Holy Smoke! Rep'n National Commitee Chair is..... Black!

[Pure]

see additional coverage at

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090130/ap_on_el_ge/republicans

Michael Steele, RNC Chairman

Jan 30, 2009 12:46 PM
[Huffpost]


Michael Steele became the first African-American chairman of the Republican National Committee on Friday after defeating his lone remaining challenger, Katon Dawson, on the sixth and final ballot. The margin was 91 votes for Steele, 77 votes for Dawson.

"This is awesome," Steele told the crowd. "I accept and appreciate all of you for the opportunity to serve as the next national chairman of our very proud, our very strong, and our very, very hard working Republican National Committee."
====
Pure: Maybe someone can forward ami some tranquillers; between left and right it's pretty obvious who's freaking out. The lily-white Rep'n leadership must have been soiling themselves with worry, to resort to such a strong, un precedented measure.

Bobby, Bobby J., the Rep'ns need you. Please come save.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

I know it sounds ... well, I know how it sounds.

But damn... Palin followed Hillary... now this guy? I actually don't doubt his qualifications to the extent I did Palin's, but somehow, it all feels rigged?

 

[Boxlicker101]

Why does this come as such a shock? The first black members of the House were Republicans, as was the first black senator. This was during the Reconstruction Era, but in the more modern era, this was also true.

Sen. Edward Brooke (R, MA) was the first black senator since Reconstruction and the first black congressman was also a Rep.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30378.pdf

Historically, the worst racists and segregationists were Dems., people like Bilbo and Thurmond and Maddox and Wallace and Duke.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The GOP is experiencing an identity crisis; most of the GOP leadership wants to be Democrats (because most of them were Democrats before Reagan came along). They'd be goose-stepping Nazis if they thought it would help their political prospects.

But it wont wash because 40% of Americans are white, fundie racists like me. They risk pissing us off and ending up with no place to call home.

 

[Liar]

The reps have been pretty inclusive of african americans, latinos and others. On a political level, at least. As long as they march to the ideological drum. Many minorities have been appointed to many visible positions. A black woman as secretary of state, and a latino attourney general? That's not peanuts.

The fact that those two were also morons, and that the RNC policies have been unfirendly to large parts of those demographics, is another topic. And that's the reason that however diverse the repubs try to look, they are not getting the diverse votes.

I listened to random talk radio yap yesterday and someone said that the inclusiveness at the top of the RNC is more catering to the whites who don't want to be seen as racists, than to the minorities.

 

[DesertPirate]

Steele was Lt. Gov. in traditionaly Dem Maryland. I'd say he knows how to run a campaign, even if he lost the 06 Senate race. He has been a regular guest on Fox for 2 years and is smart as a whip. He was my choice the moment he said he wanted it. I suspect with the foolishness going on with the overspending bills right now, he has a chance to lead a major comeback on 2010.

 

[cloudy]

It has the feel of a token appointment to me. McCain only picked Palin because he was certain he could win Hillary voters by doing so. She certainly wasn't chosen due to her intellect.

This smells the same.

 

[Safe_Bet]

It has the feel of a token appointment to me. McCain only picked Palin because he was certain he could win Hillary voters by doing so. She certainly wasn't chosen due to her intellect.

This smells the same.

What "impressed" me the most was that it took SIX rounds of voting to pick Steele over a guy who belonged to a "Whites Only" country club right until he started running for the position. "Hmmmm, guess we hafta take the colored guy, cuz the feller we really want is going to lose us votes with the other colored folk..."

 

[voluptuary_manque]

I don't want to sound like sour grapes or anything, but isn't there an implicit stereotyping going on when it is assumed that an African-American can't honestly believe in what the GOP is pushing? Look at the vote on Proposition 8, people. The idea that the black vote is a left vote is jejune.

 

[cloudy]

I don't want to sound like sour grapes or anything, but isn't there an implicit stereotyping going on when it is assumed that an African-American can't honestly believe in what the GOP is pushing? Look at the vote on Proposition 8, people. The idea that the black vote is a left vote is jejune.

Read the posts again. No one said a word about his politics.

 

[Le Jacquelope]

It has the feel of a token appointment to me. McCain only picked Palin because he was certain he could win Hillary voters by doing so. She certainly wasn't chosen due to her intellect.

This smells the same.

What idiot would want to be a black Republican now? Haven't they learned how the GOP thinks of them after Hurricane Katrina? How about all the racist attacks on Obama, claiming he's a Muslim and so on?

Damn, I've been hesitant to refer to black Republicans as Uncle Toms in the past, but sheesh. Massuh sure has 'em hooked on dat soul food (read: the leftover animal parts), yassah.

