Elbert Guillory on why he's a Republican

I really need to compile a roster of black conservatives. I wouldn't say this is true of the rational leftists who visit this blog and tolerate* my political posts, but there are, in the States, far too many leftists who hold the racist conviction that, if you're black, there's no way you can be on the right. For these people, if you're black, then you must reliably vote Democrat and skew liberal on most social policies (except, notably, for gay marriage, but we'll let that slide because hypocritical intersectionality). If you're black, you're not allowed to stray from the party line or to think for yourself. As blacks on the right have bitterly noted, these leftists want blacks to stay on the plantation, metaphorically speaking. Making a roster of black conservatives would be my small way of giving the lie to this racist conviction.

So let's start with Elbert Guillory, who explains why he's a Republican:


Guillory makes one very questionable claim: that Martin Luther King was a Republican. In truth, King was partial to some Republican notions, but he was never openly affiliated with the Republican party as if he were some sort of card-carrying member. See more here.

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*To tolerate does not mean to agree with. I don't crave or expect anyone's agreement, although I also don't have much patience for incessant, reflexive contrarianism. But tolerance is a virtue that I value deeply; it's what makes an adult an adult: we find ourselves, as mature people, living in disagreement with others all the time. Adults who lack the capacity to tolerate sincere dissent are no better than children, emotionally and intellectually.