Posted on 12/03/2012 1:57:15 PM PST by SeekAndFind
After the shocking loss in the November election, Republicans are once again considering whether to change leadership at the top. Reince Priebus wants a second term as RNC chair and still has considerable support for another go, but apparently some committee members have begun recruiting alternative candidates, among them former Congressman J.C. Watts. Watts tells Politico that he's not sure he'll run, but he's interested:
Watts, an African-American conservative who served in the House from 1994-2002, said the GOP defeat on Election Day demonstrates that Republicans need to broaden their appeal to minority voters, and cannot continue on their current path if the party is to be successful in presidential races.
“My concern right now, and I don’t say this necessarily as a candidate [for RNC chairman], my concern is that as a Republican, every single Republican in America ought to be concerned about what has happened in 2008 and 2012,” Watts said in an interview with POLITICO. “In this business, if you’re not growing, you’re dying.”
Watts would not identify who is lobbying him to challenge Priebus, and reiterated that he has not made a decision to definitely jump into the race.
Watts also says that he believes the RNC needs to fundamentally rethink its “ad hoc” approach to outreach:
Watts complained that Republican efforts to reach out to minority groups have not been sustained or consistent during his 20-plus years as a politician, but rather are executed on ad hoc basis – usually in election years. In Watts’ view, and that of many other Republican leaders and party operatives, if the GOP doesn’t dramatically improve its image with black and Hispanic voters, it will not be able to win back the White House.
“These old, tired, pathetic models of saying, ‘Okay, in the black [community], when there’s a presidential election, we will form an African-American Coalition for [Mitt] Romney or [Sen. John] McCain,’ I’ll never do that again. That is a joke, that is so tired,” Watts said. “It’s window dressing to say, ‘African Americans for Romney’ or ‘African-American Coalition’ or ‘African-American Advisory Council.’ That’s insulting to the people that they ask to do it when you don’t put an permanent infrastructure in place to give it credibility.”
I think Priebus did a pretty good job, considering the state of the RNC when he first took over. The organization was deeply in debt, and fundraising was in disarray. The RNC didn’t have a credible GOTV effort in 2010 in the week before Election Day in those midterms, and ended up relying out outside groups to drive their message. They were better prepared in this cycle, but just got out-organized by Team Obama and the DNC.
That said, I’m a big fan of J. C. Watts for precisely the kind of insight he has here. Republicans cannot compete with the kind of lackluster effort that has been made in urban centers. It isn’t just the infrastructure that’s the problem, though; it’s also a lack of vision and specific policies from candidates and the party to put conservative principles to work in these communities to make the lives of voters better. We need both infrastructure and policies, on an ongoing basis, and not just — as Watts says — in the last few months before an election. Republicans have to make themselves part of these communities, not just occasional tourists.
Perhaps Watts won’t run for RNC chair, or the RNC will think someone else will serve better. They’d better find a way to put Watts in position to make his insights a reality, though, if the GOP wants to compete in future elections.
J.C. Watts endorsed and voted for BO in ‘08! Unacceptable!
Money talks, but in a decision like this, it screams...
Fingers crossed anyhow.
I live in his old District in Oklahoma. Heck, he’d STILL have that job if he had kept running for re-election.
Best Congressman EVER. J.C. could do this job in his sleep.
—— oh, and one more thing. Ever looked at the racial breakdown of Oklahoma’s 4th?
watts voted for obama.. he’s a rino
I'm extremely frustrated watching members of the Republican party scratch and paw for voters based upon either watered down values, or shifting to demoncRAT values (or rather, the lack of values).
Didn’t know he voted for Obama, but I do know he criticized the Sharptons et al of Washington and called them “race baiting poverty pimps”. Best description ever.
IIRC J C Watts was going soft his last few years in office.
Voting for Obama is, obviously, a disqualifier—and enough to call into question JC’s motivation.
Too bad, because I’d like to see someone other than Priebus in there.
Yeah, I can’t remember specifics, but he did say some things that I couldn’t support. Somebody will dig them up. I second Allen West.
I would love to see this. Reince is okay...but he still lost. Time for fresh blood. J.C. would be an excellent choice.
Sean, Rush, morning shows should ALL get him on the airwaves. Do it. Do it tomorrow!
Watts would be a good guy to have as head of the RNC, but I`m not seeing the difference he`d be able to make. The disadvantage for the Repubs is far more structural in terms of the political orientation of the country than the tactical nature of the RNC chair election..
It looks like he contributed to McCain’s campaign. Did he vote for Obama? I only remember him criticizing the GOP for not going into the black community to engage them.
He is a good man.
LOL, yep, if everybody is looking for just another suck-up, then J.C.’s probably not the guy they’ll want.
If it must be a black man, make it Ken Blackwell.
Not because he’s black but because he’s a fraud fighter.
Now your talking real leadership, I do wonder though if the RNC is ready for such a concept, it seems leadership and discipline scares them quite a bit.
If someone didn’t mention this I would’ve. Sadly there are a lot of people on our side that want a conservative veneered black man on our side.
BTW: I agree with the drift of your comments too.
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