Announcer: The views and opinions expressed in to the point are those of the host of the program and its guests.

They do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of WGTE public media.

Doni: Without question, we have just concluded the most contentious race for the presidency in our nation's history.

Mostly inaccurate polls left Democrats scrambling to understand why its typically supportive base had fled.

There was little question about where they'd gone.

Republicans experienced a massive win fueled by voters not customary to its ranks.

But what does this mea for local Republican politics?

Join us as we talk to Republican Central Committee member Perry Cross, Jr.

I'm Danny Miller, and welcome to the point and.

Doni: So, you know, you can connect with us on our social media pages.

You can also email me at doni_miller@wgte.org for this episode and others that you might like to seem, go to wgte.org./tothepoint, this has been the most amazing week.

That I think those of us who follow politics have had, have seen in a very, very long time.

It seems as though the world has flipped upside down.

And, at least for Democrats that have taken what my frien John calls a really hard right.

There's a lot to talk about today, though.

We're going to talk about, politics, local Republican politics from the point of view of a very active local Republican.

Mr. Perry, Perry Cross, excuse me, is, a member of the Central Committee, the Sylvania, branch of the Central Committee for the Lucas County Republican Party.

Did I get that right?

Perry: Springfield.

Springfield?

Doni: Yes, Springfield.

Thank you for correct for correcting me.

So what happened?

Perry: Well, I think that the American people have rebuked the norm.

I think that 2020 was possibly an emotional response to the events of the nation at the time.

And I think the pendulum swung so far left that it lost common sense.

The Republican Party today has probably been mandated by the American people and named and labeled, if you will, the party of common sense.

Doni: So let's talk about that for a minute, because that sort of takes my breath away a little bit.

So, the Democratic Party that has always focused on, freedom, personal liberties, taking care of the country is now no longer considered the party of common sense.

What's what is what is common sense from local Republican definition?

Perry: Well, common sense would be a boy is a boy.

A girl is a girl.

Common sense would be men can't get pregnant.

Common sense would be that in our schools, parents should have a voice in how th education of their children go.

So when you swing the pendulu so far to the left, and you say that the government now controls these ideals, common sense.

When we all went to school, we all knew that men can't get pregnant.

But now all of a sudden the Democrat Party has literally taken the stance of defending these outlandish statements.

Doni: S are you saying that common sense is that it is okay to treat someone who is, transitioning or someone who someone who is transitioning differently than others, tha that they have no place in this in this country.

And that's what Republicans call common sense.

Perry: No, not at all.

I would never say.

Doni: Well, well, but that' what it sounded like you said.

You said a boy is a boy and a girl is a girl.

Now there there is clinical evidence, scientific evidence that shows that sometimes genetically, those things get confused.

And sometimes a boy is not a boy and a girl is not a girl.

And are you sayin that they should be discounted and not valued because of that situation?

Perry: Not at all.

Doni: Okay.

Tell me what?

Perry: I would never discount that.

I would tell you that common sense, by the very definition of it, i something that is just accepted.

We all agree that this i the way social norms should be.

Certain things should be.

Doni: A democracy has never worked on that definition of common sense.

Perry: Okay.

Doni: It's never worked on that definition of common sense.

Perry: Well, we're not talking about a democracy right now.

What I'm talking to is your question about common sense.

When I when I say the Republican Party is not the party of common sense, when you sit there and you sa that there are some situations scientific reasons why a slight, genetic pattern or something may be different where a person thinks that they're one sex o there's a mix up in the genes, and that's no fault of the individuals, but that's the outlier, if you will.

Would that be correct?

Doni No, that would not be correct.

Perry: So the so we have genetic out of 100 babies that are born.

If you say it's scientific.

How many of those babies would have that genetic variants.

Doni: Okay.

So let's not let's not spend our time focusing on that particular piece of the, of the conversation because your answer belies a greater concern for me.

Okay Especially as a woman of color.

Perry: Okay.

Doni: I it sounds as thoug you are supporting exclusionary politics.

Perry: I'm not supporting it.

Doni: Okay, then tell me.

Then tell me.

Perry: When you ask the question of how do we get to the party of common sense?

What's the American people has mandated us and labeled us as obviously, with the popular vote even going as local as Ohio with a 12 point lead, going as local is to the county.

And even with the county of Lucas County, we only were down by 20,000 votes.

2020, we're down by 55,000 votes.

So the Democrat Party, with their extreme left, believes ideological phases.

