GOP Minority Recruitment Efforts Failing

Just a few years after the Republican Party launched a highly publicized diversity effort, the GOP is heading into the 2008 election without a single minority candidate with a plausible chance of winning a campaign for the House, the Senate or governor.

At a time when Democrats are poised to knock down a historic racial barrier with their presidential nominee, the GOP is fielding only a handful of minority candidates for Congress or statehouses -- none of whom seem to have a prayer of victory.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[mexamerican]

no shit? in other news, catholic church has trouble recruiting black popes.

[RedEyes]

Democrats indoctrinate minorities that Republicans are out to get them, much in the same way that Arabs indoctrinate their young that Jews are evil. There's no rational behind it. It just gets beaten into your head intil your brainwashed.

Clearly, there are racists in the Democratic Party too. Or is there another explanation for WV? But for some reason, minorities stick their heads in the sand to that evidence. Easier i gues...

[amanda85]

"Democrats indoctrinate minorities that Republicans are out to get them"

This is yet more proof Republicans are racists, as they assume minorities are unable to think for themselves.

[speakingtruth2power]

The DLC has used the Black vote just like the GOP has used the pro-life crowd.

[Moshe]

"GOP Minority Recruitment Efforts Failing"

Let's see, every two years, the GOP cynically and shamefully uses race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc., as a political wedge to emotionally manipulate ignorant people (no shortage of these) into voting against their own economic interests, all to make the rich even more filthy rich and continue the GOP strangle hold on government power.

So I can't imagine why the GOP can't get those same people they have been pounding on every two years to want to join them in the off year . . . It's a mystery . . .

[BlackandProud]

Over the past few months I've watched racism in the democrat party get exposed as a far greater problem than any racism in the republican party.

The unfortunate strategy for many years in the dem party is to call someone a racist if they disagree with someone of another race in the arena of ideas. It's a week strategy, but it works when someone is losing an argument or debate. It shuts them up for fear that someone might believe the rhetoric.

I think both partys are filled with crooks and liars, but dems are definately guilty of throwing around the race card. If someone questions your position, just give Al Sharpton a call.

Meanwhile, sadly enough, the scummy republicans have actually put more minorities in positions of power that any administration in Americas history. Go figure?

[umber2echo]

WAAAHHHHHHHHHHH. Stop the whining, a-hole, and pick up a book; educate yourself on the history of your country and the GOP you LOVE so much. Want to talk about throwing around the RACE CARD? Let's put away your Al Sharpton b.s, you cretin, and look at HISTORY:

The Republican party has been playing a racist game since it's birth in 1854. First it was the "free white labor" party, then it attempted to avert the Civil War in 1861 by negotiating at draft 13th Amendment that would have prohibited the federal government from *ever* interfering with the institution of human slavery. The Radical Republicans (not the mainstream of the party), and LINCOLN (out of pure necessity) not the REPUBLICAN PARTY as a whole, RELUCTANTLY freed the slaves . . . not out of principle or desire to make freedom a universal liberty, but to win a war.

Since the late 1960s, the GOP has LOVED racism: the Southern Strategy; Reagan announcing that he believed in states rights in a sea of Confederate flags in Philadelphia, MS, where 16 years earlier good ole boys tortured and murdered three civil rights workers -- Michael Schwerner, James Chaney, and Andrew Goodman -- who were attempting to register blacks to vote (so Reagan believed more in states rights than in democracy and voting rights for black people).
And this is the TIP of the iceberg.

Take your ignorance and your support for Republican tokenism somewhere else.

[browndog2]

Thanks to Huffpo's watchful eye, the Republican pro-slavery agenda will be exposed.

[escrow7]

GOP is not looking for AA's. They are looking for token AA. Look what they did to Watts.
Undermined all he tried to do. what's the point of being in the GOP as a AA if the party ties your hands ever time you think and do on your own.
GOP as always wants whomever they can control. Slavery is over in case you have not heard.
Although many whites especially older white americans still harbor seperatist views. They would rather still have blacks go your way and we will go ours. Do you think when segregation ended people who supported the Jim Crow way of life suddenly changed their views about blacks? Do you think every american who was against intergration suddenly changed their views about blacks? NOT!
So why does anyone think the GOP will change. The GOP is all about propaganda to further the cause. Money and Power!!!

[McPander]

I would recommend that the republicans get Socially conservative African-American candidates in all the districts that are currently held by African-Americans that support HRC.

