On Demand
Hip Hop Republicans
Monday, November 03, 2008
Shakera Jones is a contributor to HipHopRepublicans.com, a blog for young black conservatives. We talk about whether there’s a taboo among black Americans over voting Republican, especially in this election.
- About This Program »
- Staff Bios »
- Contact Us »
- Guest Hosts »
- Guest Picks »
- Latest Show »
- Tapes & Transcripts »
- Show Archive »
Features & Series
Podcast
Stay up to date.
Subscribe to the Podcast
Shop at Amazon!
Leonard Lopate Show picks
Start your Amazon shopping on WNYC.org and a portion of your total purchase goes to WNYC.
More
Comments
Refresh
Could your guest please explain what a “hip-hop” Republican is. Not having it explained, I find it pretty offensive. Especially if the implication is that black people generally want to be associated with hip-hop. (There are many that want nothing to do with the hip-hop community and all the negative baggage it carries)
Also, isn’t “hip-hop Republican” a bit of an oxymoron?
Both major parties are becoming more exclusionary. Can you be a Democrat and be against abortion, or a fiscal conservative? Can you be a Republican and be pro-choice or support say social welfare programs etc.? My major problem now with the Republican party is their use of scare tactics, it seems that we can no longer have a civil discourse also the lack of diversity is very troubling.
She seems to be speaking out against her candidates and her party supporters.
Ask her how conflicted she is.
Thanks.
Dan
This conservative is an immigrant from Belize. Often, the people who are the harshest on African Americans are black immigrants from elsewhere.
This election IS about RACE.
This is the first serious BLACK candidate.
This will be the first black president.
This woman doesn't know what she's talking about.
Can you ask this woman how she can support a political party that supports legislation that discriminates against homosexuals?
I just don't understand siding with a party that supports inequality anywhere!
Granted, there are some good ideas in BOTH parties, but republicans often come off sounding harsh when referring to the interest of African Americans--sometimes as "Anti-Black"
André
Your guest says on one hand that race shouldn't be an issue and yet she seems to be all about race?
In any case, this speaker is ridiculous. How can you have anyone on with any kind of authority who doesn't have any ideas who good alternate candidates are? Can you imagine having a democrat who isn't happy with Obama coming on and not being able to name Nader, Kucinich or some other alternate?
She wasn't even clear about what non-McCain republicanism is about. You know why? Because no one knows.
This is the Republican store :
Military Agression
Religious Hate
98% Reduction of Government (except military)
No one wants to buy this anymore and it's no coincidence that there's no one has stepped up to offer an alternative.
Earlier on the Brian Lehrer show a guest, I believe running for office, a republican, said that we need to have at least one republican in the US delegation to congress to keep a balanced view.
Why? Maybe the United State is shifting a bit more left. When the Republicans are dead, cooked and buried, we can get to some real issues and no doubt the democratic party can be split, and then maybe we'll get a choice between OK and something great, where the two main candidates are Obama and Kucinich.
If you can't get a republican NYC congressman elected, then maybe that IS the signal it's over and we don't need your counterpoint to "balance" much in the same way a balanced diet does not mean you should eat one lead paint chip along with each salad.
I don't know if McCain would have won if he had remained more principled but I am convinced that the race would have been much more competitive. The voters gave McCain a big hint, the Democrats selected a transformative candidate who spoke about there not being a blue or red America and coming together. The Republicans selected a candidate who they viewed a being a Marvrick etc. and use to be respected across parties and even by the press. But instead McCain sold out his principles as demonstrated by selecting Palin and going the Rovian route with the politics of fear and misinformation; he squandered his opportunity to be a statesman and move the nation forward and we are worst off for it. This is why he is so far behind in the polls. Perhaps any Republican would have lost this year, because most US elections turn out to be a referendum on the prior administration, but he squandered an opportunity to have an honest debate about substantive issues. It is ironic that the candidate that has the motto "Country First" cynically failed to do so and resorted to tactics first.
Please ask your guess to give the names of some famous "hip hop republicans?"
Great Show Shakera you did great!!
Mr. Lopate's question was, if I could not vote for Obama or McCain on the ticket, who else could I vote for. NOT who I would have rather seen on the republican ticket. I would have selected Ron Paul or Mitt Romney over McCain. As I said hiphoprepublican.com is a community of bloggers that speak from a conservative prospective. Eveyone does not have to agree on every issue. As someone commented, the polarization is on both side. You cannot be a pro-life democrat or a pro- choice republican without being marginalized. More civil discourse needs to take place on both sides.
The answer is : you cannot be a pro-life ANYTHING without being marginalized; much as you cannot be a pro-KKK ANYTHING without being marginalized. This is how change occurs, a wonder that this concept is lost on you, Shakera.
