Criticizing his party’s modern history of "writing off" the votes of black Americans Republican presidential hopeful Rick Perry called on the GOP to court black voters in 2016 through the party's message of economic opportunity.
In spelling out how he felt it was possible for Republicans to reclaim the support of black voters, Perry also made clear he was not going abandon the traditional GOP position on the Confederate flag (he feels it should be left up to the individual states) or the Republican Party’s strong support of voter ID laws (which President Obama and many Democrats charge is designed to keep minorities from voting).
Pointing to his own state's law of allowing multiple photo identification to vote, Perry hailed voter ID laws as "right to vote" laws “which protect that precious right of voting and make sure it’s not fraudulently used."
Of Obama, Perry said he "was proud to live in a country with an African-American president" but also said he has seen "this president divide us by race, by gender, by economic means."
The former Texas governor's luncheon speech on Friday at the National Press Club was initially billed as one in which he would lay out his economic agenda. While Perry did that, he also placed the lion’s share of his emphasis on criticizing his party for writing off the black vote and spelled out how he felt Republicans could make up for this in next year’s campaign.
The Texan recalled how, despite its history of freeing the slaves under Abraham Lincoln and crafting the 14th Amendment to provide equal protection under the law for all Americans, Republicans grew apart from black Americans in modern times. He pointed to 1964 Republican presidential nominee Barry Goldwater who voted against the Civil Rights Act because “he thought a part of it was unconstitutional.”
Other Republican candidates, Perry said, "were content to lose the black vote" because they didn’t need it.
"When we gave up trying to win the support of African Americans, we lost our moral legitimacy as the party of Lincoln, as the party of equal opportunity for all," he said.
For Republicans to 'reclaim our heritage," Perry said the party must spell out and campaign on an agenda of economic reform.
In decrying the "income inequality of everyday life," the former governor said that income is severely diminished by taxes and necessary bills such as groceries.
While insisting he was proud America elected a black president, Perry also said that Obama himself "cannot be proud that poverty increased under his watch" and that "we’re spending $450 billion a year on Medicaid with health outcomes no better than those with no health insurance at all."
Because of his own agenda of lower taxes and creating an economic climate that is friendly to business, he said, "African Americans are moving out of cities such as Detroit, Chicago, and Baltimore" and moving to cities such as Houston and Dallas.”
"I want to make life better for all people," said Perry, "even those who don’t vote Republican."
John Gizzi is chief political columnist and White House correspondent for Newsmax.
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