The GOP and the race thing
Over the last few days, we've learned that Republicans can say some bone-headed things. Some of those things can sound about as racist as a number of speeches and other utterances by two prominent Democratic "Reverends" - Jesse Jackson and Jeremiah Wright.
FITSNews posted comments from Mike Green and Rusty DePass, two veteran GOP politicos who I have a lot of respect for:
While one can argue these comments weren't too smart, knowing these guys, you could never convince me they were said out of hate, or that Mike or Rusty were racist in the last.
Racism is something I know all too well. As my first wife was of Sub-Saharan African descent (which meant she wasn't white), I've had more than a little racism directed at me over the years - as well at my ex-wife and my daughter.
You want to know how it feels? It hurts and it's infuriating - and it's something you'll never really understand unless you experience it.
From these experiences, I have come to learn a lot about what racism is - the more overt kind in which insults are used to hurt and degrade, and the less overt kind in which comments are made in jest, with no malice, by people who simply do not understand how these words can hurt.
Will Folks is onto something when he points out:
To a point, he's dead on with his argument - but there's more that he didn't touch upon. Republicans can talk a lot about how they're on the right side of many black voters on the issues, but such issue-oriented alignments won't happen if these voters don't TRUST Republicans.
It's hard to earn that trust when these kinds of comments are posted online.
It's hard to earn that trust when your party leaders are members of an all-white country club.
It's hard to earn that trust when good-meaning black community leaders have to turn to Democratic leaders for help for their communities, opportunities to be appointed to boards and commissions, etc.
It's hard to earn that trust when you ask GOP voters on a primary ballot if they support keeping the Confederate flag over the state capitol, and an overwhelming majority of them support it.
Maybe these things were not intended with malice, but maybe it would help to consider that other people see things in a very different light and try to show a little respect for their points of view.
In the absence of a strong and clear effort to earn the trust and respect of black voters, these kinds of actions speak volumes about how little Republicans understand and respect them. If the GOP wants to ever win the support of any significant number of black voters, it's going to have to do much better than that.
FITSNews posted comments from Mike Green and Rusty DePass, two veteran GOP politicos who I have a lot of respect for:
While one can argue these comments weren't too smart, knowing these guys, you could never convince me they were said out of hate, or that Mike or Rusty were racist in the last.
Racism is something I know all too well. As my first wife was of Sub-Saharan African descent (which meant she wasn't white), I've had more than a little racism directed at me over the years - as well at my ex-wife and my daughter.
You want to know how it feels? It hurts and it's infuriating - and it's something you'll never really understand unless you experience it.
From these experiences, I have come to learn a lot about what racism is - the more overt kind in which insults are used to hurt and degrade, and the less overt kind in which comments are made in jest, with no malice, by people who simply do not understand how these words can hurt.
Will Folks is onto something when he points out:
The point is this - at a time when Republicans need to be playing the game of addition, these stupid sophomoric comments are making it harder for their “outreach” efforts to succeed.
But again, therein lies our point …
As we’ve said in the past, “outreach” can’t be some pathetically transparent attempt to insert a few token blacks into leadership positions, it has to be a fundamental recasting of the party’s mindset - which, incidentally, has to be accompanied by a restoration of individual liberty and economic prosperity as the party’s two defining (and decidedly colorblind) values.
After all, we remain firmly convinced that black South Carolinians are being sold out by most of their Democratic leaders - and are waiting for a party to articulate what they believe in for a change.
To a point, he's dead on with his argument - but there's more that he didn't touch upon. Republicans can talk a lot about how they're on the right side of many black voters on the issues, but such issue-oriented alignments won't happen if these voters don't TRUST Republicans.
It's hard to earn that trust when these kinds of comments are posted online.
It's hard to earn that trust when your party leaders are members of an all-white country club.
It's hard to earn that trust when good-meaning black community leaders have to turn to Democratic leaders for help for their communities, opportunities to be appointed to boards and commissions, etc.
It's hard to earn that trust when you ask GOP voters on a primary ballot if they support keeping the Confederate flag over the state capitol, and an overwhelming majority of them support it.
Maybe these things were not intended with malice, but maybe it would help to consider that other people see things in a very different light and try to show a little respect for their points of view.
In the absence of a strong and clear effort to earn the trust and respect of black voters, these kinds of actions speak volumes about how little Republicans understand and respect them. If the GOP wants to ever win the support of any significant number of black voters, it's going to have to do much better than that.
Odd thathe party of Lincoln has done, legislatively and executively on the Federal level FAR MORE for racial equality than the Dems ever did, yet continue to get bad press, go fig, when you do things right, for the right reason rather thna to take credit for it, one supposes you're expecting your reward in heaven rather than in re-election.