Chip Saltsman Leads GOP To Soul-Searching Period

The Republican National Committee is set to host a historic series of discussions and debates in early January that will likely affect not just the future platform of the party, but the makeup and racial dynamics of its members.

The forums come at a time when the GOP is undergoing an intense bout of political soul-searching, made even more urgent by revelations that a leading RNC chair candidate distributed a racially insensitive CD as a Holiday gift.

Well aware that the party must expand and diversify, Republican officials are scheduled to use the upcoming events to discuss race and the inclusiveness of the GOP.

"[Race] is going to be a large piece of it," said Grover Norquist, head of Americans for Tax Reform and a moderator of one of the debates. "There will be the immigration and Hispanic issues. There will be the immigration issue with respect to Asians and Pakistanis and Muslims. There will even be [discussion of] Mormon issues. All of those things will be very important."

The same topics will likely be addressed during the RNC's own scheduled meeting that same week. The proceedings will also cover strategic and procedural matters such as establishing a primary calendar, using more advanced technology, and enhancing the party's GOTV efforts.

In private, GOP officials admit to being at a politically dangerous crossroads when it comes to minorities. Reaction to Chip Saltsman's distribution of a CD including the song "Barack the Magic Negro" has been mixed. James Richardson, a former RNC staffer, called it "political suicide." Current RNC chair Mike Duncan said he was "shocked and appalled." But Ken Blackwell, the African-American former Ohio Attorney General and another candidate for the chairmanship, dismissed criticism as "hypersensitivity in the press."

"Look, the GOP needs to be inclusive and more sensitive," a high-ranking Republican explained to the Huffington Post. "On the other hand if we are going to fall apart in pieces every time someone yells racism than we are going to lose the next four years.... Because that means that the left is allowed to talk about race but we are not. There has got to be a way to talk about the president's agenda without falling into this trap."

All of which should make the early January forum and debates -- as well as the campaign for RNC chair -- fertile ground for the media and the politically-obsessed. Democrats who study long-term political trends say with some certainty that the GOP isn't going to remedy its deficits among black and Latino voters simply by appointing an African-American like Blackwell to the top post. After all, a Cuban-American (Sen. Mel Martinez) chaired the committee in 2007 only to resign from the job and the Senate altogether -- partially, it's believed, out of dismay over the GOP's racial intolerance.

Rather, the GOP may need to entirely revamp its approach towards minorities in particular and politics in general if the party wants to regain a grip on power.

"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."

Comments

[urthsong]

The Republicans aren't even embarrassed. It takes a conscience to be embarrrassed. My 88 year old mother, who is proud of having voted for FDR, is a strong believer in the power of prayer. We come from a family of ministers and missionaries. Mom has been praying daily ever since the invasion of Iraq that the immoral Republican Party go out of existence. I think she may be onto something. These guys are really self-destructing. Aren't they? Obama's magic is that he, to the best of his human ability, has been working at harnessing the decency and caring in people. That, as well as his rare intellect, communication and organizational leadership skills, is what we see in him. We've had a very long, dry spell with the greed and hate-mongers spreading their venom. As long as we make certain to secure our election systems properly, we will not go back.

[oaklynne]

How can the GOP do any soul searching when they don't have any souls?

[BetterDeadthanRedState]

And they invited Grover Norquist?!?!?

[sol2009]

Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy. What's Saltsman background; you can bet he's hiding something in his own family. When guilty, attack the other party, and that's what he's doing. In the meantime, another grave digging act by irresponsible, unethical Republican leaders.

[harpinon]

While so many of us are getting sucked into spending our energy on reacting to this CD and this stupid but provacative song ( and that includes me), Barack is going to the gym, making plans and taking actions, making decisons, bieng proactive about things that will make a difference. He is taking care of his mind and body and keeping his eyes on the prize. I am older than Barack, but I want to be more like him when I grow up.

[returnofthejedi]

Yes your are right in what you say. I would only argue that a general can't win a war all by himself.
Neither can a lone soldier. In every war I have known there are troops that speciallize in certain functions. You have the ground troops, the pilots, the sailors, and so on. The conservatives have seen themselves at war with liberals, outspoken minorities and the like for at least 20 years. We
would be mistaken to keep allowing these kinds of disrespectful things to go on with no answer.

[gcw]

Exactly! I'm going to work in my garden. Thanks.

[rshrink]

The only reason they want to be in power is to exploit everyone they can. How does that equate with soul searching? Like others said before me, this is truly a souless group. They actually need to think about moving to other countries, ones where they can find the cheap labor and no caring about healthcare and the environment. There, they would fit in and could start over exploiting like crazy.