Black Republicans will learn in a hurry how short their leash is when the chips come falling.

 

[Le Jacquelope]

Why does this come as such a shock? The first black members of the House were Republicans, as was the first black senator. This was during the Reconstruction Era, but in the more modern era, this was also true.

Sen. Edward Brooke (R, MA) was the first black senator since Reconstruction and the first black congressman was also a Rep.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL30378.pdf

Historically, the worst racists and segregationists were Dems., people like Bilbo and Thurmond and Maddox and Wallace and Duke.

Uh, Strom Thurmond was a Republican, and so was David Duke.

And the Republicans during the Reconstruction were liberals. Democrats back then were conservatives.

You know as well as anyone that there was a great bodyswitch that happened in the 1960s, where liberals took over the Democratic Party and Conservatives took over the Republican party.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

LIAR

What you heard on the radio is correct.

The leadership of the GOP is in a panic and thinks that being liberal is the way to go. The part they dont get is: They dont share the ideology of most Republicans, and most Republicans are conservative racists like me.

Most of the leadership were Democrats until 1980, when Reagan was elected. Pols know which way the wind blows, and jumped to the GOP. Now they wanna jump back. But their base is hopelessly fundie, conservative, and racist. So they have no place to go.

In the recent election I voted a straight Democrat ballot with the intent to unseat a few of these bastards. I'm confident the Democrats will manage to shit in the punch bowl between now and 2010, and maybe then we'll get some real racist-Americans on the ballot then.

 

[Liar]

What idiot would want to be a black Republican now? Haven't they learned how the GOP thinks of them after Hurricane Katrina? How about all the racist attacks on Obama, claiming he's a Muslim and so on?

I think the GOP is counting on the the broader base being slightly different from the lunatic fringe that turned up to the rallies. And remember, it was the Muslim/Arab feart that was most prevailing there, just being black is another thing. The conservative rurals and subrubian WASPS don't want to be seen as racists, and don't want to think of themselves as racists. With Steele, they can point at him and say "See, we have a Magic Negro too. We're also doing Historic stuff and Change and stuff."

There's a huge chunk of voters on both sides out there, that doesn't care about policies, as much as they care about perception.

 

[Pure]

note to jac

jacqYou know as well as anyone that there was a great bodyswitch that happened in the 1960s, where liberals took over the Democratic Party and Conservatives took over the Republican party.

i don't suppose you count FDR as liberal? and Herbert Hoover, not to say Coolidge as conserverative (small gov't; pro business, and strong social conservative also)?

IMO opinion, since about 1900, the present labels fit pretty well, Rep's as pro business, in a laisser faire sense.

Taft [1909-13], Harding, Coolidge[23-29], Hoover [29-33], starting about 1910. They are Rep'ns who'd be quite happy with Reagan, Bush Sr. and to some extent, Rove and GWB, except for the GWB social spending!!

the one partial anomaly is Teddy R (1901-1909], a Rep'n, who had his gov't take a few decisive acts that were NOT simply 'pro business.'

Wilson fits easily as a democrat. 1913-21. he had concern, for instance with a league of nations, i.e. internationalist leanings just like Obama==


===
as to strom thurmond:

[wiki] Thurmond later represented South Carolina in the United States Senate from 1954 to April 1956 and November 1956 to 2003, at first as a Democrat and after 1964 as a Republican, switching parties as the conservative base shifted.

so there was no 'body switch' mostly what happened is that conservative southern (mainly) Dems [dixiecrats, who mostly voted with rep'n on many issues], deserted in droves to the Rep'n party. IOW, the Dems became more homogeneously liberal. I make it that Rep'n have been pro business, and somewhat racist since Mc Kinley, though obviously *everyone* (white) was a racist, just about, till the 1950s.

in the 1970s, there was a corresponding move within the Rep'n party. Rockefeller was the last liberal; he and his people lost to Reagan, and Rep'ns became more homogeneously conservative (socially), though Rocky can scarecely be said to be hostile to 'big business' ! it might be mentioned that the "southern" (racist) strategy was begun by Nixon in the early 60s, iirc. making the party almost lily white, continuing till now.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

LIAR

We dont care if we're perceived as racists; we're over THAT bullshit.

Racism matters to you, because you think it gives you power over conservatives and Christians. But we dont care. If you think of us as racists, more power to you.

But, again, the GOP leadership buys into the racist bullshit AND they got no place else to go. Racists are the cards God dealt em. Its like WAL-MART wanting richer patrons. The bottom-feeders got them where they are and the elites aint buying the bullshit, so WAL-MART is stuck with the trailer trash unless they wanna go out of business.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Uh, Strom Thurmond was a Republican, and so was David Duke.

