It is a movement just as clearly fueled by the emergence on the national political scene of high-profile black Republicans like Herman Cain, Congressmen Allen West and Tim Scott, political analyst Angela McGowan and former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele—who by their presence—serve     to dispel (at least for some) stereotypical notions about the GOP.

Some call it a “wind of change” while others simply say that it is “the beginning of the end of the Democratic domination of the black vote.”

A 2008 poll by the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, which tracks black voting patterns, revealed that from 2006-2008 national black voter support for Democrats dropped 11 percent and Republican support has jumped from four to 10 percent—a 150 percent increase.

Beyond the political spectrum,  those who support the “Grand Old Party” include former Time Warner chair Richard Parsons,  James Earl Jones, boxing promoter Don King, former NBA great Karl Malone, mega pastor DeForest “Buster” Soaries and NFL Hall of Famer Lynn Swann. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson spoke at a Republican Convention and supported former President George W. Bush.

Former Navy pilot Les Phillip switched parties and became a Republican in 2009. An Alabama-based Christian conservatve, his plan was to go to Washington and “stop [Obama] from destroying our nation”.

Phillip would subsequently become one of 30 black Republicans running for Congress in 2010 (the 37th District’s Star Parker among them), in what was initially hailed as “the year of the Black Republican”, which media outlets dubbed, “The Great African American Republican narrative”.  Then came the primaries and a majority of defeats. But even more blacks were led to question their political loyalties when the  near paralyzing debt ceiling gridlock of last summer heightened market fears and showcased Capitol Hill dysfunction at its worst, casting the White House as all but impotent.

"We're angry, we're frustrated, and we want to do something about it," states Crystal Wright, who runs the blog ConservativeBlackChick.com and believes that the Republican Party is fast becoming an alternative for African-Americans who have been disproportionately affected by the failing economy. "What we believe is to vote Barack Obama out of office."

Wright’s is one of a number of blogs—including HipHopRepublican.com, Right Wing, Black And I Ain’t Crazy, Project 21, Booker Rising and Wake Up Black America—that have been established in support of growing black conservatism and the GOP.

Donald E. Scroggins, the president of Republicans For Black Empowerment—www.theblackgop.com—reports that their numbers have grown exponentially, with membership up 50% over the last year.

In additon, Scroggins reports, “RBE launched its official Facebook Page with over 900 members, counseled several candidates and provided them access to our network for donations and hosted our 4th Annual Gathering of GOP Activists in Washington, D.C. This annual event acts as a conservative alternative to the more liberal leaning Congressional Black Caucus event, which is held the same day.”

Capitalizing on the sentiment are a growing number of young, savvy black republicans like 32-year-old Texas State Senator Stefani Carter; youth minister Isaac Hayes, who took on Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr in Chicago; 28-year-old Princella Smith, who formerly worked for Newt Gingrich; and former New York Jet turned pastor Michael Faulkner who had more heart than chance when he took on incumbent Charlie Rangel in the 2010 New York congressional race.

Older blacks on average have remained staunch Democrats while it is a younger generation of black voters—now wealthier and more educated—who form the largest group backing Republicans.

"A lot of us have been closet Republicans. We declare ourselves as independent, but as in my case, vote Republican. To be honest, I don’t know if it’s that I can’t see myself embracing the term “Republican” or if it’s that I’ve been frustrated with both parties. The one thing I am sure of is that I have come to terms with the fact that I am a conservative,” said one black voter who preferred to remain anonymous. 

Those like KABC radio host Larry Elder are not so sure about any great movement of blacks to the GOP.

“I wish that were so,” Elder said. “Instead, I think I’m hearing more and more is blacks saying that they are dissatisfied with the Democratic party. I also believe it is less likely that you would be called an Uncle Tom if you are a Republican unlike in years past.”

Elder attributes the shift in attitude to a realization on the part of many blacks that Democratic party tax and spend policies are hurting them.

In fact, rapper David Banner’s New Year’s resolutions for the Black community in 2012 (recently published on Blackenterprise.com) included examining how loyalty on the part of blacks to the Democratic party might have weakened “our ability to negotiate and further our interests”.

A more recent survey found that a large number of African Americans support positions that could not be described as anything but mainstream Republican, school prayer, a $500-per-child federal tax credit, and "3 strikes and you're out" laws among them and by most accounts, the GOP is benefiting, even if more in votes than membership numbers.

“I see a trend of more blacks self identifying with conservative values and politics as opposed to just identifying with the GOP per se,” states Marc Little, attorney and author of the forthcoming book The Prodigal Republican.

“Depending on the candidate,” he continues, “because of the cultural and statistical fact that blacks are more conservative than they are liberal, that identification often times leads to a vote for the GOP candidate -  while denying it publicly of course.  Recall that George W. Bush garnered 13% of the black vote in 2000 and 11% in 2004; in each election year, blacks were arguably one of the main factors in the Republican victory for the White House.”   

