Kanye's conspiracy

Kanye West caused quite a stir this weekend during Friday's NBC telethon for victims of Hurricane Katrina when he suggested the federal government had been slow to deal with the crisis because "George Bush doesn't care about black people." NBC quickly cut away from him and edited his remarks out of the telethon's West Coast showing, prompting the next day's Los Angeles Times to opine that "the network violated the most moving and essential moment in an otherwise sterile, self-serving corporate broadcast" (Sept. 4).\nThe only problem is this "moving and essential moment" was utter nonsense. And not just from a partisan "love Bush-hate Bush" perspective. Even if every Democratic barb ever thrown at Bush happened to be true -- a tall order given the seemingly limitless supply -- this allegation simply doesn't square with reality. \nThe fact is for the last several years, the Republican Party has been actively working to appeal to African-American voters frustrated with being taken for granted by the Democrats. Examples include supporting the community work of black churches through the faith-based programs initiative, pressing for school voucher programs and increasing Pell Grants (as reported in the IDS, July 18) and doubling U.S. aid to Africa for fighting AIDS, malaria and underdevelopment. The New York Times reports: "In Maryland, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, black Republicans -- all of whom have been groomed by the national party -- are expected to run for governor or the U. S. Senate next year. Several other up-and-coming black Republicans are expected to run for lower statewide offices in Missouri, Ohio, Texas and Vermont in 2006" (July 1).\nMatters of principle aside, this effort comes from a simple recognition of America's changing demographics. With white voters rapidly shrinking as a portion of the U.S. population, any party perceived as being "for whites only" will soon be condemned to the political wilderness. The GOP is seeking to diversify for the most rational motive: survival.\nAnd, judging by 2004's elections, this approach is bearing fruit. Bush won not merely because Republican supporters were mobilized -- the Democrats cancelled this out by mobilizing their own -- but also because he gained votes among traditionally Democratic groups, such as African-Americans. To build on this, GOP Chairman Ken Mehlman spent the year addressing a variety of African-American civic and community groups, from the African Methodist Episcopal Church Convention (www.GOP.com, July 26), to students at Howard University (Boston Globe, Aug. 22). If George Bush doesn't care about black people, all this work was a waste of time.\nThis is not West's first loony conspiracy theory. At the Philadelphia Live 8 concert, he told MTV News that AIDS was "a manmade disease … placed in Africa just like crack was placed in the black community to break up the Black Panther party" (www.contactmusic.com, July 3). That quote was laughed off and buried in the Live 8 coverage. Sadly, this time, a news media shocked stupid by the tragedy in New Orleans is nodding along to an absurd, possibly destructive idea that falls apart after two minutes of research on Google News.