Posted on 04/16/2010 6:24:50 AM PDT by Kaslin
The Republican National Committee has an African-American chairman, Michael Steele, and still the GOP manages to come across as racially insensitive, as well as just plain insensitive. That's no easy feat.
Last week, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a former RNC chairman, resurrected the confederacy issue after CNN anchor Candy Crowley asked Barbour if he thought it was a mistake for Virginia's Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell to designate April as Confederate History Month, without referencing the evils of slavery.
Barbour responded that it was not a mistake -- he said the issue didn't amount to "diddly" -- because Mississippi's overwhelmingly Democratic legislature has approved similar proclamations.
Two problems.
One: It's rarely a CNN story when Democrats support the confederacy, and when it is a story, it's a sign that party leaders are reaching out to moderates, not that they are insensitive. (Remember when former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean he wanted to be "the candidate for guys with Confederate flags in their pickup trucks?")
Two: Voters are looking for a party that looks to a bright future, not a glorious past, especially when it is inglorious to descendants of slaves.
Granted, CNN spends too much time reporting on what Republicans are saying, instead of on what Democrats (who hold the reins of power) are doing.
I would like to take issue with Crowley's remark about the GOP's image as the party of "mean old white guys." But that's hard when the other big Republican who made news this month is Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., because he behaved like a gentleman.
At a recent town meeting, Coburn said that while he disagreed with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, she is still a "nice lady." Jeers followed.
Coburn had to explain, "Just because somebody disagrees with you doesn't mean they're not a good person."
Coburn also suggested that attendees not limit their news consumption to Fox News. Ergo, he spent last week being grilled by conservative pundits, especially on Fox News. Sheesh.
I wonder if Coburn, a courtly doctor when not in Washington, had become fed up with the sense of entitlement evident among vocal activists who seem to believe that because they showed up for a town hall meeting, the speaker -- no matter how many years that speaker has taken heat for the conservative politics that they have just begun to champion -- has an obligation to be noisy and nasty to entertain them. And there's no winning. For some of these folks, you can never be negative enough.
Coburn spokesman John Hart pointed out that, while largely unreported, the town hall audience applauded Coburn's remarks in favor of civility.
Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., is working on a document outlining a positive Republican agenda.
"We can go out and we can just be negative about everything, and we can win seats," McCarthy told me. "But we will never be able to win a majority and govern (according to) our principles, if we don't tell the public what we're for."
Or as McCarthy noted, "You don't have to be angry to be a Republican. You can be hopeful."
“Go along to get along” got the GOP where they are now...the minority party. When they play nicey-nice with the Dems, the Dems eat their lunch.
IF YOU ARE NOT ANGRY TODAY... YOU ARE NO REPUBLICAN!
LLS
This is why Sarah is so effective. Like Reagan, she can poke fun at the liberal/socialist agenda that has zing but is still delivered with a smile and then she talks about what is positive and has made the USA great.
Palin 2012!
The party which controls Congress and the White House considers this statement to be laughably naive.
One of the things that is making me really angry right now is all this talk about exterminating Whites. Like almost everyone else in this country I too heard all the stuff on tv about Black Liberation Theology.
Recently I’ve started watching some clips on youtube posted by Black activists. I was doing it to try to gain some insight into how difficult things really are for Black Conservatives in this country.
I am saying now that some of the things I have seen over the past few hours have made me absolutely sick to my stomach. I’m Jewish, I’m accustomed to people wanting to kill us - that’s just a part of the world in which we live.
But to see large groups of Black Americans stand up and cheer and clap when a Black is onstage advocating setting this country on fire - it is disgusting. And the ones who call Whites devils - that’s disgusting too. I just do not see how it can possibly be legal for someone to stand up in public and advocate murder of large groups of people. This has got to stop. I thought I was already pissed about everything that muslim usurper has been doing since taking office - finding out about more of what they discuss at their “Black Only” events - OMG!!! We have to put an end to their false-teaching. The very idea that they would teach their children that African-Americans are the real Jews and that Jews who live in Israel are frauds! I am so pissed that I can barely type right now.
And Tavis Smiley - you were there!!!!! And you said nothing you POS.
When someone is trying to steal your money they’re not nice people.
Saunders should have tossed this bit of writing into the trash and then tackled a subject where she might have more understanding.
This article is simply one more illustration of the sad fact that it’s nearly impossible to get an honest account or discussion of any news incident, even from some ostensibly “conservative” writers.
The first problem was not with Coburn calling for civility, it was his condescension and patronization of those who disagreed with him about Pelosi, Fox News, etc. The second problem was his dumb implication that polite and cordial behavior in social or congressional working encounters makes for a “nice” person, regardless of the evil deeds they’re doing. It’s simply stupid to insist that just because a person can act “nice” that they really are a “nice” person.
Coburn is one of our best senators, but he screwed up this time. He managed to be both incredibly naive and insultingly condescending at the same time.
Instead of wasting oxygen reinforcing the association between the Confederacy and slavery (possibly in order to prevent people from noticing the analogy with our present situation?), they could be pointing out how slavery is alive and well today, just going under a different name.
Never happen...the SRM is on the side of the new slavemasters.
I hope that none of my friends in Law Enforcement are killed this weekend. Local Stereo Centers are closing down for the weekend. Reports on the scanner (online) point to groups of blacks just getting up and walking out of restaurants without paying... proclaiming that one of theirs is now our leader and that they do not have to pay. I find all of this goes against the Nation and religion in which I was raised... and I am sick of it ALL!
LLS
It is crazy! Do they really hate themselves so much?
Mean & angry is a leftist WTO protest.
I do not know about hating themselves... but I feel their hate towards me... no doubt.
LLS
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