- b.c.,
I preface this thread by bringing up (seemingly) unrelated events of increased incidents in racism and bigotry (I say seemingly...bear with me) that have been making the news as of late. The comments made in reference to advertisements showing interracial couples for example, as well as several other recent and equally despicable instances of pure HATE, which I will not enumerate.
Seems the venom has reached an all time high and it's even gotten to the point that CERTAIN bigots among us (APPARENTLY) have quite strong opinions as to who should or shouldn't have the right to demonstrate one's own patriotism, in song, dance, or otherwise.
In the midst of all of this the GOP, a party that has long exploited if not outright COURTED such hate based ideology says it is trying to take new direction, or so I've heard. But they're having some difficulties:
First there was that Jeb Bush comment about "fertile immigrants", which in all fairness, he (apparently) intended as a compliment. Nor should I fail to mention that in fact he's long been a champion of immigration reform (to the dismay of some of his OWN fellow Republicans) and has supported "pathways to legal status" for undocumented immigrants.
So that bit may (or may not - depending on your take) have been "all that".
But then there's this:
Former Miss America Called 'Street Walker' by Local GOP Leader | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo!
This is a former Miss America and a BLACK GOP candidate, who, according to Jim Allen, Chairman of the Republican Party of Montgomery County Illinois is a....well...read it for yourself:
Some Republicans were outraged, including the editor of the Republican News Watch:
"The editor of Republican News Watch, Doug Ibendahl, said the comments were "outrageous" and underscored "why we as Republicans fail to gain any respect from minority voters.
"If officials in my party fail to understand how destructive it is to attack an impressive person like Erika Harold merely because she dares to challenge the good old boys, the GOP will remain a losing party for decades,"
Ibendahl wrote. "This stay-in-the-back-of-the-bus mentality destroys any hope the Republican Party has for regaining momentum in future elections.""
I'm inclined to agree.
Seems the venom has reached an all time high and it's even gotten to the point that CERTAIN bigots among us (APPARENTLY) have quite strong opinions as to who should or shouldn't have the right to demonstrate one's own patriotism, in song, dance, or otherwise.
In the midst of all of this the GOP, a party that has long exploited if not outright COURTED such hate based ideology says it is trying to take new direction, or so I've heard. But they're having some difficulties:
First there was that Jeb Bush comment about "fertile immigrants", which in all fairness, he (apparently) intended as a compliment. Nor should I fail to mention that in fact he's long been a champion of immigration reform (to the dismay of some of his OWN fellow Republicans) and has supported "pathways to legal status" for undocumented immigrants.
So that bit may (or may not - depending on your take) have been "all that".
But then there's this:
Former Miss America Called 'Street Walker' by Local GOP Leader | ABC News Blogs - Yahoo!
This is a former Miss America and a BLACK GOP candidate, who, according to Jim Allen, Chairman of the Republican Party of Montgomery County Illinois is a....well...read it for yourself:
Some Republicans were outraged, including the editor of the Republican News Watch:
"The editor of Republican News Watch, Doug Ibendahl, said the comments were "outrageous" and underscored "why we as Republicans fail to gain any respect from minority voters.
"If officials in my party fail to understand how destructive it is to attack an impressive person like Erika Harold merely because she dares to challenge the good old boys, the GOP will remain a losing party for decades,"
Ibendahl wrote. "This stay-in-the-back-of-the-bus mentality destroys any hope the Republican Party has for regaining momentum in future elections.""
I'm inclined to agree.
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