Republicans are becoming the party for minorities

I have just finished reading the opinion piece by Mr. Niemeyer entitled "Minorities are only for show in the Republican Party" and have found a number of things quite puzzling about it. While I as a Democrat have no great love for the Republican Party, I have noticed with a great deal of joy the steps that they have been making toward minority interests in recent years.

The Republican governors have led the way in this regard especially in their support of charter schools that minority students in the inner city can turn to, to get a better education than what has traditionally been offered them. Both Governor Bush of Florida and Governor Bush of Texas have done much in this regard especially in the Latino community.

Mr. Niemeyer seems to think that because the GOP has in the past had some major problems with racial inclusion it should be forever precluded from becoming a force for minority rights. If this standard was applied to all parties, the Democrats should still be the party of the white slaveholders and the Radical Republicans of old should be fighting for equal rights for all.

I also think that it is very interesting that you mention Alan Keyes as a sort of token African-American that conservative Republicans like to parade around and am frankly highly offended by your belittling of his stellar achievements. Had Mr. Keyes not been an United States Ambassador during the Reagan administration, a well-known talk show host, and a two-time Republican Party candidate for President of the United States, I would almost think that you had some basis for this attack. It's funny that I don't recall Jesse Jackson running for president in either of the last two presidential campaigns, yet he is still dragged everywhere to bring a stamp of approval to nearly every Democratic measure related to minorities. I also never recall hearing of the Republican Party directing Mr. Keyes to speak for all African-Americans as Mr. Jackson is called to do quite often an by doing so completely ignoring the great diversity of thought in the African-American community.

Part of what has driven me away from the Democratic Party this election was the Clinton/Gore Administrations bogus Presidential Commission on Race Relations. While American Indians have been the number one target of racism in the borders of the United States for the past 500 plus years not one single American Indian was appointed to this commission even though there are between one and two million of us left in the United States. Here we have an excellent example of refusing someone representation because our cause of justice wasn't fashionable enough, we couldn't gather enough donation dollars, and we wouldn't be able to supply the Democratic Party with enough election votes.

I ask you which is worse: a party that tries to attract minorities to its fold by openly championing its diverse membership in its convention or one such as the Clinton/Gore Democrats which claim to be inclusive of all but in reality refuse representation to the most oppressed minorities in this country?

Charles E. Yow II
International studies