November surprise: Blacks giving GOP another look?

Wow!

That one word sums up my reaction to the midterm election results. This was a total repudiation of the Obama administration, along with the national Democratic Party.

Not only did Republicans take control of the U.S. Senate, they also expanded their margins in the U.S. House of Representatives and among governors.

As usual, most of the post-election analysis has been woefully short of any substance. Yes, Republicans taking over the Senate is major, and yes, increasing numbers in the House and among Republican governors was impressive; but the real story was where we won.

Democrats have been stuttering all over the place trying to explain how Democrats lost governors’ races in Massachusetts and Maryland. These are two of the bluest states in the country. The preliminary exit polls give some insight as to how this happened.

These are two of the most highly taxed states in the country. Their governors took great pride in taxing businesses and the wealthy — and then wondered why these businesses and wealthy individuals moved from their states.

With this mandate, Republicans must now prove to the American people that they can govern. I would strongly suggest that they pass a few non-controversial bills that have bipartisan support in both chambers.

They could start with repealing the medical device tax on medical equipment that was part of Obamacare; approve the XL Pipeline; and pass a bill that would lower taxes on corporations who repatriate their overseas money back to the U.S. It is estimated that corporations have over $2 trillion sitting offshore because of the high taxes they would have to pay to bring the money into the U.S.

This doesn’t mean that Republicans should be hesitant to stand up to President Obama when he is pushing policies that are in conflict with our beliefs. So, if and when he attempts to unilaterally give amnesty to those in the country illegally, I hope our side has the spine to block it.

Another opportunity for the Republican Party that no one is talking about is the black vote. They are furious with Mr. Obama and the Democratic Party. Blacks are begging the Republicans to give them a reason to vote Republican. One report estimated that 30 percent of blacks in Maryland voted for the Republican candidate!

It’s not the GOP’s platform that’s the issue; it’s the tone and the optics. Republicans need to get rid of the hyperbolic language coming out of the party, especially when referring to Mr. Obama.

When blacks look at the Republican Party, they see very few people who look like them. So either Republicans are colorblind or just blind to people of color.

House and Senate leadership should make a concerted effort to begin to engage with the black community at the highest levels. For example, I strongly advise that:

• new members hire blacks to be on their staffs;
• leadership make a point to invite blacks to testify at committee hearings;
• the House and Senate campaign committees hire blacks on staff.

Blacks in Maryland have proven that they are no fans of high taxes and voted for a white Republican running against a black Democrat! How many times has that ever happened? This is the political story of the year. Blacks in Maryland voted against the black Democratic candidate because it was in their own best interest to do so. This is a tectonic shift in Maryland politics.

Larry Hogan, the incoming governor of Maryland, also had a black running mate, Boyd Rutherford, who is now the incoming lieutenant governor of Maryland. Former RNC chairman Michael Steele, you may recall, was the first black statewide elected official in Maryland’s history when he served as lieutenant governor under Bob Ehrlich. Isn’t it ironic? The Republican Party is constantly breaking racial barriers, but they get no credit for it. Nor does the party know how to leverage these historic accomplishments.

With Republicans now controlling Congress, I am optimistic that they will propose legislation to deal with the high unemployment rate within the black community, propose legislation that advances school choice and vouchers and have hearings on how to create a better business climate for small and minority businesses.

Mr. Obama has been derelict on these issues, and the Republicans thus have a great opportunity to use their majority to help solve some of the issues that blacks are extremely concerned about. This is good for blacks, good for Republicans and good for America.

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