Former Congressman and GOPAC Chair JC Watts just spent some time with us at the Corner. My question:

“Given a second term for the administration, what should be the top three priorities on the agenda for broadening the appeal of the GOP among the black community?”

His response:

1. The war against terrorism … It’s important to every community, and it should be an important part of the GOP face to the black community. His general take was that if the black community needs to understand that the GWOT is a long-term obligation and that the GOP is the best party for winning the war.
2. Communication, especially in a manner that demonstrates the accomplishments of the party. It’s almost as if “the Democrats are great on symbolism but do nothing substantial, while the Republicans do things that are substantial but are terrible on symbolism.” Examples: 8-A contracting, minority healthcare priorities … the GOP needs to get better at talking about their record.
3. Promote the “ownership society” … use communication to make the case for increased “ownership” within the black community, including increasing entrepreneurialism and home ownership.

An interesting aside as we closed the conversation … JC noted that the GOP needs to be better at longer-term thinking—4 to 7 years out—regarding how to engage the black community. I said it’s almost as if the process is defined by the election cycle and that the focus is always on get-out-the-vote efforts rather than “building Republicans,” and he thought that was indeed the case.

Two final interesting quotes: First, JC believes men of the cloth need to keep party politics out of their proselytizing … that they should not “prostitute the pulpit.”

Another interesting quote:

“Most black people don’t think alike … most black people just vote alike” … and the GOP needs to better understand why.