From The Root giving some perspective on the vote for the new RNC Chairman. An excerpt:
"It’s true that two black men--of very different political leanings--are among the six men fighting to represent the party of Abraham Lincoln. Blackwell is a rock-ribbed conservative who writes for the far-right Town Hall, belongs to the Family Research Council as well as the National Rifle Association. Steele is a moderate who helms the revived Republican Leadership Council, a centrist political action committee, alongside others like Christine Whitman, Jane Swift and Tom Ridge. But how can we forget that Chip Saltzman, another potential RNC head, recently sent supporters an e-mail making fun of “Barack the Magic Negro?” Just this week, a fake cover of USA Today began to circulate among RNC membership, with the unpleasant headline “RNC Members Choose ‘Whites Only’ Chairman”—a reference to Katon Dawson, a South Carolina operative said to be the front-runner, who joined a private club that does not admit blacks."
Grand White Party: Can Republicans get down with the brown?
Another take from the co-chairwoman of Republican Majority for Choice:
ReplyDeleteNew GOP chair must accept moderates
"According to national exit polls, the Republican brand lost with the two largest voting blocs in the country: women and moderates. Self-described moderates — who make up 44 percent of the electorate — gave Barack Obama a 21-point advantage over John McCain. Women gave Obama a 13-point advantage (56 percent to 43 percent). The GOP won the male vote only 49 percent to 48 percent, a negligible difference. Voters under 30, the future of both parties, gave Obama a landslide victory (66 percent to 32 percent). Additionally, the GOP lost the majority of voters in key suburbs — which lean to the middle — across the nation, as well as nine states formerly considered “safe” Republican states in 2004, including Indiana and North Carolina. These facts seem to be either ignored or not enough for our party leaders to see that the base is changing. I believe it is changing for the better."
Well, all right! I'd say a step in the right direction, RNC. Bit disappointed that Dawson (a la member of a whites-only country club in SC) was the lone opponent left, but it's over. I hope this heralds a more rational and moderate conservative movement within the party:
ReplyDeleteMichael Steele becomes first black RNC chairman
The Root's reaction to Steele's chairmanship:
ReplyDeleteGOP Steels Itself for the Future