If I've heard it once, I've heard it over and over again. They say the Republicans have failed to make a difference for African-American voters. They say Republicans have not made any inroads into the black electorate. I guess you could even say the Republicans just don't understand the plight of being black in America. The response to these statements is no, no and no.

Why does the Republican Party have to keep beating itself up over the issue of failing to get more African-Americans involved in the GOP? It is obvious that most black voters would much rather stick with the Democrat Party who has lied to them election after election, promising blacks that they will keep getting the perks they want as long as they vote for the candidate with a "D" after his name. It's the longest running scam in American history!

From government welfare programs to supporting affirmative action, the Democrat Party has held back black Americans from reaching their fullest potential in the greatest country in the world. African-Americans have been told that as long as they remain dependent upon the government (ergo the Democrats), the better off they will be. The Democrats promise to raise taxes on the rich so they can redistribute that wealth to poor, black Americans and that this is good. Lies, lies and more lies!

Republicans, on the other hand, have offered black Americans the opportunity to become what God would have them to be by encouraging them to become a part of the working class in America raising their families with the values of work and respect. Republicans also think the time has come to stop insulting African-Americans by telling them that they are not good enough to make it without affirmative action programs, which are nothing more than discrimination. These are nothing more than a slap in the face of every black American who has succeeded without the help of a court-ordered program. Finally, Republicans want middle-class black Americans to keep more of their own money in the form of tax cuts, allowing them to be active participants in the growing economy.

While past GOP efforts to reach blacks have been seen as miserable failures, some progress has been made. A lot of African-Americans are beginning to realize the outright lies they have been told for decades by the Democrat Party. But the black tradition of voting Democrat runs deep. Very deep. Nevertheless, I think even more can be made if honest dialogue took place.

That is why I would like to ask every black South Carolinian who is reading this to answer one simple question: What do you expect from the Republican Party?

Don't misunderstand what I am asking. I am not asking what entitlement programs can the GOP deliver to the black voters in South Carolina. That's the lie the Democrat Party has fed you for far too long. They have kept you down and prevented you from going beyond the color of your skin in the United States of America. As long as you are black first and then an American, the Democrat Party will keep reminding you that you are less than what you will ever be day after day after day.

But the Republican Party wants you to feel like you are an American first. They want you to overcome the belief that you cannot succeed in this country. Republicans are committed to seeing black Americans rise up to the challenges and become what they were created to be.

It all boils down to this: What will it take to convince African-Americans to vote for Republican candidates?

This is not a trick question. And I don't think it is a difficult question either. But it is one that I have not heard anyone ask before nor have I heard the answer. I am serious about this and want to hear the honest answer from black voters in South Carolina.

Let's have an open conversation about this. I would like to write a follow-up column detailing the responses I receive and outlining ways to make them a reality. Black voters and the Republican Party don't have to be political oil and water anymore.