The "Whites-Only" Sign on The GOP's "Big Tent"

The candidates for the Republican party's presidential nod are building quite a track record--of snubbing prospective voters. This week the four leading candidates--Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney, Rudolph Giuliani and John McCain--added the PBS-sponsored debate at Baltimore's historically-black Morgan State University to their "I'll-pass" list. That list now includes the National Urban League, Univision, the Spanish-language television network, the National Association of Latino Elected Officials and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. It's getting to be a long list.

But perhaps it's those of us who are dismayed by these displays of camapign cowardice that just don't get it.

Perhaps the GOP candidates are following the same script the Bush administration has used for governance: be irresponsible.

Or perhaps, they're developing a new paradigm for how a political party contests elections. Perhaps they want to test that you actually improve your chances of winning by snubbing entire groups of voters, and that in a nation whose voting pool is becoming more and more diverse, you make it clear you want just the votes of whites.

Republicans love to talk about Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan, presidents whom they hold up as having met the tests of greatness. Is this what Abraham Lincoln would do? Is this what Ronald Reagan would do?

Republicans also used to talk about their welcoming all Americans into the party of the "big tent." But actions speak louder than words. The actions of the Republican candidates make it clear the big tent has a whites-only sign over the entrance.

Comments

[YellowPanties]

Add to the "whites only" banner for the GOP: rich, heterosexual, fundamentalist Christian, gun-loving, corporate boot-lickin', anti-environment (cuz Jayzus is go-ing to sayuv us...), anti-science, pro-war, pro-death penalty ---only.

Why are people still surprised at the GOP, it's not like they have ever made this secret.

[nonotchka]

I think black Republicans are one of the funniest sights on television.

How could any black man or woman subscribe to that lily white party?

n.

[Democrab]

In 500 hundred years, everyone in America will be black, given the dominant black gene, then maybe everyone will shut up about skin color and racial indifference.

[BanditTheCat]

I just got here so I don't know if this has been mentioned.

Why should the Republicans care about black and hispanics when they will prevent them from voting anyway? (sigh)

[lisakaz]

I guess, Mr. Jordan, the GOP just figures that if they exclude enough blacks and hispanics from the ballot box they'll be okay. Why ask for a vote they want to rescind, right (if not just negate via "irregularities" of Diebolt machines and the like)?

[eNewsReference]

The GOP's tent is getting smaller and smaller these days! http://www.enewsreference.com

[Jazzylady26]

Lincoln freed the slaves; didn't Ronny Raygun enslave blacks with heroin? Didn't he hate black folks? All those black welfare queens, rolling round in their illgotten welfare paid for Cadis? The repuglican message hasn't changed, it's still one of hate for blacks, and clearly a plantation attitude. We understand that all too well.

[NuAgeDok]

It is no surprise that the current Republican front runners have shunned contact with blacks and Hispanics for this upcoming election cycle.

After our moronic President turned his back on New Orleans and screwed the pooch with the immigration debacle, Rove's secret strategery evolved from simply paying lip service to the minorities, to ignore them - we can beat Hillary without them.

The most surprising aspect of the GOP ethno-meltdown is that the Democratic Candidates have developed a devastating new-onset aphasia that prevents them from uttering a peep about it. I could speculate about the reasons for their apparent brain damage but now my brain is starting to hurt . . .

[h20bird]

Skip a PBS-sponsored debate? Yeah, that's something I would absolutely have expected Ronald Reagan to do. Although the term "intellectual elite" may not have been invented yet to downplay the importance of being well-read or educated, even then the Republican party was celebrating the lowest common denominator.

[darker]

GOP's big tent: FULL OF HOLES and looking more like a KKK WHITE SHEET.

[dora_rice]

a penny for your thoughts.

[dora_rice]

There are 114 historically black colleges in the United States today, including two-year and four-year as well as public and private institutions. Most are located in the Southeastern United States. Four are located in the midwestern states (two each in Missouri and Ohio), two are located in Pennsylvania, one is in Delaware, and one is in the Virgin Islands.[1]

Other educational institutions have large numbers of African Americans in their student body, but were founded (or opened their doors to African Americans) after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court (the court decision which outlawed racial segregation of public education facilities). By definition they are not historically black colleges. Such institutions have been termed predominantly black.

[Marnie1]

Not only is the title of the article racists but is bigoted.
The Republicans only need for their diehards, approximately 20-30% of the voting public, to vote in large numbers, to win, when generally a 30% voter turn out is common.

Please keep in mind that some of Bush's most visible advocates are blacks and Hispanics.

And Please keep in mind that of the 60% of the American public that the Republicans don't even bother to attract, the majority are white.

[dora_rice]

I am a democrat, but I kind admire the pukes for not bending down for J. Jackson

[dolphinlikr]

only terrified, white, cool-aid drinking racists need apply. your leaders believe that is enough of you to win the next election. (with touch screen voting, it probably is.)