In an online forum asking why blacks became Republicans, one blogger responded, “I didn’t choose to be a Republican. My beliefs made me one. I hate the idea of thinking if the Government doesn’t do it, then it can’t be done. Especially when the black vote always ends up with Democrats.”    

In the past, the GOP has earned itself an unfavorable reputation in the eyes of African-Americans as a result of the belief that Republicans simply do not like blacks.

“That perception is wrong, unfortunate and a lie; and it is changing, much to the chagrin of black leadership,” states Little, who credited a variety of reasons for the rise of black conservative vote.

“One, many mature blacks (30+) have watched their grandparents and their parents in large measure seemingly benefit from a system of entitlements; but they're still at "square one". They want out!  Their communities haven't changed, the schools are still bad, and thejobs are still scarce. Two, those same blacks are realizing that the politics of entitlements have failed.  Three, those who are blessed to be gainfully employed in the current economic climate want to keep and invest more of their own money for a brighter tomorrow and not see it (their tax dollars) squandered on failed government programs.

And finally, they are conservative anyway and are tired of wearing a mask.”

In the eyes of black conservatives, major issues such as job creation, school choice, and family values were pushed to the forefront during the Bush admnistration, whereas with Obama at the helm, black unemployment is currently at 15.6 percent.

In addition, according to the Gallup Daily, Obama Job approval ratings were at 43 percent while disapproval ratings were at 48 percent—a stark contrast to his ratings in the beginning of 2009 when he had 64 percent approval and only 16 percent disapproval. 

“When people see the average black person, they assume that we all voted for Obama and we all support government entitlements” says Timothy Johnson chairman of the conservative Frederick Douglass Foundation, “[However] when you see representation from two of the major parties in the country, I think it sends a very clear message that we need to get beyond those stereotypes,” referring to the 21 percent of blacks who support a limited government providing fewer social services.

“We have to give confidence to our people that they can make it.” writes a blogger named Sonskystar continues. “When given the choice between working for it and being handed it, we have a real fight on our hands.
I became a Republican because I believe government needs to get out [of] the way and let the free market work… People first. Then the Government.”

Ironically, as early as 2004, Democratic pollster Ron Lester observed, "there is a lot of compatibility and similarity between a lot of the positions that black folks take in terms of social issues and issues advocated by the Republicans."

Truth is, blacks lining up with the GOP is hardly a new phenomenon. In 1863, a century after emancipation, African-American voters routinely lined up behind the “Great Emancipator” Abraham Lincoln’s party—the Republican Party.

Furthermore, the GOP promoted African-American equality in a time where Southern democrats were made up of white supremacists.

“Most blacks I know don’t want to talk about it, but that’s the party of Lincoln— the party that freed them,” said John Walker, a retired L.A. County Superior Court administrator who became a Republican during the Reagan era.

In fact, it wasn’t until 1924 that blacks were even permitted to attend Democratic conventions in any official capacity every single African-Ameri-can in Congress until 1935 was a Republican and it was Republicans in Congress also enacted the nation’s first-ever Civil Rights Act.

While some blacks began voting democratic during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration, it is President Lyndon B. Johnson—who helped to push through landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation of 1964 and 1965—who is credited with changing the tides toward blacks joining the Democratic ranks.

Ironically enough, it was policies introduced by Reagan, dubbed “the Great Communicator”, that gave rise to blacks like Walker joining the GOP. Colin Powell’s announcement in late 1995 that he was a Republican coupled with high-profile blacks like Condoleeza Rice  and former Congressman J.C. Watts of Oklahoma also caused many blacks to take a second look at the party.

Last year’s election to Congress of Tim Scott, a Republican from South Carolina and Florida’s Republican House representative, Allen West ended a near decade long absence of black republicans from Congress.  

To be sure, the numbers don’t support a full on exodus from the Democratic party and the GOP has it’s work cut out for it if it means to alter the perceptions blacks have of the party.

It hasn’t hurt that recent black Republican candidates are far from the stereotypical image. Tim Scott grew up in a poor Charleston neighborhood with a divorced mother who worked double shifts as a nurse's assistant and Vernon Parker who eventually lost his primary, was born to a single mother in Houston and grew up in California with his grandmother, a housekeeper.

“Some African-Americans may agree with [Republican] policies, but at the end of the day, they’re going to say, ‘I’m black, and you’ve made it very clear you don’t want us around,” says Eric McDaniel, a political analyst at the University of Texas at Austin, adding that, “What we saw at the McCain/Palin rallies were people carrying stuffed monkeys, saying this was Obama while chanting ‘kill ’em, kill ’em’ – that just ratcheted up racial hatred.”

Still, many black conservatives benefited from the GOP's renewed emphasis to gain traction with minority voters, a priority voiced by Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele - the first African-American to hold that position.

“It all comes down to message,” states Vicki Lataillade, a black entrepreneur. “You vote your interest. Based on values, it’s been said that most black people are Republicans, they just haven’t been voting Republican.”

“Perhaps” Little concludes, “the black vote is catching up with their conservative values.”