Black Americans need their own party

When going to the Obama rally in downtown Baltimore this past Monday, I saw the excitement on the faces of so many supporters. Even I, a black Republican, was slightly moved by this monumental moment, seeing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) as the first black politician with a reasonable chance at the oval office.

At least politically Obama's candidacy, and his success in red states, may indicate that blacks have reached a level of real equity with whites, but the story is more complicated than that. The success of a dark candidate has shed light on much of the situation of American race relations, both good and bad.

If one looks deeper into Obama's candidacy, the significance of this moment seems a bit dimmer.

For one Obama is not the traditional black American. He is half-white, after all, and his father was Kenyan. Black Americans have about as much in common with Kenyans as they do with Koreans.

What may be more disturbing is that Obama, intelligent and affable as he may be, would be the least-experienced president to be elected to the presidency in American history. The only president who comes even close to such a record is Abraham Lincoln, who was a founding leader of the Republican Party for a significant period time. Lincoln's experience is more akin to Reagan being a founding leader of the conservative movement than Obama, for the past year, being a leader of the ... hope movement.

The fact that the first black president could be so experienced suggests that there have not been many blacks in the position to build the resumé to be president. However it might say more about the Democratic Party than American society as a whole. It is hard to say that prominent black Republicans, such as Secretaries of State Colin Powell or Condoleeza Rice, do not have enough experience to be president. The highest a black could get in the Clinton Administration was as the Secretary of Commerce.

Perhaps the Democratic Party is not as racially inspired as the Democratic leadership espouses. Sure, blacks consistently vote Democratic, but that has turned to hurt black Americans more than help them. When 90 percent of blacks vote Democratic, much of the Democratic elite see blacks as an assured vote and thus realize they don't have to do much to appease blacks.

This puts black Americans firmly between a rock and a hard place. For most blacks, Republicans aren't any better than Democrats. Blacks are partly to blame for this, after all. If they are consistently voting Democrat, there's no incentive for Republicans to woo them. When Republicans put black candidates up for state-wide election (such as in 2006) they are rejected by blacks.

That is why black Americans are so excited about the Obama candidacy: The thought of a candidate who might actually pay more than lip service to black issues is enticing. But the recent presidential nomination contest seems to have brought to fore much of the tensions between blacks and whites in the Democratic Party, most notably in South Carolina. Also, the failure to help blacks in traditionally white states, such as Louisiana and here in Maryland, shows how little has been achieved by black commitment to Democrats.

So what is the answer for black Americans? A National Black Party. This is not a ridiculous idea. Younger blacks are registering more as independents than in the past. Also, black populations tend to be more socially conservative and take a harder line on immigration that the traditional Democratic line, while remaining economically populist and pro-affirmative action. An articulate policy could be formed.

There are also a number of very good, moderate, bright and charismatic black leaders who could form such a new party, including Harold Ford (D-Tenn.), Michael Steele (R-Md.), J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), the Congressional Black Caucus and two former secretaries of state - not to mention Obama. Moreover, the moderate elements within the party would prevent it from threatening and alienating whites.

This National Black Party would not necessarily marginalize the black vote. Nationally and in a number of states, this party could work much the way the Kurdish parties do in the Iraqi Parliament by building coalitions. The NBP could form a coalition with the Democratic Party in Congress for example, but retain its independence. Simply the threat of mobility would keep the Democrats from ignoring blacks.

More importantly, the party could locally make a large difference by building a strong base in urban areas, such as Baltimore or even winning the plurality in states such as South Carolina and Georgia. These local leaders would no longer be the type owing their political success to their white higher-ups.

A National Black Party would not get all blacks to join its ranks. Many black Democrats and the few black Republicans may remain with their broad parties. However it is something to consider and possibly something Democrats should fear if serious blows continue to fly in this current campaign.