[lunchlady]

Maybe when Mugabe dies they can slip into the power vacuum there. Pointy elbows get the prize. Not much left to loot there though, especially compared to the US. I'm still suspicious that the whole sudden bailout emergency thing was just a carefully timed last minute fleecing, on a stupendous scale.

The best thing about our system is that its still possible to get bad leaders out of office. Even if they manage to get in there and make a mess its still possible to vote them out of office. There are plenty of ways to try and manipulate the system and defeat the checks and balances system and cheat, but a big enough voter revolt can't be squashed.
One of things I find most mystifying about some rightwingers is there attitude about the ACLU. They associate it with communism, criminals, and pornographers. This attitude demonstrates to me how poorly they understand their civil liberties and how easy it is to lose them.

[chabuka]

Its not just race..their intolerance of others, has spread into religion, the working class, the elderly, women rights, the poor, labor (spreading like a flesh-eating staph infection)...if you are not a rich, white, male shyster (denouncing every religion except Evangelicals, Baptists, holly rollers,etc.,) thumping the Bible with one hand and fleecing the flock with the other..(In the name of the LORD)..you just don't count and don't matter...(except to pay the taxes, so they don't have too)

[VSamuels]

Exactly, racism is more of a disrespectful nature, sort of where the aforementioned hatred has morphed into an apathy that is so deeply dismissive of others that it doesn't even slow down to consider the humanity of anyone who is not like them. Most, of these folks are on auto-pilot, and probably would be surprised if they could be transported outside of themselves to watch how they treat others. With the likes of Brian Williams, David Gregory and a bevy of predominately white male anchors and pundits, there is a natural barrier that keeps the reality of this phenomena from being discussed, dissected and delved into, consistent with the level intolerance that is squeezed into what they accept as normal.

The re-segregation of corporate media is disturbing and a bit disheartening, in light of the changing face of America and the world; a sort of last gasp of defiance from the 1%ers that their world must be held in place, in spite of most evidence that its homogeneity is highly disfunctional in a multi-cultural setting.

[gcw]

Well said. I watch PBS, BBC, Free Speech TV, LINK and enjoy Democracy NOW, Grit TV and, even, Gay TV to see what's on their minds. FSTV is refreshingly progressive. Nice to have those alternatives. Although I don't automatically agree with all that is presented, I do appreciate that they ask good questions and then let their guests talk -- amazing! Sadly, mainstream TV does not even try to give us real news reports anymore (much less any in-depth discussions) and that is bad.

[stargazer13]

can you actually find some thing that you have never been in possession of in the first place

Me thinks NOT!!!

[eqactor2]

You are sooo hysterically funny, and sooo incredibly RIGHT!! Thanks for the chuckle.

[AngryMonkey]

Well they can't have mine. I care about things other than money.

[opines]

The true thought process of Republican leaders goes like this:

Are you sure we can't continue to be non-inclusive and racists and win? Are you sure the good old tricks won't work? There must be some way we can trick them, divide them.

Well if not, let's figure out some way to be 'inclusive' but with the good old boys fully in charge.

Yeah! That's the ticket.

[bobtr900]

Looking at Saltsman, reminds me of Russert.

[jennytaylia]

You can't search a non-existent soul, GOP.

These "forums" will just be seminars in how to be less obviously raci.st and hom.ophob.ic.....

[boyer37212]

I live in Nashville. Our state capitol is two miles down the street from my home.

I hereby decree that our city be officially recognized as "Nashsilla."

[aluyi1]

HP deleted my last comment on this so I will try to be nice this time. Larry Elder ( an AA member of the GOP ) was a disgrace on CNN ( Anderson Cooper 360 ) last night. He tried to defend Chip's CD as a joke and then attempted to prove that Democrats are more racist than Republicans. At the same time Hillary Rosen ( a democratic white lady we all know who was on the same panel ) tried to show him that it was wrong for Chip to do it. I'm black and I couldn't believe what I was seeing ! It was like watching an episode of the Twilight Zone ! Larry made a valiant, heart-felt attempt to out do Ken Blackwell last night and suceeded. I will not repeat the names I called him on my last post that was deleted.
I think Anderson knew exactly what he was doing inviting him on instead of someone like Roland Martin since Larry used to be a regular on Fox news. UNBELIEVABLE.

[bobtr900]

The repub party of endless greed has no soul.

[bobtr900]

The repub party religious hatred has no soul.