GOP Elects African-American as RNC Chairman

[Red Ranger]

People,

Today, the GOP elected Michael Steele as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/republicans

Is this the GOP understanding they need to broaden their party to become viable and relevant, and picked Steele based on his ability to organize and inspire new minority members, or just, "Hey, now we have a black guy running things!" a cynical, "me, too" ploy?

Red Ranger

 

[MadBaggins]

WHO CARES, WE'RE ALL PEOPLE!!!! I'd love to see skin color completely LEFT OUT of all news items! Only then can we progress as a species.

 

[John Picard]

People,

Today, the GOP elected Michael Steele as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/republicans

Is this the GOP understanding they need to broaden their party to become viable and relevant, and picked Steele based on his ability to organize and inspire new minority members, or just, "Hey, now we have a black guy running things!" a cynical, "me, too" ploy?

Red Ranger

Wow...just wow. Why is it that everyone screams "THIS IS THE 21st CENTURY" and the race card is always thrown? Seriously -- WHY

 

[Red Ranger]

People,

Today, the GOP elected Michael Steele as the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/republicans

Is this the GOP understanding they need to broaden their party to become viable and relevant, and picked Steele based on his ability to organize and inspire new minority members, or just, "Hey, now we have a black guy running things!" a cynical, "me, too" ploy?

Red Ranger

Wow...just wow. Why is it that everyone screams "THIS IS THE 21st CENTURY" and the race card is always thrown? Seriously -- WHY

I know conservatives are deluded on this point, as they're the biggest revisionists, but the race card has been played expertly like a harp by the GOP for decades.

From Reagan's appearance at Philadelphia, Miss. to George H.W. Bush's Willie Horton ad, to Ohio's suppression of black voter participation, which Steele participated in, I'd say the GOP has thrown the race card faster than Roger "The Rocket" Clemons' fastball!

And thanks for misquoting me -- don't remember ever saying "THIS IS THE 21ST CENTURY," as you hollered.

And, before your conservative delusion leads you to say, "It was all in the past," guess you didn't receive the numerous racist and bigoted e-mails about Barack Obama during the campaign, many forwarded to me by friends on the other side of the aisle fearful of a "black president." That happened in 2008. And it was just in 2004 that the Ohio voter supression I referred to above happened.

But thanks for being predictable. It's almost comforting, my dear John Picard!

All those reasons and more are why it's relevant to speak about it, champ!

Red Ranger

 

[Red Ranger]

WHO CARES, WE'RE ALL PEOPLE!!!! I'd love to see skin color completely LEFT OUT of all news items! Only then can we progress as a species.

Would be nice, MadBaggins, but it's not realistic at this point in our history, although we're getting there. If you think race didn't enter into the GOP's vote, you're rather naive. See my reply to John Picard above for more details, bud. -- RR

 

[Crusher Disciple]

I think they're totally playing the race card in an effort to bring in more minority voters.

The Dems got a black man elected president, so the GOP has little hope of topping that. But yeah, just days after we have our first African American president to see the that GOP elected one to lead their own party just smacks of tokenism.

 

[sidious618]

The former Lt Governor of Maryland?! And people said Obama was inexperienced.

 

[Gertch]

WHO CARES, WE'RE ALL PEOPLE!!!! I'd love to see skin color completely LEFT OUT of all news items! Only then can we progress as a species.

Yeah really. Good for the GOP for electing a new head. Hopefully he'll do a great job for them. I wish him success.

 

[Gertch]

And people said Obama was inexperienced.

And they were correct.

 

[Red Ranger]

And people said Obama was inexperienced.

And they were correct.

Love fighting old fights, eh, Gertch? Ever heard of the Maginot Line? And we see how well that argument worked -- the experience one, not the actual Maginot line! See: Sarah Palin. -- RR

 

[sidious618]

And people said Obama was inexperienced.

And they were correct.

Oh, Gertch with the cheap shot. No surprise there.

 

[Meredith]

The race card needs to be burned like the draft cards were.

 

[Gertch]

And people said Obama was inexperienced.

And they were correct.

Oh, Gertch with the cheap shot. No surprise there.

I was simply exposing your cheap shot with a truism.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

We can try to guess at the GOP's motives but either way it makes sense they need to try to broaden the base. Immediately after McCain's defeat, I remember hearing a lot of talk about that from the party leaders.

 

[Red Ranger]

And they were correct.

Oh, Gertch with the cheap shot. No surprise there.

I was simply exposing your cheap shot with a truism.

No, sidious618 had it right, my snide friend. One cheap shot engendered another. You know that's your strong suit -- admit it! Again, old arguments that solve nothing. -- RR

 

[Holdfast]

As if either Democrats or Republicans have some sort of monopoly on cheap shots?

 

[miraclefan]

So...Red Ranger Are you saying ALL conservatives in this country are WHITE & RACIST and only use those who are not white as nothing more then political pawns?

 

[miraclefan]

Oh..by the way I don't belong to any particular party.Except the party that is the HUMAN RACE.

 

[Dream]

Meanwhile American public elects first African American as President!

 

[Red Ranger]

So...Red Ranger Are you saying ALL conservatives in this country are WHITE & RACIST and only use those who are not white as nothing more then political pawns?

No. I'm saying there is a track record that needs to be taken into account. True conservatives and true liberals don't make decisions based on race or on racial opportunism. Now, I'm not letting the Democrats off the hook -- the old "Solid South" consisted of "Dixiecrats," most of whom supported Jim Crow by day, and some, lynching by night.

The problem is, the GOP has played the race card in a much more destructive manner than Democrats have in recent decades. The GOP started this by embracing the Southern Strategy in an effort to peel off socially conservative whites in the South and elsewhere.

We'll see whether or not Michael Steele is a pawn or a trendsetter. There's evidence it could go either way.

It's a healthy trend that the GOP, formerly the party of Lincoln, is doing some soul-searching. I'm sure some people in the GOP voted for Steele purely on his past work as Maryland's lieutenant governor and chairman of Maryland's Republican Committee, among other posts, and hope he can help invigorate the party.

I'm sure that will entail public outreach to minorities. But as long as the GOP is hostile to those constituencies -- gays via acts like Prop. 8 in California, Latinos in the form of aggressive, border control only immigration initiatives -- it will ring hollow.

Notice that when I did pose the question, I cited two opposing opinions on Steele's selection to stimulate a debate.

Red Ranger