Michael Steele: African-Americans "don’t have a reason" to vote Republican; we've "alienated many minority voters"

By GottaLaff

Can you imagine if it had been a Democrat saying this? There would be screams of "racist!" and 24/7 news recycling of accusatory punditiot after punditiot, as if on a loop. The GOP would be demanding apologies and the condemnation would be so loud, we'd all have to wear ear muffs:

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.

Racist! Oh, sorry. I forgot he's the RNC chair, so it's a-ok.

"We have lost sight of the historic, integral link between the party and African-Americans," Steele said. "This party was co-founded by blacks, among them Frederick Douglass. The Republican Party had a hand in forming the NAACP, and yet we have mistreated that relationship. People don't walk away from parties, Their parties walk away from them.

"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."

When Democrats have suggested the very same thing... well, you know.

I wish Michael would get out there even more than he does. He's so very entertaining.

Former TX GOP chair: Bush "was a lousy president of the United States"

By GottaLaff

Once upon a time, Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken, a former chairman of the Texas Republican Party, wrote a book.

And in this book, he wrote about Boy Georgie, who he has known since he was a “young man”.

There go the souvenir sales:

George W. Bush might have made a terrific Major League Baseball commissioner, but he was a lousy president of the United States.

The former Texas Republican Party chair has spoken, er, written.

For more, plus a radio interview, go here.

BREAKING: Dem. Rep. Parker Griffith switching to Republican party

By GottaLaff

A defector in our midsts. MSNBC just reported that Alabama Dem. Rep. Parker Griffith will become a Republican.

Politico has the rest.

UPDATE:

Now he's right where he belongs. Good riddance.

And this:

First Read provides some more context on Rep. Parker Griffith's party switch today, noting "he was one of four Democrats to oppose the stimulus, cap and trade, and health-care reform. The other three: Walt Minnick (ID), Bobby Bright (AL) and Gene Taylor (MS). All four are/were considered major targets for the GOP in 2010. Griffith also voted against the Wall St. reform legislation and the Lilly Ledbetter Act."

"So considering Griffith's votes, when measuring his switch versus Arlen Specter's, Specter's was much more significant."

Meanwhile, though the NRCC tried to remove their advertisement blasting Griffith from YouTube, they must have forgetten that nothing is ever really deleted anymore.

You can see the titles of the three ads they have since removed, but here's an ad they missed:

More here.

GOP Official Accused of Using Database to Stalk Woman

By GottaLaff

Photo courtesy of Maricopa County Sheriff's Office

Another day, another Rushpublic Sexcapade:

Arizona Republican Party executive director Brett Mecum is the subject of a criminal complaint "alleging he used the Republican's voter database to stalk a young female graduate student," reports the Huffington Post.

According to the affidavit, Mecum "is using Voter Vault to stalk." Voter Vault is used by the Republican Party to micro-target the party's message and to canvas specific demographics.

Oh, but that's not the first time ol' Brett got into a little scrape. Let's take a trip in The Special Exclusive Handy Dandy Political Carnival WayBack Machine to springtime 2009:

The executive director of the Arizona Republican Party was charged with reckless driving and criminal speeding Wednesday after a photo radar camera caught him driving 109 mph on Loop 101.

Brett Mecum was arrested by Department of Public Safety officers around 10:30 a.m. at party headquarters in Phoenix in connection with an April 10 incident.

Stalking, reckless driving, criminal speeding... Yep, just another day in Rushpublic FamilyValuesLand.

GOP 'trackers' stalk Dems in hunt for 'macaca' moment

Yep, but as Dan points out, they're not just standing there, they're trying to instigate situations that would embarrass the politicians. Your modern GOP.

WASHINGTON — Rep. Chris Carney was walking down a Capitol Hill street when suddenly — bam — an anonymous Republican with a video camera who'd been following him asked him a question that was intended to embarrass the Pennsylvania Democrat.

The interviewer asked first about a single provision in the massive economic stimulus bill, then asked if Carney was going to be "ready to vote tomorrow."

An irritated Carney answered: "Like I told you before, if I see the damn package, I'll have an answer."

(snip)

The National Republican Congressional Committee is sending out video "trackers" to ask provocative questions of Democratic members of Congress. The trackers, who are congressional committee staffers, were earlier reported by Congress Daily, a specialty publication distributed largely on Capitol Hill.

NRCC spokesman Paul Lindsay told McClatchy that Democratic complaints were "whining," adding that "The modern-day world of campaign politics demands that we track our opponents' steps and missteps. We have nothing to hide when it comes to asking tough questions, but it appears that Democrats do when it comes to answering them."

Headline of the Day

Thank you Mr Kofinis!!

Memo to the Republican Party: Time for an Ideological Vasectomy

Republicans See Their Party As Leaderless

I'm guessing Mitch and Boner are all bummed out this morning. h/t Ben.

Who's in charge here?

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republican voters say their party has no clear leader, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Another 17% are undecided.

Just five percent (5%) view either John McCain, the GOP's unsuccessful 2008 presidential candidate, or new party chairman Michael Steele as the party's leader.

Two percent (2%) see conservative radio commentator Rush Limbaugh in that role, and one percent (1%) name McCain's running mate, Alaska Govenror Sarah Palin. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader John Boehner are each seen as GOP leader by less than one-half of one percent.