

 

Robinson was posthumously presented one of the five Phoenix awards along with the Rev. Dr. William Barber II, who was instrumental in the release of the Wilmington Ten; Fred Gray, civil rights attorney for Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; civil right’s activist Juanita Abernathy, who helped organize and lead the historic Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama (1965-1966) and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

 

According to a press release from the CBCF, the fraternity received the award for its diligence in cementing Dr. King’s legacy with a memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

 

In addition to awarding the honorees, tributes were also given for Julian Bond and Congressman Louis Stokes. Both men died early this year, Aug. 15 and Aug. 18, respectively.

 

The honorees “remind us of the courage and sacrifices, the work that they’ve done – and not just at the national level, but in local communities all across the country,” Obama said. “We couldn’t be prouder of them. The heroes of the Civil Rights Movement whom we lost last month remind us of the work that remains to be done.”

 

Obama also reflected on the need for criminal justice reform. “There is no contradiction between us caring about our law enforcement officers and also making sure that our laws are applied fairly,” he said. “We need to make sure the laws are applied evenly. This is not a new problem. It’s just that in recent months, in recent years, suddenly folks have videos and body cameras, and social media, and so it’s opened our eyes to these incidents. … But we can’t avoid these tough conversations altogether. That’s not going to help our police officers, the vast majority who do the right thing every day, by just pretending that these things aren’t happening. That’s not going to help build trust between them and the communities in which they serve.”

 

The dinner also put a spotlight on youth development and progression, highlighting the CBCF’s internships and fellowship programs on Capitol Hill, the need for more entrepreneurship opportunities, and a greater push for the Black community to be involved in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

 

Obama said he would work with Congress and many in the CBC to try to make progress on legislation that addresses unjust sentencing laws and encourages prevention to influence youth to take different paths while also helping ex-offenders.

 

Special guests attending the dinner included presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Democratic Whip Rep. Steny Hoyer (Md.), Rev. Al Sharpton, Judge Greg Mathis and several other Congress members. Actors Larenz Tate and Nia Long emceed the event. Denise Ward, a senior at Boston University, sang the national anthem.

September 17, 2015

 

By Zenitha Prince 

Special to the NNPA from the Afro-American Newspaper 

 

 

The Republican Party undermines race among African-American voters; a new study finds, signaling a potentially hard sell for the Republican Party within this voting bloc. And it’s a problem that would likely not be solved by merely promoting Black Republican candidates for office.

 

“There are some very successful African-American Republicans, but those folks don’t attract African-American votes,” said the study’s author, David Niven, a University of Cincinnati professor of political science. “Party matters so much more than race.”

 

After the 2012 presidential elections in which Democratic incumbent President Barack Obama soundly trounced GOP contender Mitt Romney contributed by an historically large turnout among African-American voters, the GOP conducted a self-analysis and sought ways to stake a larger claim within the Black and Latino communities. Among those approaches was advancing Black candidates such as U.S. Rep. Mia Love, R-Utah.

 

Niven tested the efficacy of that approach in 28 heavily Black micro-precincts in Ohio’s Franklin County during the 2014 mid-term elections, during which two Black candidates ran for county offices: Clarence Mingo, the incumbent county auditor, and Rita McNeil Danish, who ran for an open seat on the county common pleas court.

 

The researcher mailed flyers containing a photo of the candidate and the office they sought to every household with a registered voter. But, one mailer, sent to a specific group, included the headline, “Endorsed by the Republican Party” while the other did not. A third subgroup acting as a control group received no mailer.

 

The results demonstrated that Black voters are more likely to vote for Black candidates—unless they know that those candidates are Republican, Niven concluded.

 

“Simply knowing the candidate was African-American did almost nothing for Republicans,” said Niven. “If voters knew the candidates were Republican, they finished below the top of the ticket. If voters didn’t know the candidates were Republican, they outperformed the top of the ticket.”

 

The University of Cincinnati researcher concluded that GOP outreach to minority voters are hampered by the party’s stance on issues such as immigration, civil rights and other issues important to these communities—a conclusion supported by Black leaders and political experts in previous AFRO reporting. And, too often, Niven added, Black Republicans reflect their party’s sometimes-myopic or dismissive views.

 

“The kind of African-American Republicans who have advanced to high office seem disconnected or even dismissive of African-American issues and concerns,” said Niven. “The bottom line is: For Republicans, it would help if they have some Colin Powell-style Republicans running for office and not [divisive former Ohio Secretary of State] Ken Blackwell or Mia Love.”