If there is “rebranding” going on in the GOP, the imagery that’s going out now is not exactly what Republicans who talked about rebranding had in mind. It is a bit of a disaster when someone seemingly longs for the days of slavery and desegration. Not the best way to attract African-American voters — and moderates and independents — don’t you think? But here’s the polemical train wreck
A panel at the Conservative Political Action Committee on Republican minority outreach exploded into controversy on Friday afternoon, after an audience member defended slavery as good for African-Americans.
The exchange occurred after an audience member from North Carolina, 30-year-old Scott Terry, asked whether Republicans could endorse races remaining separate but equal. After the presenter, K. Carl Smith of Frederick Douglass Republicans, answered by referencing a letter by Frederick Douglass forgiving his former master, the audience member said “For what? For feeding him and housing him?” Several people in the audience cheered and applauded Terry’s outburst.
After the exchange, Terry muttered under his breath, “why can’t we just have segregation?” noting the Constitution’s protections for freedom of association.
If this segment (it is on video) gets wide play, a lot of voters will ask a version of this same question:
Why can’t we just keep on voting for the Democrats because they at least seem to have gotten the message about slavery.
(Oh: And desegration, too.)
UPDATE: And it gets worse.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.