Syndicated radio show host Armstrong Williams tells Newsmax TV in an exclusive interview that the Republican Party needs to offer a competitive voice to the black community.
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“We are a country of freedom and ideas and if the Republican Party is not an alternative for people in this country, then they’re robbed,” said Williams, who has organized a gathering of black conservative leaders meeting this week in Washington, D.C. “You do not want the Democratic Party to earn that vote without competition. ... Competition can only make makes us better for the sake of giving blacks and others in this country an alternative, especially the Republican Party when it comes to the minority community.”
According to Williams, blacks have a lot in common with the Republican Party on many key issues: “Most blacks will tell you when it comes to the values, whether same-sex marriage, whether it’s abortion, or even if it’s gun control, many American blacks are very conservative and support the Republican Party in their platform.”
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However, Williams argues that the stronghold the Democratic Party still has on the black community cannot be ignored as well as the prejudice the black community has against the GOP.
“The issue is, how do you get over this stereotype perpetrated by the media, and the Democratic Party does a very good job at it, that think you can only be a racist and against black people, minorities, if you’re Republican? And that’s not just for white conservatives; they would condemn people like me,” he said.
When asked how to turn the tide of the common misconceptions about the Republican party, Williams says, “We have to do a better job of outreach and demanding that our voices need to be heard. You need to send them a [press] release, you have to let them know in advance: This is what we’re doing.
“You cannot be afraid of that the fact you may get criticized, because sometimes they may begin to see your way of thinking and see that this is a legitimate voice that needs to be heard. So we can’t just sit back and demonize the media and say they don’t hear our voice. You have to do some things like what we’re doing.”
Williams has begun to take an active role in the media.
“I’m buying television stations. I’m in media and I provide for many voices — not just conservative voices but for many voices — because that voice needs to compete for other voices and let people decide what comes closest to their value system of the future they see for America.”
Williams also sees an important role that black conservatives can play in the debate about the political future of the black community.
“So the fact is, what people like Dr. [Ben] Carson and [former presidential candidate] Herman Cain and others advocate is an alternative about fair taxes, about affordable care,” he said. “You want to have different options, and just for the sake of freedom and for the sake of options. You want to make sure that if you’re going to lose the black vote, you’re going to lose the vote based on policy, not based on how someone defines you as to who you are.”
Williams is very impressed with the efforts the Republican National Committee is making in their minority outreach: “The Republican Party is making a lot of progress with the $10 million commitment that Reince Priebus just made, going to New York with Pastor A.R. Bernard, with the different things they’re doing with the hiring, starting with Raphael Williams and other things that they have in place. Obviously they should make it very difficult for Democrats to go in and swoop down and take that vote. I believe in competition and I do believe that the Republican Party has much to offer blacks in this country.”
Williams also talked to Newsmax TV about why he supports school vouchers and why charter schools need to be a viable option for parents.
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“We should have a buffet of things that they can choose from,” he said. “Obviously from the results of charter schools, children thrive there, they do very well, they get special attention, they are made to feel special, there’s less bureaucracy and the teachers are really involved in their education. And so my attitude is, if the government is spending money on these other education systems that they have set up, charter schools should be included.
“And so I’m a proponent of school vouchers, not that it’s outstanding or just significantly better because I think some charter schools do a very good job, some public schools do a very good job. ... But individuals ... need different things and I think that a charter school is just another option that should be in the equation.”
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