It's time for the pro-life people to admit, "Ok, I think abortion is wrong, but I must respect the right of other women to have the procedure". But what can you expect from people who never cared nearly as much that over a million civilians have been killed in Iraq as they do on the issue of abortion.
Also, we know what you were asked, but you still could not name any republican leaders you liked and also were quite vague on what your/hip-hop republican ideals were.
Maybe you're only a hip-hop republican because you don't like how the trashy hip-hop element is largely democratic. Maybe instead of latching on to the republican label, show a little back bone.
Hip-Hop Republican is a tautology. Hip Hop does not contradict republican. It may have at one time. It no longer does. Its like Greedy Robber Baron. Hip-hop has come to symbolize greed and selfishness. Why shouldn't the hip-hop community be receptive to republican ideals. Hiphoprepublicans.com makes total sense to me. Except for that fiscally conservative part because thats certainly not what Republicans are.
Sean Combs is a huge supporter of the RNC.
But I think we see here your main motivation :
the fear of being marginalized
Do you notice on the http://www.hiphoprepublican.blogspot.com/ website, the link for "What is a Hip Hop Republican?" goes to http://hiphoprepublican.com/2005/03/campus-diversity-fraud.html
You can't even tell on your site what the term means.
But I have a idea. Hip hop republicans are a group of people who dislike how the hip hop movement has been subverted, corrupted, whatever you want to call it, by a materialistic, sexist element. But rather than only call these out, you latch onto the flagging Republican label, hoping to squeeze a little fame out of it, after all, "hip hop republican" does make people say, "what's that?", much in the same way the name "Sponge-bob square pants" does for children.
Who is a HipHop Republican?
A. Former Lt. Governor of Maryland Michael Steele perhaps said it best when he stated: “…African Americans and other minorities no longer want a seat at the lunch counter, but to own the entire diner…” HipHop Republicans have not lost their collective identity as a result of self-hatred or economic success.
While hip hop and Republican may seem like non-sequiturs, the worldview embodied by the term suits the politics of many blacks whose identities continue to broaden and evolve in a post-civil rights Diaspora.
It may be easier, however, to explain what a HipHop Republican is not.
A HipHop Republican is not an Uncle Tom. A HipHop Republican is not a sellout. A HipHop Republican is not a race traitor, willing to sell out the best interests of the black community to feed themselves with the scraps of the proverbial political table. A HipHop Republican is neither meek nor mild, nor are they content to be trotted out by the GOP for the sake of creating a fig-leaf of racial diversity.
Modern Black Conservatism -and notably HipHop Republicanism-is an avant garde movement. It represents the cutting edge of black political diversity, and it ensures equal representation in our political reality.
Sean Combs is hugely materialistic and sexist with occasional bouts of charity the more he gets older.
anddd he is not affiliated with this group of "Bloggers", neither is hip hop for that matter from visiting their site it sounds like they chose the name b/c of the generation/era they were born. Using it to distinguish themselves from the "bayboomers" per se. Has NOTHING to do with HIP HOP MUSIC!!
What is a HipHop Republican?
Perhaps the link on their website says it best, it leads to this page :
http://hiphoprepublican.com/2005/03/campus-diversity-fraud.html
Campus-Diversity-Fraud. Error 404 - Not Found. Good one.
As far as I can tell it's a bunch of hip hop fans and performers who are understandably upset as how corrupted and perverted hip hop has become.
They are using the Republican label for attention as "Hip Hop Republican" turns a few heads. Shakera gave herself away when she mentioned her fear of becoming marginalized.
What’s the difference between a HipHop Republican and a black Republican?
A. HipHop Republicans grew up with the influence of HipHop culture and, unlike their peers over age 50, are able to see how Republican values and policies should be applied to urban issues. And while black Republican is a label based solely on race, “HipHop Republican” speaks to the existence of a group that has transcended race in many ways.
Q. What are the beliefs of HipHop Republicanism?
A. The pillars of HipHop Republicanism are economic empowerment, educational choice, access to information and empowering the potential of the individual. This means that in West Baltimore, North Philadelphia, Milwaukee or Oakland, parents should have the opportunity to take the tax dollars assigned to them via the current public school system and re-direct those funds to schools that will truly prepare their children for 21st century jobs. A HipHop Republican believes that competition, the prime motivator in a free market, will force change and progress. Either bad schools will improve or they will be forced to close. New black conservatism holds that buppies and yuppies must harness the forces of economics and invest in private endeavors that create wealth and opportunity for our communities. In a society that embraces competition and freedom of choice, only the best-educated survive. We must invest time and money into our communities to become stronger
Here is the link to the website
www.hiphoprepublicans.com. It is not a dead site.