Then pound the TV screen with Hillary's comments, "Hard Working Americans, White Americans"

Then ask a Question like......Why did Ms. Tubbs continue to support Ms. Clinton?

Could be very effective.

[McPander]

Then throw in her support for Same Sex Marriage.....

I'm telling you it will work....African-Americans are tired of the democrats changing the rules

[incontempt]

The republicans have set a clear example of who they represent...Rich, White and Greedy at the cost of all others....I am two of the above and I can see clearly who they represent.

Do you suppose that folks that aren't rich,white or greedy really have a favorable view of this political party?, the example of lie,cheat,steal out of the hands of the needy or all americans just to needlessly benefit the rich.

The republicans have soiled themselves and it stinks of massive corruption, Justice is the hero we long for, not re-election.

[NeoStar9]

It's clear, at least it seems to me and many people I've talked to that the GOP doesn't seem to welcome minorities. The way they use issues and certainly campaign make that loud and clear. They've never tried to address that either and I believe they simply don't want to. Since the neocons took power any sense of even trying to appear fair has disappeared.

It's not even about pandering either. They simply refuse to address certain issues in an actual fair manner and seem to want to exploit racial issues to their advantage since they know they can clearly gain the racist or bigoted vote to win elections. Whether or not they themselves feel that way isn't an issue. The message that those that aren't white aren't welcome is loud and clear. Perhaps it's just me that feels that way.

Socially I'm conservative on a lot of issues and even financially as well (not big business but budget wise, not overspending, etc) and I'm African American. However how the Republicans go about certain things simply disgust me and who they actually pander to when they try to divide puts me in such a place I find that I can never vote for them even though on majority of issues I could be considered republican. I don't think I'm alone in in that either.

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Many African Americans are social conservatives, but how can you patronize a party that goes out of their way to use African Americans as a divisive political tools.

In this case Kanye West was right "George Bush doesn't like black people".

[McPander]

Gee...."Hard Working Americans, White Americans"

Where does the phrase "Sista Soldier Moment" come from

The Clinton's are truly no worse than George Wallace.

And I hope the Democratic leadership is listening.....because African-Americans are listening

[McPander]

My thesis is that African-Americans are republicans that don't vote republican due to perceived racism.

I think their is a real threat to the democratic party if HRC is allowed to maintain any power in the party after this election season.

Many African-American votes will be open game after that.

[Wingmaker]

I think networks like Fix News only separates further the AA's are very upset with the reportings from Bill O slimy , Sean Clannity and Pawn Williams .

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

It's not only minorities. The GOP has a much worse record on having woman candidates. While woman are far less represented than they should be by both parties, because they outnumber men in this country, the GOP is almost a men's only club. At least the Democratic Party has over twice the number of women members in congress. Following are the raw numbers that prove my points.

CONGRESS
Women hold 86, or 16.1%, of the 535 seats in the 110th U.S. Congress -- 16, or 16.0%, of the 100 seats in the Senate and 70, or 16.1%, of the 435 seats in the House of Representatives. In addition, three women serve as delegates to the House from Guam, the Virgin Islands and Washington, D.C.

¢ Sixteen women (5R,11D) serve in the Senate.
¢ Seventy women (20R, 50D) serve in the House.

STATEWIDE ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE OFFICES
In 2008, 74 women hold statewide elective executive offices across the country; women hold 23.5% of the 315 available positions. Among these women, 27 are Republicans, 44 are Democrats and 3 were elected in nonpartisan races (NP). This is less than the number of women -- 88, or 27.4% -- serving in 2002.

Governor - 8 (3R, 5D)

Lieutenant Governor - 10 (2R, 8D)

Attorney General - 4 (4D)

Source: Center for American Women and Politics.

[AllaboutME]

1 Black Governor
1 Black Senator

Women fair just a bit better dont you think?

[KQuarksSuperKollider]

Your right I probably should not have said "much worse".

[DennyCrane]

Why would any minority want to belong to the party of Strom Thurmond. I have yet to see the GOP formally denounce his views. If you don't denounce, that's a tacit endorsement.

[SatinPanties]

And Jesse "The Monster" Helms...

[RedEyes]

Good grief! Can you say "George Wallace"? The most blatantly bigoted politician, and a Democrat, that we've ever seen.

[Sumocat]

"GOP Minority Recruitment Efforts Failing" -- Wouldn't they have to make an effort in order for their efforts to fail?

[NeoStar9]

Exactly. There is no effort.

[swooge]

Heh.....I guess minorities are smart enough to know not to vote against their best interests.

Can racist rednecks say the same thing?