GOP Weighs Electing First Black Chairman

As the nation is on the verge of inaugurating its first black president, the Republican Party is facing a telling choice: whether to elect its first black chairman.

The contest for Republican Party chairman comes as Republican leaders seek to figure out what the party stands for, as well as what face to put forward as it struggles to avoid shrinking into a party of Southern white men as the country grows increasingly diverse. Among the six candidates are four white men, including two from the South, and two blacks: Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, and J. Kenneth Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Mac18]

LOL the G.O.P makes me laugh everyday..­..the gift that keeps on giving....­as a black person this doesn't surprise me one single bit...this was to be expected..­..remember they did throw Alan Keyes in the IL senate race to run against Obama...LO­L oh Republican­s.....like I said the gift that keeps on giving....­they truly don't get it.

[nowarpleez]

It amazes me how republicans are so stuck on the term republican rather than on the ideology. The democratic party used to be the party of the south, and then there was a paradigm shift and all the racist southern democrats became republicans. It started with the 1964 civil rights enacted by a southern democrat, LBJ. The Strom Thurmonds of the country felt betrayed and became republicans. You can stop referring to Lincoln as an example of the progressiveness of the republican party. If Lincoln were alive he would be appalled by what the republican party has become; and would be considered a a liberal democrat. The current republican party has very little in common with Lincoln and represents the states rights advocates from the conferderacy.

[DelvinMcGee]

The idea that white democrats jumped to the republican party in droves is an outright lie. The facts simply don't support this often touted deception, designed to minimize the fact the southern democrats, not republicans, were behind civil rights violations in the south.

[lakat]

What a bunch of mo rons. Do they think skin color and type of genitalia is all that makes a person? They see we like a woman candidate so they get a woman of their own. Of course she is incompetent and downright scary but she has the requisite body parts. And we like a black guy for president so they get one of their own. Do they EVER get that it isn't that he's black that we like him? Or that Hillary almost got the nomination because she was very intelligent and qualified, not that she sports a va gina?

It would be encouraging to me that the Republicans are so incredibly dim witted, except that there are so many fellow Americans who think they are just a swell party. Sigh.

[seenitall]

how about putting a sock in Palin's mouth?

[bobok]

We are not worthy.. Hail. Another token black Republican.

[mrskorn]

Why if reps put in a black, do you call it token, but when the dems do it, it is an historical moment?

[jdfast]

The only thing I can say about Blackwell is that he fits in with the right wing bigots. Just ask anyone in Ohio what they think about him and they will tell you that he is the meaning of partisian politics in the flesh. He was the point of the spear that won Ohio for W in 2004. He will be just what the doctor ordered for the far right wing of the party. Although he is black, he embodies the current thinking of the repugnant part. They still haven't learned their lesson. Hope he gets the job.

[NewBritan]

GOP wld be cazy to elect a black the RNC head.

[mrskorn]

Why?!

[TheOuroborus]

Wow. Words cannot express what I'm thinking adequately. The GOP has spiraled down into a South Park episode with Token and Cartman saying he know enough about Christianity to exploit it.

[formerprosecutor]

As a person of col or, I never want to think I was selected because of my co lor; via "toke nism". I never want to be used; prostituted because of my last name, my blo odline. The ultimatepr­ofessional insult. Except being eliminated because of my blo od or name. I have also seen myown people climb right over my moral fence and take those same jobs offered in the spirit of toke nism. I confronted a memberof my ra ce when she took a job with a "dominant culture" law firm; that was clearly seeking an associate of our r ace. Shetold me, " It is better to serve in heaven than rule in h ell" She said that is was better to have that 6figure income, a niceoffice, parkingspace, be patronized and condescended to; trotted out when needed, to show off the firms "diver sity" than to stick it out in thetrenches, making less than gradeschool teachers, fight the good fight. She said that she wanted to be a big fish in a small pond. Just like Steele and Blackwell. People of their race are not unique or special in the Democratic party; they certainly are in the GOP. People of co lor are not sheep; just because you trot out a Ju das goat, we won't follow it till we see where it is leading us. "Social conservatism" is not the right path for people of co lor in this country. Westill have many inequities to change.

[formerprosecutor]

I hope people that read my comment understand WHY I had to resort to the awkward word structure; incredbiby annoying that I was d...l...d 3 times when posted correctly written SHEEEESH

[leatherneck1971]

You know the desperation and decline and evetual death of the republican party when they elect a black man to a party famous for the likes or Strom Thurmond, famous unrepentant segregationist, and leader of the dixiecrats whom abandoned the democratic party over segregation, voting rights to blacks, funny how majority of republican analysts, strategists are black, on media outlets, for a party which never gets more than 9% of black vote that is either token faces or kind've harkens to the days of old plantation where the field hands versus the house hands got a little better treatment, food, housing, etc, guess nothing changes for the republicans if they think they can fool anyone with this shell game trick, hide the black guy under the republican shell!

[KO4Pres]

Nice try!!

[judesedit]

You know Blackwell will get it. They owe him big time for throwing the 2004 election to Bush. Spare us the dog and pony show.

[offred]

Blackwell's a shoe-in. He knows too much.

[myfatherschild]

It will be interesting to see if Mr.Steele gets the nod. If he does, then it will be even more interesting to see the reaction of Palin/Dobson folk. Those same people who bought monkies to the rallies and mocked Obama. Maybe they would accept Steele, maybe they will break and establish their own party. It certainly will be quite interesting to watch how this plays out.

[Mdazes]

They thought Palin could replace Sen Hillary Clinton. Now they think a black republican can replace Obama. I think not.

[Ozy]

Great Pick for the GOP. Perfect!