( CNN ) -- You would think that a black man born and raised in Georgia , who was a teenager during the civil rights movement , would understand the transition of African-Americans from voting overwhelmingly Republican to strongly supporting the Democratic Party . But the GOP presidential candidate clearly did n't have the common sense that he often speaks of having when he went on CNN 's `` The Situation Room '' and accused many African-Americans of being brainwashed to vote Democratic . `` Many African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded , not even considering a conservative point of view , '' Cain said . `` I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative . `` So it 's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded , pure and simple . '' Cain 's off-base and historically ignorant comments have received widespread coverage . In some quarters , they have been criticized , while MSNBC 's Pat Buchanan , who has a long history of racially offensive comments , did n't surprise many by coming to Cain 's defense . It 's not the first time I 've heard someone question the reasons for blacks ' allegiance to the Democratic Party , but history has to be taken into account . According to the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies , a think tank focused on African-American issues , in the aftermath of the Emancipation Proclamation , black folks who could vote in the United States quickly joined the Republican Party out of affection for President Abraham Lincoln . Check the political party affiliation of blacks elected during the period of Reconstruction and you will see a lot of R 's after their names . The policies of Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman , who desegregated the military , led more African-Americans to vote for the Democrats . Still , Dwight Eisenhower got 39 percent of the black vote when he ran for re-election in 1956 ; and Vice President Richard Nixon received 31 percent against the eventual winner , Sen. John F. Kennedy . The shift became more noticeable in 1964 , when the Republican Party nominated Sen. Barry Goldwater as its presidential nominee . It was Goldwater 's ardent stance against the Civil Rights Act that led President Lyndon Johnson to garner 94 percent of the black vote . What 's interesting to note is the greatest threat to passage of the bill came from white Southern Democrats , known as Dixiecrats . Moderate Republicans played a crucial role in getting the Civil Rights Act passed , yet as the GOP began to go against civil rights , the national Democratic Party saw a chance to solidify the black vote . In 1968 , Nixon returned to the national stage with his Southern Strategy , a detailed plan of racial politics that ignored , denigrated and dismissed black voters while playing up racial issues as a way to gain support from white voters . All of this was an outgrowth of the 1964 Civil Rights Act , which led President Johnson to say his signing of the law would deliver the South to the GOP for the next generation . The Southern Strategy became the go-to play for Republicans over the next 40 years , as they virtually ignored the interests of black voters and catered to a largely white party . So on one hand you have a party that totally ignores black voters -- the GOP -- and then you have Democrats who see a chance to capture those same voters . If Republicans today are angry about a high level of animosity coming from black voters , they need to blame their white forefathers who wanted to see the racial divide continue over their refusal to allow African-Americans to be full citizens of the United States . The problem is that the GOP has done little to change the game since then , virtually ignoring African-Americans and advocating policies that blacks believe go against their interests . What is so shameful and asinine about Cain 's `` brainwashing `` comment is that he assumes that African-Americans are n't smart and sophisticated enough to make their own choices . Just like whites , Asians , Hispanics , women , Catholics , Jews , Baptists , Wall Street bankers , or any other voting group , they look at the candidates , determine how they line up with their views , and make a selection . So when someone says that blacks do n't vote with their brains , that 's utterly false . Now , for all of the trolls who usually populate web sites comments sections saying I 'm playing the race card , answer this : If I said that Southern whites were a bunch of brainwashed , dead heads who give the GOP their vote , how would you respond ? U.S. Census Bureau statistics show that of the 10 poorest states in America , nine are mostly red states . The lowest when it comes to education ? Mostly red states . The most obese ? Worst health care ? Mostly red states . So if the talking points suggest the Democrats advance poverty programs more than the GOP ; push for more funding for education ; and want a strong health care program , then why are these white voters in these mostly red states voting for the GOP ? Have they been brainwashed by virtue of the Southern Strategy to keep voting straight ticket ? The GOP has no real plan to even talk to black voters . They are afraid of them . Yes , afraid . If you want to put a Republican in the most uncomfortable position , then see them try to give a speech in front of a room of black folks . There is mistrust on both sides rather than straight talk on the issues . For years I have lamented the GOP 's refusal to engage African-Americans . We care about housing , economic development , education , any host of issues . But in the minds of a lot of Republicans , it 's all about welfare or affirmative action . African-Americans are largely social conservatives , but the GOP ca n't even figure out how to reach us even with God ! I 'm the host of Washington Watch , a weekly Sunday morning news show on TV One Cable Network , a lifestyles and entertainment network targeting African-Americans , and the GOP flat out refuses to even accept our invitations . For two years we 've had an open invite for any House or Senate Republican to come on our show , no matter the week . Out of 80-plus shows , Rep. Tom Price of Georgia ( twice ) and Rep. Allen West of Florida ( once ) have accepted our invitations . West sat in my studio and told his press secretary to send an e-mail to every GOP press secretary in the House to tell them that my show was a great forum for them to talk to Black America . None followed his admonition . When Michael Steele was chairman of the Republican National Committee , he did my show several times . Steele told me he went to the GOP House and Senate leadership to tell them they should accept my invites , but none did . Now if the GOP is scared to even come on a TV show that targets blacks , do you actually think they 'll show up in a black community ? If the GOP wants black folks to consider voting for them , they their candidates will have to make an effort to reach out . The distrust is wide and great , but it can be overcome . But doing nothing will get you nowhere , other than guarantee that a strong voting bloc will do all it can to make sure you are defeated at the polls . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Roland S. Martin .
Herman Cain said that black voters were `` brainwashed '' to support Democrats . Roland Martin says Cain is ignoring ample historical reason for that support . Republicans had substantial black support but adopted a strategy that spurns them , he says . Martin : If GOP wants black support , it has to make its case to black voters .