This:"As far as I can tell it's a bunch of hip hop fans and performers who are understandably upset as how corrupted and perverted hip hop has become.
They are using the Republican label for attention as "Hip Hop Republican" turns a few heads. Shakera gave herself away when she mentioned her fear of becoming marginalized"
is NOT true at all and I never ever EVER said I feared becoming marginalized.
I didn't say that site is dead.
On your site, there is a link for the words "What is a Hip Hop Republican", which goes to the link I specified, which is a dead link.
All this talk and we still can't quite tell why Hip-Hop Republicans are Republicans.
True, you didn't outright say you feared becoming marginalized, though you did say :
"You cannot be a pro-life democrat or a pro- choice republican without being marginalized."
Can you associate yourself with the original hip hop ideals, which you mentioned, without labeling yourself Republican, without being marginalized?
Ahh, I see what you mean #16. Republicans and the Hip-Hop communities are both largely homophobic and marginalize issues concerning women. Republicans and the Hip-Hop community are quick to opt for the sword (so to speak)over the pen of diplomacy. Republicans and the Hip-Hop community believe good things come to those who take; that the United States is the wild wild west and everyone should be focused on looking out for #1. Republicans and the Hip-Hop community seem to care more about the content of their bank accounts and closets than the content of their character. Republicans and the Hip-Hop community preach God and Family being saints on Sunday and sinners Monday through Saturday… Is that what you meant?
Why any conservative leaning person would want to adopt the Hip-Hop label is lost on me.
It really doesn’t matter whether women, blacks, or even homosexuals want to be Republicans and truly believe in the conservative movement… Ultimately, it’s a good thing if the conservative community is more diverse with varied views. It would be nice, though, if these groups wouldn’t shoot themselves in the foot so much while making their pro Republican/conservative arguments.
#23 (The truth from ATL/NYC) If Hip-Hop Republicans really were Republicans, why do they want my tax dollars REDISTRUBUTED (or in your words, “the tax dollars assigned to them”) and redirected elsewhere. Maybe they shouldn’t be dependent on systems like the taxpayer supported education system, which under the modern interpretation is Socialism, and rely more on what they can afford out of pocket. Free markets? Do they really want free markets? If so… so much for government propped up housing, mortgage bail outs, health care, insurance programs… the programs a lot of their so called “hip-hop” brethren rely on heavily. Yes these people do need to be weaned off of the government teat, but many of them are POOR and poor people won’t have a pot to **** in if they were really at the mercy of the free market. And if education was part of this free market you speak of… “only the best-educated survive” you say… then let the Hip-Hop community get what it can afford. Nothing!
Voter, attack me not, those are not my words, LOL I am on your side! I copied those paragraphs/definitions from their website when Simon couldn't get access.
So much of what this young woman speaks responds to "deplorable" speech acts by Republicans. If she believes that then why is she a Republican? Being fiscally conservative is clearly not what Republicans are about these days. Why does she want to associate with others who don't want nor need her support? I'm sorry, but this segment was a waste of time and very sad.
Also, I think she just co-opted the term "Hip Hop" in an attempt to be cool and raise attention to her organization and herself.
#29 " an attempt to be cool?" Im sorry but this was a 15 or 20 minute segement so there really wasn't much mentioned about my background. " Hip Hop Republican" is the name of the blog I contribute to. Being "republican" to me does not me I support every republican. Just decomcrats do not support every member of their party. There are former Klansmen in the democratic party, does anyone every question how any black person could support a party with know Klan members? I grew up in the Bronx in the 80's and 90's, the HOME of Hip Hop. As I said in the segment, I do not support the misogony or violence in hip hop but I know the history of hip hop, and I really don't think many of the people making these comments understand. Im sorry that anyone found my opinion and my position as a "sad waste of time". Maybe you should visit the website and read some of the post.
Shakera, I don't doubt that you have something good to offer people, I do think effort is quite misguided or even unguided. We see nothing that clearly states your goals. Yes, there are deplorable people in both parties, but do you really know what most Republicans are about?
Again, no one has been able to illustrate what is Republican about Hip Hop Republicans.
As it stands it looks like you're trying to create a group for people who just don't want to be called Democrat, so they'll go with Republican.
I think the Democratic party is quite open to change, discussion and debate. Perhaps you should take a good look and consider what it is about the term "Democrat" that you can't apply it to yourself.
Once you figure that out, see if you can find democrats with similar views. Based on what little concrete values you did talk about - the perversion of Hip Hop values, I expect you would find a lot of democrats who share those general views - better treatment of women, less materialism.
Leave a Comment
Please stay on topic, be civil, and be brief.
Back to EpisodeEmail addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. Names are displayed with all comments. WNYC reserves the right to edit any comments posted on this site. Please read the WNYC.org Comment Guidelines before posting.