Mitt Romney's Strategist, Tara Wall, Ready to Promote His Message to African American Voters

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Jun 17|09:12

If Mitt Romney has any hope of challenging President Obama for the African American vote, Tara Wall will be a big reason why. The Republican pundit is one of Romney's senior advisers, and she's ready to promote his message.

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Last month, when Mitt Romney's presidential campaign hired veteran GOP operative and conservative pundit Tara Wall as its senior communications adviser, many assumed the former Massachusetts governor was preparing to get serious about his outreach to the black community. But Wall, one of the most high-profile black conservatives on the media circuit, says her primary job will be to shape the presumptive GOP nominee's overall communication strategy -- her ability to appeal to blacks, women, and other groups will presumably be a side benefit for the Romney team.

Still, as Gov. Romney takes on the nation's first black president, it would be silly to think he wasn't making a play for the black vote by bringing Ms. Wall onboard. As reported in The Washington Post, Romney's plan is not so much to battle Democrats for the Black vote (he knows that would be a losing game), but to demonstrate to independent and swing voters that he "can be inclusive and tolerant in his thinking and approach."

Ms. Wall will have her work cut out for her. Romney's infamous quote that he's "not concerned about the very poor" and his lack of clarity on the immigration issue have left him looking out of touch on social justice matters. And then a recent visit to a poor black neighborhood in Philadelphia to talk about education was greeted by unfriendly crowds -- and some harsh criticism from Philly Mayor Michael Nutter. But, as Ms. Wall observes, Romney did show up, and he's eager to demonstrate his willingness to interact with diverse communities.

If Philadelphia is any indication, it's going to be a long, brutal road for Gov. Romney if he's serious about breaking down the walls between the GOP and non-white communities. But Wall likes their chances. She recently spoke to UrbanFaith's news and religion editor Christine Scheller about the challenge of being a black Republican, why Barack Obama is a likable guy, and how Mitt Romney's policies will be good for the African American community. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

URBAN FAITH: Can you tell us about your journey from television journalist to columnist to CNN contributor, to adviser to the GOP, and now adviser to Governor Mitt Romney?

TARA WALL: Politics and journalism have been a part of my life since I was a kid. I always knew I wanted to be a reporter, and I always knew I wanted to be civically engaged, so I always did things in that vein to bridge the gap between people of different cultures and backgrounds. I told my pastor I wanted to do both and he said, "You can't do politics and reporting. You have to pick one or the other." At the time, you really couldn't. Now it's a little different. The worlds do meld. Throughout my career, my interest always went politically. I had been covering Governor Engler as an education reporter and literally got recruited by someone who worked in his administration to come work as a liason in his Detroit office. I loved it, and by virtue of doing that, I also worked on the first Bush campaign. I really believed President Bush's message and wanted to support him. My story about becoming a conservative Republican is a whole other tier, but I always knew that I had conservative values. I was raised that way.

But you didn't always identify as a Republican?

When I first went away to college at Florida A & M, I joined the school newspaper and I joined a political organization. The only political organization there was the Florida Young Democrats. Somebody asked me why I was a Democrat. I didn't know that I was; I didn't know I was anything at that point. I didn't like that I didn't know the answer to that question. So it wasn't until I started examining both sides that I knew I was more aligned conservatively. I also credit the fact that I had the benefit of hearing people's full speeches when I covered political events. At the time school choice was huge and I covered that extensively. I found myself agreeing with education reform, welfare reform, and less government.

In the 1950s, when it was perfectly acceptable and expected that some people would need welfare, my grandmother had to raise five kids on her own after my grandfather left her. She didn't want welfare. She wanted to raise her kids on her own and she did. She went back to school because she didn't want the government taking care of her kids. I grew up with that mentality. My parents worked very hard. I am middle class and worked from the time I was 14 years old. We were people of faith. We went to church. Those are some of the things that shaped me.

I never thought I would be a mouthpiece for the party, because as a reporter, I liked being independent. I liked having the ability to disagree, but I remember being at a rally with President Bush and it struck me how humble he was and how he spoke so highly of his mother and her impact on his life and his faith. That struck a chord with me, and so I definitely wanted to help the campaign after that. I did that for a year and then I got right back into TV in St. Louis. Then 9/11 happened, and everyone got laid off, including me. I thought maybe God was trying to tell me something, that maybe this business wasn't for me anymore. I decided to go back to Detroit because 9/11 was devastating for everyone, including me, and I just wanted to go home. I had my own TV show in Detroit, which I loved, and had no plans to leave. Then I got recruited by the Republican National Committee to help get President Bush reelected. Had I not had Ed Gillespie on my show, I probably would not have gone. But I grilled him. I asked him, "What are you going to do to be inclusive and build the party?" I was so struck and so awed by his response. I just felt like, "This guy really gets it. He really understands what's needed and how to communicate on this level." About a month later I got the call from the RNC. It was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make, but I kept telling myself that someone has to deliver this message and maybe I'm the person they need help do it.

SOURCE: UrbanFaith.com

Christine A. Scheller