While speaking at DePaul university RNC chairman Micheal Steele amazingly f*cks up not once, not twice, but three times. Seriously, how long can this guy last?
Observe . . .
Why should an African-American vote Republican?
"You really don't have a reason to, to be honest - we haven't done a very good job of really giving you one. True? True," Republican National Chairman Michael Steele told 200 DePaul University students Tuesday night. [...]
"For the last 40-plus years we had a 'Southern Strategy' that alienated many minority voters by focusing on the white male vote in the South. Well, guess what happened in 1992, folks, 'Bubba' went back home to the Democratic Party and voted for Bill Clinton."
Why do I get the feeling that Michael Steele likening non millionaire African Americans to "Bubba" the stereotypically big lipped, slow witted African American friend of Forrest Gump isn't going to win Republicans any new non white voters any time soon.
Keep calling African Americans "bubba" Mikey, you dumbass, that will really win them over to the GOP!
Update: It has been brought to my attention that "bubba" is a term used to describe white, southern men, instead of the Forrest Gump reference I imagined it was at first. Being from NYC originally, I had not heard this term before used this way and may be guilty of misinterpreting Steele's quote. I shall leave it up to you, dear reader, to decide for yourself. Though this does not excuse Steele's obtuse idiocy, it might explain the reference better.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming . . .
Yeah, pretending that the GOP is NOT still using the anti civil rights "Southern Strategy" isn't working on us. Not in the face of the birther wing of that party you are in charge of, Mr. Steele, as if you didn't know.
Neither is the larf that African Americans suddenly started voting overwhelmingly for Democrats during the Clinton-Bush Sr elections, as if African Americans supported the GOP while they fought Martin Luther King Jr and his drive for civil rights in the 60's or Ronald Reagan while he blamed all of societies ills on those "Cadillac driving welfare queens" in the 80's, all WHILE the "Southern Strategy" Steele admits was in use then (and still is now, despite Steele's wilfull ignorance).
The one gem of truth, to Micheal Steele's credit, is that the Republican party does not have a single thing to offer African American voters. Black people are NOT stupid, they will not vote for people who condone racism against African Americans, they will not vote for policies that obviously destroy their communities and benefit only the wealthiest among us, and they will not vote for the same Southern Strategy that turned firehoses on their fathers in the 60's and call the first African American President in American history an illegal immigrant Kenyan and a "racist who hates white people and white culture"
It's going to take something more than the GOP version of Carlton Banks to appeal to African American voters when Democrats have the Will Smith of politicians in President Barack Obama. African Americans are way, way smarter than the GOP leadership give them credit for, and until the GOP starts representing anyone other than the wealthiest 1% and the white, predominantly rural and southern fools and religious extremists who consistently vote against their own working class interests it won't matter what way Micheal Steele wears his hat, our African American brothers and sisters won't buy your GOP bullshit.
Stop patronizing black people, Micheal Steele. You can't live in a bubble where you totally ignore the Glenn Beck's, Tom Tancredo's and teabaggers on your side and still hope to appeal to anyone who isn't pining to celebrate "Confederate History Month".
So this FAIL is for you, Michael Steele. I get the feeling that the only reason you still have your job is the fact that the GOP really, really doesn't want to be the "Whites Only" party, and considering the fact that the GOP doesn't have a single African American candidate for congress, I'd say your job as the Republican black friend is totally safe for now.
Or is it? Who knows how far down the purity rabbit hole the GOP is willing to go?
To my African American brothers and sisters, on behalf of white people everywhere, I apologize for these Republican idiots.