And the Republicans during the Reconstruction were liberals. Democrats back then were conservatives.

You know as well as anyone that there was a great bodyswitch that happened in the 1960s, where liberals took over the Democratic Party and Conservatives took over the Republican party.

Thurmond was a Dem until 1964, and a rabid opponent of Civil Rights.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strom_Thurmond

Duke was also a Dem for much of his political career.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Duke

Political campaigns
Duke ran as a Democrat for the Louisiana Senate in 1975. In 1988, he ran in the Democratic presidential primaries. After a poor showing, he appeared on many state ballots in the general election as the nominee of the Populist Party. He received just 47,047 votes.


[edit] Challenging John Treen
Duke allegedly conducted a direct-mail appeal in 1987, using the identity and mailing-list of the Georgia Forsyth County Defense League without permission. League officials described it as a fund-raising scam. (It is detailed in The Rise of David Duke by Tyler Bridges.)

In December 1988, Duke changed his political affiliation from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.

The following year he ran as a Republican against fellow Republican John Treen for a seat representing Metairie in the Louisiana House of Representatives. Despite the endorsement of Treen's candidacy by President George H. W. Bush, former President Ronald Reagan, and other notable Republicans,[18] Duke defeated Treen by 51% to 49%.

In late 1980s, Duke reportedly had his nose thinned and chin augmented. Following his election to the Louisiana House of Representatives, he shaved his moustache.[19][20][21]

 

[Huckleman2000]

I saw one pundit characterize this as "getting some Kryptonite", like the Republicans decided they needed to get a piece of Obama's home planet to have a chance at weakening him.

 

[Pure]

some material on michael steele

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Steele

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/26/magazine/326steele.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Steele
====

interesting and talented guy.

 

[Pure]

nice blog about Steele and Rep'n turning point

http://ndnblog.org/node/3372

Simon Rosenberg's blog

The GOP and Magic Negros

Submitted by Simon Rosenberg on Tue, 12/30/2008 - 6:51am.

In a new Huffington Post story by Sam Stein on the GOP's now infamous Magic Negro song, I offer this observation:

"The core play in the GOP playbook for 44 years has been the magic negro
playbook," said Simon Rosenberg, head of Democratic organization NDN
and one of the most well-versed party figures on racial politics. "They
don't have another play or another playbook. Whether it is Willie
Horton, or welfare queens and tax and spend, or the way they have dealt
with immigration... they don't have a play in their playbook that
doesn't start with the exploitation of racial divisions... They are
going to have to reject 44 years of GOP politics in order to have any
chance in the 21st century America."

That a major candidate for RNC Chair could produce this song, at this time, in this year, is yet another example of why for the GOP theirs is A Long Road Back, a topic I covered in a recent essay on our blog. Their recent success as a national Party was built on an approach towards race that spoke to a different racial reality in America, an American one where could get away with magic negro songs, and much much worse of course.

But that America - a white/black, majority/minority America - is now an historic relic, and is in the process of being replaced by an America that has 3 times as many minorities as it did just 44 years ago, and is on track to be majority minority by 2042 (for more on this historic demographic transformation see here). But for many in the GOP, including ones who might become their Chairman, they know no other politics than this Southern Strategy era politics, a politics that has been rejected once and for all by the American people of today's America.

It is important that the leaders of the GOP have begun to confront its shameful racial past. But their problem has no simple or easy fix. It will require a complete refashioning of their politics around a very different set of 21st century demographics and a much more tolerant understanding of race in America - and a complete and utter repudiation of much of their domestic agenda for the past half century. Which is major reason why I think their road back is such a long one - many of their leaders came to power by becoming expert in this kind of politics; it is the core play in their playbook; it is the foundation of their domestic agenda; and they know little else.

Their old Southern Strategy dogs aren't going to learn new tricks - for the GOP they will have to slowly, over time, replace their anarchronistic leaders with ones schooled in the modern governing challenges, modern media and technology and modern demography of our day. The process of watching this generational replacement take place will be one of the most interesting political stories of the next 10-20 years, and of course has become all the more necessary in the age of Obama.

How many reading this blog are aware that of the hundreds of Republicans in the Senate and House, just 5 are technically minorities - 4 Cuban-Americans from South Florida and a new Vietnamese-American from Louisiana? No African-Americans, no non-Cuban Hispanics. In a nation now one-third minority the Washington Republicans remain 98 percent white and deeply out of touch with the emerging and much more complicated racial construct of our day.

My advice to them? As you remake your Grand Old Party look to Lincoln - not Nixon - for your inspiration. And good luck. The nation will be better off with a 21st century Republican Party rather than the failed, disgraced and intolerant one we have today.