Horowitz laments the harsh criticism of black conservatives like Larry Elder, Clarence Thomas, Ward Connerly, and others by mainstream blacks. Blacks have looked beyond the color of their skin to the content of their character, and rejected their positions. As one who has closely followed the arguments of conservatives of all colors for years, I think one of the problems with many of these black conservatives is that they simply restate old arguments made by white conservatives. Conservatives like Horowitz cannot admit that black people have enemies. African-Americans live in a world more finely nuanced than conservative ideology can comfortably embrace.
Polls show that black people believe they have friends and enemies in all colors.
Black people feel they still need affirmative action because of their real experiences with white people. That is why middle-class black people are more ardent supporters of affirmative action than poor blacks. They find that even the most well-meaning whites cannot always overcome hundreds of years of legislated and implied superiority. Just as African-Americans see real progress, they also see continuing obstacles, slights, unintended insults and exclusions. And that is why they won't embrace the Larry Elders and Clarence Thomases as heroes, no matter how often they get called black sheep.