For those of you who didn't take the time to tune in to the Convention on Tuesday night in time to watch former U.S. Rep. Artur Davis of Alabama, a black Democrat-turned-Republican, I'm hear to tell you, you really missed something. He started out by thanking Republicans "for welcoming me where I belong." And Mr. Davis had a message for people of all parties: "We have a country to turn around," he told al of those in attendance and those watching on their televisions. He described Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney as "the most experienced executive to seek the presidency in 60 years." Calling Romney a leader, Mr. Davis said, "He has no illusions about what makes America great, and he doesn't confuse the presidency with celebrity, or loftiness with leadership." And he also alluded to his support for Obama back in the 2008 presidential race saying, "Now, America is a land of second chances, and I gather you have room for the estimated 6 million of us who know we got it wrong in 2008 and who want to fix it." He went on to say, "Maybe we should have known that night in Denver that things that begin with plywood Greek columns and artificial smoke typically don't end well. Maybe the Hollywood stars and the glamour blinded us a little, you thought it was the glare, some of us thought it was a halo." Mr. Davis then asked, "But in all seriousness, do you know why so many of us believed?" He answered by saying," We led with our hearts and our dreams that we could be more inclusive than America had ever been, and no candidate had ever spoken so beautifully." Adding, "But dreams meet daybreak. The jobless know what I mean, so do the families who wonder how this administration could wreck a recovery for three years and counting. So many of those high-flown words have faded."
According to Mr. Davis, in 2012, it's time to face reality. He said, "So, this time, in the name of 23 million of our children and parents and brothers and sisters who are officially unemployed, underemployed, or who have stopped looking for work, let's put the poetry aside, let's suspend the hype, let's come down to earth and start creating jobs again. This time, instead of moving oceans and healing planets, let's get our bills in order and pay down the debt so we control our own future." Mr. Davis also addressed part of his speech to "those Democrats and Independents whose minds are open to argument," telling them that if they listen, they'll realize that Democrats don't speak for them. He said, "When they (Democrats) say we have a duty to grow government even when we can't afford it, does it sound like compassion to you, or recklessness?" He went on to ask, "When you hear the party that glorified Occupy Wall Street blast success; when you hear them minimize the genius of the men and women who make jobs out of nothing, is that what you teach your children about work? And, "When they tell you America is this unequal place where the powerful trample on the powerless, does that sound like the country your children or your spouse risked their lives for in Iraq or Afghanistan?" And finally, "Do you even recognize the America they are talking about?" He said, "John F. Kennedy asked us what we could do for America. This Democratic Party asks what can government give you. Don't worry about paying the bill, it's on your kids and grandkids." Excellent points all, made by a man who you could tell loves his country. It is men like Mr. Davis to whom black Americans should be listening, not the typical hatemongers and racists that tends to have the ear of the black community. Men like Mr. Davis put country above race, and very proudly so!
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