most blacks find themselves on the side of conservatives on many social issues.
             Polls have revealed that most blacks, in stark contrast to the self-appointed race leaders often sought out by the conventional
             media, favor strong anti-crime measures and significant reform of entitlement programs.
             In fact, 1988 ABC exit polling showed that 18 percent of blacks described themselves as conservatives (while only around 10
             percent vote that way). And an article in the Spring 1992 issue of Political Science Quarterly showed that on abortion, law
             enforcement, special status for homosexuals, prayer in schools, welfare reform and more, studies and polls reveal the black
             population as often being more conservative than the white population.
             In a Black Enterprise survey in the July 1992 issue, despite some heavy liberal spin, a few interesting numbers stood out: 39.9
             percent of respondents said significant tax cuts were the way to get the economy moving again and 53.4 percent said tax cuts
             would be the best way to improve their personal economic situation. On welfare reform 60.5 percent said that learnfare
             programs where schooling is required to get financial assistance were the way to go. On the whole, some very conservative
             economic principles are at work in these numbers.
             This is not to say that there are not issues on which the majority of blacks disagree with the standard conservative line. There
             are many. It seems, though, that there is a larger base for traditional conservative themes within the black community than within
             the white. The disconnect of these people from mainstream conservatism seems to be the association of the Republican Party
             with either racist or anti-civil rights tones.
             This association of the right with poor stances on race is not an insurmountable one, however. This is best proven by the fact
             that this has not always been the perception -- that at one time, in fact, the opposite was true...