Republican voters in South Carolina presidential primary are all white

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I don't know where to find that information.

I do know that black republicans are not voting in this primary. Do they not think that Romney/Gingrich/Santorum/Paul are worthy of their vote? Is this some sort of organized protest? Have they been converted over to the democratic side by four years of a black president?

You may be drooling a bit too much but I cannot prove any reason otherwise.

The numbers are too stark to not ponder what they mean.

It would appear that way on the surface but without something to compare them to it's mostly wishful thinking.

[RecycleMichael]

While I would like everybody to vote for democrats, my wishes don't matter here.

I have followed Tulsa politics for a log time and found that generally women vote for women for local offices. I am amazed at how regularly that happens. I talk politics all the time and know republican women who voted for Kathy Taylor in droves.

I don't have enough data to see if blacks only vote for blacks in Tulsa. There is almost never a race in traditional black districts where there is a black candidate running against a white candidate. Of course, there are very few black republicans in Tulsa as well.

[AquaMan]

Its a good question Mike. To hear the republicans talk in Florida they see their state as a microcosm of the rest of the country. And, like you and Conan pointe out, many people vote for their own tribe whether it be man/woman, north/south, hispanic/black/white, etc. It is human nature.

If a state with 16% black population only produces 1% turnout in a republican primary, then it means something. Either many black republicans are hesitant with this crop, they have jumped ship or they simply don't vote in primaries.

At any rate, I don't see Florida as representing anything, but Florida.

[Conan71]

It happened again.

In Florida, 16% of the voters are black. In today's presidential primary, only 1% of the GOP voters were black. Like South Carolina, Florida has a black republican congressman.

http://www.cnn.com/election/2012/primaries/epolls/fl?hpt=hp_t1

Why are black republicans not going to the polls for these candidates?

Not really a surprise when you consider that probably 95% of the black voters in Florida are Democrats.  I suspect nationwide, less than 10% of voting blacks are registered Republicans.  I know the stats are out there, I simply don't have time to look them up at the moment.  I would have loved to see Herman Cain at least make it to a few of the major primary states to see if he could have mobilized the black vote.  Personally, I suspect it still would have had a negligible effect as most blacks likely don't identify with a black corporate CEO who is active in GOP politics.  Perhaps if we did not already have either a black candidate or black sitting president that more blacks may have come out to vote for Cain, but still not sure if it would have caused them to change party affiliation in closed primary states.

I suspect that the GOP candidates have pretty well ceded the black vote to Democrats and don't make a huge effort to appeal to them.  Why spend bucket-loads of money courting a demographic which will never vote for you when it's a challenge to get people of your own party out to vote for you?

What does the modern GOP offer in terms of appeal to low income black voters?  Nothing.  Every entitlement cut ends up targeting the under classes and the Democrats do a good job of whipping up fear, suspicion, hatred of Republican candidates amongst low-income minorities.

Speaking along the lines of tribal logic, it appears that Marco Rubio may be mobilizing more Hispanics to vote Republican.  I had the primaries on last night for background noise while I was working on my house and they were interviewing the mayor of Miami who is an Hispanic conservative.  At least on the surface, it appears upwardly-mobile Hispanics are being courted by the GOP.

[AquaMan]

Why would the GOP court upwardly mobile Hispanics and not upwardly mobile Blacks?

[Conan71]

Why would the GOP court upwardly mobile Hispanics and not upwardly mobile Blacks?

Thanks for pointing that out. Actually, I had a sentence in there mentioning that the GOP does seem to appeal to some upwardly-mobile blacks and they seem to feel at home in the GOP.  I'd be curious to know how many blacks who consider themselves conservative voted for Obama in '08 and how many will vote for him again this year.

[we vs us]

Why would the GOP court upwardly mobile Hispanics and not upwardly mobile Blacks?

It's a good move.  Even if African Americans are as a group becoming more upwardly mobile and even if they're voting in increasing numbers, the GOP can cede them to the Dems with relatively small long term impact.  Heck, they've been ceded for decades already.  The Hispanic demographic is so much bigger and slated to grow so much faster in the near and medium term that abandoning them would be suicide for the GOP.  

I honestly don't see, however, how much progress the GOP can really make with Hispanics until they revamp their approach to immigration.  That's THE gateway issue to that demographic.  If the GOP can find a way to reconcile that with the nativist element in the party, then there'd be no stopping them.   But I honestly don't think that can happen until the GOP has a generational turnover.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that most of the GOP's policy problems are generational.  Sadly for the GOP, the generation that needs to turn over is just coming into seniority.  

