there is some validity to both schools of thought.
The issue i have with republicans is their failure to evolve with the times and their child like stubbornness on issues that should be no brainers. I mean

not extending the budget...you know the AGREEMENT that
KEEPS THE COUNTRY RUNNING 
Or the this passive-aggressive reverse psycology that some how poor americans hate rich americans
But i will say that the republican agenda isn't as motivated by race as it is class. With that said NONE OF US would disagree on their free market stances, regulation is ok but too many regulations freeze the market. There IS a common middle ground we just have to find it.
Now, I think many people in the black community pass of the Republican agenda as racist when really its only been framed like that by the Tea Party who are the real wackos.
The issue is that Democrats get so caught up in the policy issues that they forget that the social issues are what make people really vote. Paul Ryan was right in the fact he came out and admitted that "my budget plan is to complex to explain". The average american doesn't even really care. They just wanna know if they gon have medicare, gays can get married or not and if they are gonna get a job.
All Obama would have to say is "i killed Osama bin Laden, i think everybody should have the right to marriage and healthcare, i'll give tax breaks to organizations that provide this health care and this is how"
people could care less about trickle down, it SOUNDS insensitive when wealth is so stratified.