Posted on 08/05/2014 3:32:38 PM PDT by maggief
Republicans say a GOP lawmaker’s comments that Democrats are waging a “war on whites” is just what the party doesn’t need to deal with ahead of the midterm elections.
With a Senate majority in sight, party strategists say their office holders need to avoid a distracting battle on the polarizing issue of race, which could gin up Democratic voters and turn off independents.
“There's no part of what he said that was helpful,” one GOP strategist groused of Rep. Mo Brooks's (R-Ala.) comments. Brooks made the “war on whites” comments during an interview on conservative radio host Laura Ingraham's show, which focused on immigration and the border crisis.
A day later, he doubled down on his accusation in an interviews with USA Today and Newsmax.
“It is repugnant for Democrats time after time after time to resort to cries of racism to divide Americans and drive up voter turn out,” Brooks told USA Today.
“That is exactly what they are doing in order to drive up their vote, and they are doing it when there is no racial discrimination involved.”
In a separate interview with Newsmax, Brooks asked, “What is the one race that can be discriminated against? … All whites.”
He said that under federal law, minority groups have protected status, while whites “are treated differently.”
GOP strategists said the comments aren’t helpful in the fight to win the Senate. Republicans need to gain six seats to take over the majority, a high bar, but one that appears in reach.
GOP strategist Bettina Inclán said Republican leaders should push back more aggressively against comments from individual lawmakers that don't necessarily represent the whole party.
“I think it's important for us to say, ‘Look, that is not representative of who we are as a party or as a country,’ ” Inclán said.
More broadly, strategists say the comments could hurt a party that wants to win back the White House in 2016.
The electorate for the midterms is expected to include a higher proportion of white voters than in a presidential year, which could help Republican candidates. That will be reversed in 2016.
GOP strategist Ford O'Connell said Democrats are likely to use comments like Brooks’s to paint Republicans as intolerant of minorities.
“It may not catch up with Republicans in 2014, but I can bet you that Democrats will use it against them in 2016,” O'Connell said. “It's what I would do.”
Inclán argued that it is Democrats who, at times, have injected race into the midterm elections on issues like immigration.
“I'm not defending what [Brooks] said, but I think what he was trying to say that is that Democrats do use race as a way to scare voters for vote for them,” Inclán said. “Democrats aren't bending over backwards to get something done because it's easier to make Republicans the boogeymen.”
Democrats have rejected charges that they are intentionally using the issue of race to gin up their own voters.
Nonetheless, Democrats have warned Republicans that inflammatory rhetoric and votes, such as rolling back the Deferred Action for Child Arrivals (DACA) program, would hurt their appeal to Hispanic voters.
“If you tell people you think they're criminals, you think they're simply bringing diseases; they're bringing drugs; if you treat them as invaders … they're going to think you don't like them,” said Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.).
It never occurs to the RINOS to fight back against the democrats, they prefer to attack the Tea Party conservatives.
That’s because shooting a man in the back is the safest way to kill him.
Odo: You’d shoot a man in the back?
Garak: It’s the safest way, isn’t it? But then I thought, “oh, no, I can’t fight all these Klingons by myself.” So I let him live.
Odo: And now you regret it.
Garak: Ah, my dear Constable, before this day is over everyone on this station is going to regret it.
Bear in mind that “Garak” came from a culture that was very much for and from the state. Ever read the “Never Ending Sacrifice”?
“The Never Ending Sacrifice is a Cardassian novel, which Elim Garak thought was the “finest Cardassian novel ever written.” Archetypical of the repetitive epic genre of Cardassian literature, The Never Ending Sacrifice describes seven generations of a Cardassian family, all of whom live selfless lives of devotion to the state. “
So pretty much that culture will lead to someone like Garak who works for the State and who works for the “Obsidian Order” and has a position of overseeing and enforcing order in state ran society.
Garak is a mix between KGB and the Stazi.
But I like the character, because he is whitty.
What does “The Race” think about Canada, they want that too?
Or are they content for the ROPers to have it?
The GOP are the masters of fret.
A 40 year war on whites, tell the truth! And it’s not a cold war, it’s a blood war. With rape and murder regularly excused as long as the victim is white and the perp is not.
GOOD FOR BROOKS. Stop hiding from race. Democrats are racists. Say it. Prove it. IT ‘AINT HARD! And far from “motivating Democrat groups” it would motivate WHITES, which the GOP seems absolutely terrified of doing.
Very astute and accurate observation!
The GOP—dedicated to be the permanent abused spouse of politics. “We will not go on offense, we will not defend ourselves, and you can’t make us!”
The welfare state is what appeals to Hispanic voters - even more than to Black voters. The Pew poll revealed what anyone with a brain already knew. The GOP has lied for years that "Hispanics are conservatives and pro-family: perfect Republicans, if we only pass amnesty!" NONSENSE. They are pro-welfare, pro-ObamaCare, and pro-abortion. The polls show it. Not ALL of them. But Cubans are only a small percentage of overall "Hispanics", and they can't alter the averages.
now the gop runs away from the truth.
Mark Twain said if you tell the truth you don’t have to remember. In other words, the truth is a constant, but lies have to be remembered, because they will trip you up if you don’t remember them EXACTLY.
I am beginning to see that my depression is justified. My whole life has been one big problem.
You are I are on the same page. I wish I could say something encouraging, but at the moment I’m feeling like very decision I’ve ever made has been the wrong one, and the next one I make will be wrong too.
But you know, I guess we gotta just hang in there.
I guess. Not a very optimistic day for me. I am pretty much fed up with everything. But what are we to do?
The Democrats have been making all kinds of comments against whites, against the elderly, implying both and all are just bigots, who shouldn't be listened to or whose interests should be considered.
This is obvious.
That the GOP has trouble recognizing this surprises me not at all. That they drop the ball on this is not surprising, they drop the ball on everything. The GOP is politically incompetent. They see nothing. They know nothing. They say nothing. They do nothing.
Hispanics are of the white race. Just sayin.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.