And, you know, and they're instances where they're trying to force us to accept certain things because we accept things.

Does that's a that's the tolerance.

Doni: Okay.

So let's talk about extreme beliefs.

And I am absolutely i the middle on this conversation.

I want to understand what you're saying.

So would you not consider comments from a president that's that says oh my God, a black man is counting my money.

I don't really like that.

They're lazy and and, laziness is part of the genetic makeup of black man.

Would you not consider that extreme?

Perry: I would consider.

Doni: Would you not consider it extreme?

For someone to say women need protection even if they don't want it?

Perry: I would.

Your first point.

It wasn't the president that said that.

Doni: It was the president.

Perry: He wasn't in the position of the president of the United States when he said he.

Doni: Was running for president of the United.

Perry: States.

So with with that being said he has denied those allegations.

Doni: But I heard him say.

Perry: Well, if you heard him say it, I haven't seen it.

Doni: So I heard him say it on, on, on, on a too.

Perry: But but not to defend it.

Not to defend it.

Okay.

We have Americans that have a different view on the way we see race in this country.

We are never going to ge rid of racism in this country.

Never will.

I was never going.

Doni: To be on your team on that.

Perry: One.

We're never going to get rid of.

Doni: So why would you then wh would the Republicans not you, not you, Perry, but why would Republicans then support, president of this country who encourages, not just encourages, demands that race be a consideration in almost every sentence he utters?

Perry: I would push back on you.

Doni: You can.

Perry: Identity politics is not our game.

Identity politics is not.

Doni: Exactly your game.

Perry: Well, I can tell you, when you get up there and you talk about if you're black and you don' vote for me, you're not black.

If Donald Trump would have said, if you're white and you don't vote for me, you're not white the world would have collapsed.

Why is Joe Biden allowed to say things like, one of the things that he said, I learned how to dea with black kids by dealing with, I'm sorry.

I learned how to deal with cockroaches by having black children feel on the hair, on my legs.

When I was a swim instructor in Delaware.

That's crazy.

That is.

Doni: I never heard that.

You didn't hear that?

No, I didn't, I didn't, but I'm not going to say I didn't say it.

I'm just going to say I didn't hear it.

What we do know is what, this president elect has said i almost every one of his speeches and almost every one of his rallies and it is, you know, it's a kind of, shaping of the planet that I don't understand, and I don't I don't really that's what I'm asking.

What's the new what is it now?

What's the paradigm that Republicans want us to embrace now?

Perry: Well, I think that and.

Doni: I'm going to we're going to have we're going to have the chairperson of the Democratic Party on next week.

And I'll be asking her the same kinds.

Perry: I think that, race is no longer the divide.

Doni: I think the divide.

Perry: Economics and class, once you separate, once you bring Oprah Winfrey and LeBron James and Beyonc up there to talk to black folks.

There's nothing they hav in common with us except a rose.

Doni: I mean.

Perry: Except one.

Doni: Thing, Amber Rose.

Perry: Except one thing.

And that's their skin color.

So why don't you.

Doni: Get Amber Rose?

Okay, so let's let's not talk about celebrity endorsements, because those are designed just to bring the people out.

Perry: Well, you you ask what happened?

I'm trying to tell you what changed.

We're no longer looking at race.

You can't put me in a bo and say I'm against this person.

Because.

What?

You have to talk to me now.

As a man, as 51 years old, you can no longer win my vote with telling me you're going to improve the minimum wage.

I don't work a minimum wage job.

You can no longer gain my vote by telling me you're going to improve, or give me more food stamps or social welfare, because I'm about generational wealth now, and that's what the Republican Party has brought to us.

The Republican Party told us that they're going to hold a ladder to get on top of this building.

The Democrat Party has said we're going to give you a rope, and the Democrat Party is going to stand on top of the building.

They're going to tie the knot at the bottom of the rope.

I'm putting my foot on it.

They're going to give me another not to hold right here.

And then they're going to pull me up.

The Democrat Party i going to pull me up just enough to where if I let go, I fall and I hurt myself.

But they haven't taught me how to climb that rope.

They haven't given m the strength to climb that rope.

So now I'm stuck there.

If I let go, then I fall and I hurt myself.

If I try to advance now I'm remove from the social welfare systems.

But the worst thing in that is I can't reach down and get my children.

So my childre get on that social welfare rope and then eventuall ten, 15 years, you look across where you're at and you'r right there with your children.

