But blacks may already have written off Reagan and the G.O.P.
It is not unusual for a rousing speech by Ronald Reagan to evoke a standing ovation from an appreciative audienceunless that audience happens to be black. With no other racial group is his standing so low or have criticisms of his approach to governing been so severe. But last week in Washington, the President had an overwhelmingly black audience on its feet and cheering four times, as he reasserted his Administration's commitment to reaching out to the black and poor. "I know that there are those who have accused the Republican...