Young, Black and Republican in New York, Blogging Against the Tide (328 hits)

The barbs have become like a soundtrack to Richard Ivory’s life: Uncle Tom, sellout, self-hater. Being black and Republican does indeed have its challenges — especially in New York. And even though the remarks sometimes wear on Mr. Ivory, they mostly seem to have emboldened him.

Mr. Ivory started a blog, HipHopRepublican.com, four years ago to voice criticism of what he perceived to be the political pigeonholing of blacks.

The blog is part of a small but vibrant collection of black Republican sites that have given right-leaning blacks a sense of community during an election in which Senator Barack Obama’s candidacy has made their political stance seem particularly unlikely.

“There was something annoying about the idea that if you were black, you had to be Democrat,” Mr. Ivory said. “The blog started out as a means to vent.” Beyond his support for the Iraq war, Mr. Ivory considers himself a conservative on economic issues who believes government should help people help themselves.

Mr. Ivory recently posted a blog entry about a poll suggesting that one-third of white Democrats held negative views toward blacks. The headline: “Poll: Dixiecrats Still Democrats???”

Indeed, Mr. Ivory, despite being a devout Republican, feels history tugging at his loyalties.
The site has caught the attention of Senator John McCain’s campaign, which invited him to attend the Republican convention, he said. (Mr. Ivory accepted the offer and blogged for The Root, an online magazine affiliated with The Washington Post.)

Even Mr. Ivory is sparring with his conscience. He said he was about 80 percent sure he would vote for Mr. McCain.

“I always say my heart is with Obama but my brain is with McCain,” Mr. Ivory said. “That sums up the struggle with me.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/nyregion...
Posted By: Jen Fad
Friday, October 10th 2008 at 4:13PM
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