Five elected black Republicans make the case for the president.
Friday, October 1, 2004 12:01 a.m. EDT
(This article is written by J.C. Watts, Michael Steele, Jennette Bradley, J. Kenneth Blackwell and Michael Williams.)
John Kerry wants to be president. But he doesn't want to discuss his unproductive time in the Senate. And he isn't offering credible ideas to extend opportunity and promote ownership in our communities. Instead, he's going back into the old Democratic Party bag of tricks and pulling out . . . the race card. Mr. Kerry has tried to paint President Bush as a racist bent on destroying civil rights. But when you look at the real record, you see that George W. Bush has done more to empower African-Americans and other minorities than any president in recent history.
President Bush has taken action to create opportunities for minorities through improved education and increased homeownership. His No Child Left Behind education reform was designed to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. He has worked for an increase in funding for historically black colleges and universities. And President Bush set a national goal of helping 5.5 million minorities become homeowners. Just two years later, we're a third of the way there, and today more minority families than ever before own their home.
President Bush has improved minority communities, reducing violent crime rates with initiatives like Project Safe Neighborhoods, which is taking gun criminals off the streets. His Faith-Based and Community Initiative is boosting the efforts of charities that bring real help to people in urban neighborhoods. President Bush's tax relief has also helped businesses create 1.7 million jobs in the last year and he has worked to create more opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses. He has even launched the most ambitious American effort ever aimed at combating AIDS and other diseases in Africa. It's a record that we, as African-Americans, are proud to support.
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