[we vs us]

And re: upward mobility and GOPness . . . That's a recognized trend, isn't it?  The more a given group (men, women, blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, gays, Catholics, your choice) has to protect in terms of resources the more defensive of those resources they become.  And that, to me, is as good a definition of "conservative" as any. 

[Conan71]

It's a good move.  Even if African Americans are as a group becoming more upwardly mobile and even if they're voting in increasing numbers, the GOP can cede them to the Dems with relatively small long term impact.  Heck, they've been ceded for decades already.  The Hispanic demographic is so much bigger and slated to grow so much faster in the near and medium term that abandoning them would be suicide for the GOP.  

I honestly don't see, however, how much progress the GOP can really make with Hispanics until they revamp their approach to immigration.  That's THE gateway issue to that demographic.  If the GOP can find a way to reconcile that with the nativist element in the party, then there'd be no stopping them.   But I honestly don't think that can happen until the GOP has a generational turnover.  In fact, I'm pretty sure that most of the GOP's policy problems are generational.  Sadly for the GOP, the generation that needs to turn over is just coming into seniority.  

The GOP is going to have to overcome the redneck mentality that "We need to kick all those damn Heeespanics out and let them come back to the front gate one-by-one!"

There's a sensible solution for immigration and dealing with those already within our borders.  I believe we've beat the topic well into the ground on here so no need to expand greatly on it.  Any candidate who proposes anything other than some sort of logical path to citizenship which allows illegals to remain in the country until they can go through proper channels to secure a visa and eventually attain American citizenship is being disingenuous or doesn't want to take a serious and practical approach to the problem.

[AquaMan]

Don't minimize the religion factor in courting Hispanics. They are strongly Catholic. When you add their religion to their immigration concerns, Romney faces an uphill battle with them. But, I agree, the party needs them for their future success.

[RecycleMichael]

There are very conservative black voters in America. I don't disagree with the stat that 90% of black registered voters are registered as democrats, but I also know that like all demographics, voters are willing to put party consideration aside for someone they relate to.

Black voters in the south continually vote for republicans. The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas are all republicans. Each of those states registered voters at least 16% black.

But they didn't vote in the 2012 primaries. Why?

Was it because they don't relate to Mitt? Do they not like the Newt?

[we vs us]

There's a sensible solution for immigration and dealing with those already within our borders.  

Absolutely.  You're 100% correct.  But the question is how dependent the GOP is on not solving immigration in the middle -- which is where it will have to be solved. To date, IMO, the GOP tactic is to gently but firmly tell Hispanics that they should see the virtue in the GOP approach, rather than to modify the approach to fit the demographic.  This is similar to the argument that African Americans should vote Republican because Republicans are the party of personal responsibility and African Americans -- especially the poor -- should recognize that that's what they need to get ahead.  

In the end, that approach is like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.  Asking a demographic with firmly held beliefs to jettison those beliefs in order to vote for the Republican orthodoxy.  Not a particularly good way of broadening your appeal.

[Conan71]

There are very conservative black voters in America. I don't disagree with the stat that 90% of black registered voters are registered as democrats, but I also know that like all demographics, voters are willing to put party consideration aside for someone they relate to.

Black voters in the south continually vote for republicans. The governors of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas are all republicans. Each of those states registered voters at least 16% black.

But they didn't vote in the 2012 primaries. Why?

Was it because they don't relate to Mitt? Do they not like the Newt?

Unless I'm mistaken, I think these are closed primaries which would explain a lack of black voter turn-out.  If less than 5% of all registered Republicans are black, then I'd say this would be a fairly representative vote amongst the GOP.  You'd have to look at previous presidential election year primary results to see if this is a real trend on Newt or Mitt. 

Whoa, who ever guessed we'd have a presidential election between men named Barack and either Mitt or Newt?

[Conan71]

Don't minimize the religion factor in courting Hispanics. They are strongly Catholic. When you add their religion to their immigration concerns, Romney faces an uphill battle with them. But, I agree, the party needs them for their future success.

Hispanics have very traditional family values which actually seem more in line with the Christian conservatives:  anti-abortion, and they generally frown on homosexuality and gay marriage.

I'd say the immigration issue is about the only thing which makes them favor the Democrats, that's why the GOP would be wise to adopt sensible immigration policy.

[RecycleMichael]

The republican party had a reasonable immigration policy and a great spokesperson for the issue.

From Ronald Reagan's last paragraphs of his farewell speech as President...

I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.