You're right there with your grandchildren, and you can't get off because they know they have to stop pulling you, because if they pull you up, you're going to leave the party.

The Republican Part has a ladder, and they tell you, snow or shine, gust winds, hurricanes or tornadoes, we're our responsibility to yo is to hold this ladder for you.

Now, however many rungs you go up, that's when you if yo go up five rungs, that's on you.

But the advantage of the Republican Party is I'm allowed to go back down that ladder, get my two sons, put them on my shoulder, bring them up to that fifth rung where I was at.

And now they don't have to start at the bottom.

Doni: You know, a very weird.

We need so much more time to tal than we're going to have today.

But you you hold that though and we will be right back, okay?

Please don't you go anywhere.

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What?

Listen and learn at wgte.org.

Doni: As you know, you can connect with us on our social media pages.

You can email me at doni_miller@wgte.org.

And for this episode and any other that you might like to see, go to wgte.org/tothepoint.

We have Republican Central Committee member Terry Cros Jr with us this morning, and I am really happy to have you here for this conversation.

And as I said, we're going to have we, we need a lot more time than we actually have.

So why don't you explain for me, exactly what is present?

In the platform that's been proposed by, Republicans that says how people are going to be pulled up the ladder.

Perry: Well we like to focus on meritocracy.

We like to focus on the basi principles of a leave us alone to trea me like you want to be treated.

Three the Equal Opportunity Party, equal opportunity for eac individual that the government, this political party will ensure that you have the opportunity to be successful, not to promise you success will give you the opportunity to be successful.

So from some of the platfor policies that we talk about is, meritocracy.

Okay.

Talking about school vouchers.

School vouchers is very key is very key.

Does, it gives you an opportunity, just recently having a conversation with a few of my friends at the barbershop, some of them single fathers, married fathers, and they said their children are taking advantage of the voucher program here in Toledo.

And they said that they have seen that the schools that they send their children to, I won't name them, okay.

But they are more invested in their children.

One of them said, my kid missed two days of school in the Toledo Public School.

Nobody called home.

His son was late to one class and they called home.

Doni: So how do you square, with with this new approach?

Let's let's just assume we're going to be on the same page and call it a new approach.

How do you square that with what has been a fairly unlevel playin field, to use a colloquialism, how do you square meritocracy with, you know, limited and suppressed opportunities for Democrats would say, for people who have been traditional to the Democratic Party?

Perry: Well I would again have to push back.

I don't understand wha the limited possibilities were, because we talk and it's it's very easy to talk about what has change and what rights have been taken and what disadvantages that blacks minorities and inner city kids have been faced with.

And I say the one obstacle was that I think that society as a whol has a control over the schools.

So we pushed that voucher program.

So that's one of the ways that we're trying to improve the path to succes for children in the inner city.

I don't know, me, growing up in Detroit I didn't have any disadvantages.

I grew up, I have people that I grew up with.

They tell me that they were held back as a child, that the man held them back.

I have to look at them and say, we had the same science teacher, Mr.

Concrete.

We learned how to shoot dice together.

We played on the same basketball team.

Why is my life different than yours?

Because of choices.

When we're born, we look like our parents.

When we die, we look like our choices.

So that's an assignment t the individual to push yourself.

If I can do it, you can do it.

Doni: So you totally discount the presence of any kind of xenophobia, any kind of, homophobia, any kind of racism in the system.

No, I do not.

Perry: Discounted.

Okay.

System.

Yes.

Individually.

No, I do not discount it because there's only one systematic racist view.

There's only one systematic law that's racist.

And that was affirmative action.

So my father and I can give you my, my grandmothers, my two sets of grandparents, one of my grandparents were able to read and write.

Anothe set of my grandparents weren't.

So my mother being white and my father being black.

My father would go home wit homework and capital of Iceland.

Neither one of his parents knew, but my mother did.

My mother, her grandparents, my grandparents knew what the answer was.

So my mother had help there.

So affirmative action was needed at my parents generation.

Doni: But I went.

Perry: I went to public high school with the same my both o my parents could read and write.

There was no disadvantages for me.

I went to the same high school as white kids, Hispanic kids.

Some of them turned out to be, homosexuals.

So there was no there was no sliding them.

My children, I have a college education.

My son, my mother, m my wife has a college education.

Why does my son need affirmative action in 2024?

