Jack & Jill Politics

Cross-posted on MyDD and brought to you courtesy of some soy mac and cheese with cherry tomatoes, veggie Canadian bacon and extra hot sauce. Mmmm. Hey, don’t knock vegetarian soul food til you’ve tried it.

Mind Games in Maryland — Puppy-cuddling, nausea-inducing Michael Steele continues to camouflage his Republican identity to voters. A new ad airing in Baltimore from the National Black Republican Association reminds Maryland African-Americans (who comprise 30% of the state and are among the wealthiest in the U.S.) of their Republican roots. The Washington Post reports:

The ad identifies Martin Luther King Jr. as a Republican and pins the founding of the Ku Klux Klan on Democrats.

One woman says: “Democrats passed those black codes and Jim Crow laws. Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan.”

“The Klan?” her friend replies. “White hoods and sheets?”

First woman: “Democrats fought all civil rights legislation from the 1860s to the 1960s. Democrats released those vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks.”

My own grandfather was a loyal Republican for many years only finally, reluctantly turning in the 1970s with disgust and sorrow from the party that freed his own father from slavery. (BTW, it’s not uncommon for voting age blacks to be separated only by as few as 2,3 or 4 generations from slavery.) He recognized that things had changed and hopefully Steele’s supporters and their bright idea born of desperation to win won’t bamboozle anyone. (Thanks for the photo, SparklePony)

Good Fences Don’t Always Make Good Neighbors — Ridiculous Republican efforts to build a giant fence on the Arizona border to keep the Mexicans out have hit an unexpected snag in the form of the Tohono O’odham Indians who bring a different, somehow less racist view on the matter.

Jews Don’t Eat Pork Chops, but Felix Does?— George “Macaca” Allen re-discovers his own minority heritage. It’s a little awkward for everyone.

Chavez Takes the A Train — And goes to a Harlem church after speaking at the U.N. Wingnuts delighted in his appearance with activist/actor Danny Glover, citing it wrongly as confirmation that Democrats love those that hate America. Rep. Charlie Rangel led the Dems in chastizing Hugo Chavez’s remarks in which he called Bush a “an alcoholic” and a “devil” among other personal attacks. Am I the only one humiliated though having to watch the President of Venezuela waving a Noam Chomsky book at Americans and providing the kind of aid to to the poor that American oil companies should be providing? Or is that just me? BTW, Hegemony or Survival: America’s Quest for Global Dominance is now a bestseller on Amazon, thanks to Chavez.

A Blessing from Barack — Speaking of Virginia politics, Senate Candidate against Mr Macaca, Jim Webb, receives racial absolution from Barack Obama at a recent rally. Has he managed to cleanse his sins against affirmative action? Is this the beginning of a successful comeback strategy for Webb with VA minority voters? Let’s hope so for all our sakes. George Allen has got to go.

Buying a Black Panther — Republic of T reports on Rep. Bobby Rush’s price, which is apparently about $1 million from SBC. The CBCMonitor Report was released this month and provides a scorecard on all Congressional Black Caucus members including Rush. The rankings may surprise you as popular politicians like Barack Obama and Harold Ford Jr. score poorly. Note to CBC Members — we are watching you. We can occasionally see past the color of your skin to the substance of your actions and the character of your votes.