Malcolm X would have been a Republican

Malcolm X would be a Republican . . . yes I said it.

Okay, I’m not sure that he’d be a Republican since he held deeply anti-war beliefs. However, Malcolm X would adopt the Republican Party’s ideology and approach to economics.

Malcolm X’s history and work are rooted in Black Power ideology. Black Power is principally the manifestation of blacks’ demand for self-determination supplemented by political recognition within the state.

In 1964, Malcolm X gave a speech entitled “The Ballot or the Bullet,” that in part emphasized the need for black business and economic development and criticized the irrational tossing of the black vote to the Democratic Party without any benefits in return.

Black Power was founded in the ideological thought of hard work and self-reliance. Malcolm X wanted black people to have the freedom to create their own business and/or pursue work in established businesses. He wanted black people to take control of their lives. One can easily imagine that he would criticize many social reforms in their current form, and instead focus on individual action to overcome circumstances and adversity.

As Malcolm X explained it in his '64 speech: “[T]he economic philosophy of Black Nationalism shows our people the importance of setting up these little stores and developing them and expanding them into larger operations. Woolworth didn’t start out big like they are today. They started out with a dime store and expanded and expanded and then expanded until today, they’re all over the country and all over the world, and they get to some of everybody’s money.”

He also went on to say: “The [Democratic] Party that you backed controls two-thirds of the House of Representatives and the Senate, and still they can’t keep their promise to you, ‘cause you’re a chump. Anytime you throw your weight behind the political party that controls two-thirds of the government, and that Party can’t keep the promise that it made to you during election time, and you’re dumb enough to walk around continuing to identify yourself with that Party, you’re not only a chump, but you’re a traitor to your race.”