Doni: So, so let me ask you this because this is what I think folks on the other side, from your point of view, would say they would say there are longstanding, well confirmed statistics that show that kids who are raised in poverty have less access to good schools.

You were you sound as though you were extraordinarily fortunate from from.

Doni: Let me finish, please.

They they have, access to poor education.

They are surrounded with a lack of resources.

They, see their civil rights suppressed, routinely take a look at the number of black men in prison versus white men in prison or Hispanic men in prison.

You may call it choice.

The data calls it something else, or at least implores us to look at it, in all of its possibilities.

So you in in this new paradigm for the Republican Party, how do you acknowledge that those things exist?

Those things are counterintuitive to a meritocracy.

How, how how do you how do you explain those things?

Or how do you manage the presence of those things?

Perry: Working hard is no counterintuitive to meritocracy.

Doni: Nope.

That's not what I said.

Perry: Working hard is that that's one of the things that we suggest.

Now, when you I. Doni: What I am saying, though, is that people who hear you would say that there are very layer that are present that interfere with my progress forward in a meritocracy, that no matter how hard I work those barriers are still there.

How does that.

Perry: So why did it stop me?

Because I grew up my mother, single parent, working at Ford.

I went to River Rouge High School, probably in the bottom 10% of the state of Michigan.

Poverty is rapid.

My family are on social welfare right now.

My family get food stamps, my family section eight housing.

So why didn't that why didn't that wall exist for me?

It didn't exist because it's not there.

The wall is not there.

We're taught at a young age that we're victims.

Doni: Okay, I think we're going to have to agree to disagree on this.

We're going to.

But I really do want to tal to you some more about this at a at a later time.

And I do agre that that idea of victimization, you know, that we ar victims can be really damaging.

It can slow you down, it can get in your way.

But I would also say to you that, just because it didn't sto you doesn't mean it's not there.

And it doesn't mean it's not a barrier.

But but but let's, let's let's move on.

Okay.

Let's move on.

So what does all this mean in the few minutes that we have left for local politics, how do you see things changing locally?

Perry: Well, locally again, you want to get the vibe of the inner city.

You always go to a barbershop?

Yeah, go to a barbershop You can get everything you want.

You get seeds, Cologne, Jews, whatever you want.

And what's your.

Doni: Point of view?

Absolutely right.

Perry: And you get an honest assessment.

Doni: Yeah.

Perry: Believe it or not, you go to a barber shop and it's probably about 80% support Trump.

You have to ask yourself why?

Well, any time you get up there and you've been promised things for 60 years, and this is a generational divide.

Now I'm talking about baby boomers to Generation X, to millennials, to generation Z, baby boomers.

If you hear them, they'll tell you that the Republicans are for the rich and for white people, and they'll tell you that Democrats are for the poor and for black people.

Then I only push back with them with one simple fact.

State of New York and the state of California are the richest two states in the country, the two poorest states of West Virginia.

Mississippi, right.

How did Mississippi and West Virginia vote Republican?

How to them, the New York and California vote Democrat?

So that throws that to the winds.

Doni: No, I mean, we really kind of need to we would need to dive a little deeper.

Okay.

Perry: But going back to the barbershop, they said, we've been promised things.

Yeah, we haven't received it.

We have events that Republican candidates locally this year went out to some of these free haircuts, went out to the backpack things I looked around.

Doni: Didn't see anything.

Perry: I didn't see no Democrats because black people in inner city vote.

People in Toledo are in a very, very bad place.

You have two political parties, one party doesn't have to talk to you.

The other party says it's no worth it for us to talk to them because they're not going t vote for us.

Doni: Yeah, yeah.

So I will say you know what I will say, Perry, we're running out of time.

And I don't know that we've done any of our topics for justice that they deserve because they requir so much time for for discussion.

But I will say that that Democrats really do, I think, need to take a look at the difference between talking to people and talking at people and and hearing what people really have to say, about the things that are important to them.

I'm going to I' going to ask you to come back.

Let's come back and talk.

Perry: Thank you very much for having me.

Doni: It has been, it actually has been a joy.

It's been a pleasure.

So thank you.

Thank you.

And thank you all for, Joining us today.

If you didn't vote, then you will certainly understand why voting is important.

And I think I think that you and I can and unequivocally.

Yeah.

And the turnout in Lucas County was not quit what people expected it to be, but but anyway thank you for joining us today.

I am really happy that you did.

My name is Doni Mille and I hope to see you next time.

On... To The Point.

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