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riveram54
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I feel as though the CBC is a double edged sword. I believe it both helped and hurt the Democratic Party in the House. It helped as far as giving African Americans a voice in congress. It helped to ensure that their interest are represented.
In my opinion the CBC hurt the democratic party because any time you create a group exclusive by race you create a problem. Also, it created a stereotype, not all African Americans are democrats. So who is representing the African Americans who are republicans? The bylaws of the caucus do not make race a prerequisite for membership, but yet they will not allow members of any other race. If any other institution did that it would be a major problem.
With that being said it was formed at a time when it was necessary to ensure that a particular race was represented fairly. It is easy to see a need for a group such as this and it has served it purpose since it was introduced into congress. I believe overall it has help far more than it could hurt.
For a candidate that has a strong ideological record there are both advantages and disadvantages that come with such a stance. The public without much surprise like a candidate that is consistent in what they promise and believe in. Many candidates throughout the years who lack this strong record of go back and forth on an issue are usually called flip floppers and do not gain as much of a following or trust such as the former candidate would.
An advantage to holding a strong ideological record would be that it shows the candidate is firm in the beliefs and trustworthy when it comes to pushing forward new bills or voting the way they say they are going to vote. A strong record shoes that they are consistent in their actions and reliable when it comes to their political beliefs. This could be a very positive aspect for potential supporters and votes for if they know the candidate was solid on a matter that they felt strongly about. It would be easy to leave their trust and support in that candidate with the strong ideological record.
This however could also be a disadvantage to a candidate for a solid track record on a certain subject or series of issues could confine them to a certain public population and reduce the variety of voters that they need in order to gain a more dynamic voting population. Just as a past with a strong ideological background can gain the trust and support of voters. It also means that the opposition and reluctance of voter support if there are differing views on a topic.
