The GOP is a Fair Weather Friend

[Anonymous]

There are reports that Michael Steele is about to be ousted as head of the RNC. Don't get me wrong, I never liked the guy in the first place. And I felt like it was a bit of tokenism to put him in the slot, window dressing for a party competing against a black president. AND I know he hasn't worked out all that well (perhaps tokenism isn't the best way to pick a leader). But honestly, it feels like Obama's approval ratings are down and so they don't need their black face anymore. If Obama had sky high approval ratings, I think they would stick with the window dressing.

The party needs to get serious about legitimately representing people of color or it is doomed.

[Anonymous]

He's the biggest doofus in politics. If he were white, they probably would have canned him already for any of the numerous missteps he's made. Getting rid of him now is at least a step toward honesty, not that honesty is really their motive. It's probably because they can do it with a little more political cover not b/c of Obama's ratings but because it's just after the election when things are shaking up all over. From what I've read, his efforts and the RNC were pretty marginalized during this election season by the Tea Party and Karl Rove's political organization.

Republicans shouldn't have wasted their time with the fig leaf of Michael Steele anyway. As long as there is such an undercurrent of racism in their party and they take policy positions contrary to the interests of many African-Americans and Latinos, they will be hard-pressed to convince minority voters to vote for them anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:He's the biggest doofus in politics. If he were white, they probably would have canned him already for any of the numerous missteps he's made. Getting rid of him now is at least a step toward honesty, not that honesty is really their motive. It's probably because they can do it with a little more political cover not b/c of Obama's ratings but because it's just after the election when things are shaking up all over. From what I've read, his efforts and the RNC were pretty marginalized during this election season by the Tea Party and Karl Rove's political organization.

Republicans shouldn't have wasted their time with the fig leaf of Michael Steele anyway. As long as there is such an undercurrent of racism in their party and they take policy positions contrary to the interests of many African-Americans and Latinos, they will be hard-pressed to convince minority voters to vote for them anyway.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

I would say that Democrat voters are also fair weather friends, given how few of them turned out this past election.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:He's the biggest doofus in politics. If he were white, they probably would have canned him already for any of the numerous missteps he's made. Getting rid of him now is at least a step toward honesty, not that honesty is really their motive. It's probably because they can do it with a little more political cover not b/c of Obama's ratings but because it's just after the election when things are shaking up all over. From what I've read, his efforts and the RNC were pretty marginalized during this election season by the Tea Party and Karl Rove's political organization.

Republicans shouldn't have wasted their time with the fig leaf of Michael Steele anyway. As long as there is such an undercurrent of racism in their party and they take policy positions contrary to the interests of many African-Americans and Latinos, they will be hard-pressed to convince minority voters to vote for them anyway.

Ditto.

Oh, come on. There are quite a few bigger doofuses in politics. Rand Paul? Christine O'Donnell? Sarah Palin? John Boehner? And that's just off the top of my head.

[Anonymous]

In fairness, Rand Paul and John Boehner are reasonable people with a different political perspective. They don't deserve to be lumped in with the GOP's booth bimbos. Dan Quayle was and still is a member of those ranks as well. Good looks don't substitute for talent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are reports that Michael Steele is about to be ousted as head of the RNC. Don't get me wrong, I never liked the guy in the first place. And I felt like it was a bit of tokenism to put him in the slot, window dressing for a party competing against a black president. AND I know he hasn't worked out all that well (perhaps tokenism isn't the best way to pick a leader). But honestly, it feels like Obama's approval ratings are down and so they don't need their black face anymore. If Obama had sky high approval ratings, I think they would stick with the window dressing.

The party needs to get serious about legitimately representing people of color or it is doomed.

I'd have to say I think he has done a pretty good job of screwing up all on his own. I bet he would be in trouble even if Obama had good approval ratings.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In fairness, Rand Paul and John Boehner are reasonable people with a different political perspective. They don't deserve to be lumped in with the GOP's booth bimbos. Dan Quayle was and still is a member of those ranks as well. Good looks don't substitute for talent.

Rand Paul is reasonable? Apparently, "reasonable" means something different than I thought it did. Huh.