Jack & Jill Politics

I wandered over to Jezebel yesterday afternoon for a guilty yet pleasurable peek at the latest Friday gossip. Wasn’t I surprised to find this random post from Latoya Peterson that seriously belongs over here at JJP! It’s hard-hitting yet kinda hilarious. I agree with her re: Kelli Goff’s book which is brilliant.

Here’s a few excerpts of my favorite parts, but seriously you should read the whole thing. Especially if you are still Republican. The bottom line is that the Democratic Party can’t rely on the GOP staying racist and clueless forever. Eventually, they’ll wise up and get competitive. So if the Dems want to keep us, they best recognize… From Pimp My GOP: How the Republican Party Become Relevant Again:

Friends, the Grand Ol’ Party ain’t looking so grand these days. Even John McCain is saying he thinks the GOP needs a makeover. And while I don’t work for Style or We, I think I have a few tips.

[…]

2. Ensure Your Outreach Is Actually Reaching Out

What kind of person is the GOP looking to attract? And who is doing the recruiting? Having met far too many black Republicans who feel the need to make it known (within minutes) that they aren’t like other black people and that they are real original thinkers, I have one thing to say to the Republicans: condescension is not a recruitment tactic. THESE PEOPLE ARE NOT HELPING YOU. Get them off the circuit.

[…]

…it is increasingly difficult to gauge the stance of a party that is in a values crisis so severe that the only people speaking are the ones willing to bum rush any microphone to broadcast their nonsense. I suggest they re-evaluate, and take the changing demographics of this country into consideration when they do. And knock the Bell Curve off any and all conservative reading lists.

4. Haters Never Prosper

Enough said. Start making actual plans instead of just jeering at what the Dems are doing. And celebrating that we lost the 2016 Olympic bid is just bad form.

5. More Policy, Less Pomposity

Generally, the people speaking for the Republicans generally aren’t actual members of the party, who seem to be too busy with sex scandals to be bothered with work. Instead, there are people like Rush Limbaugh (who responded to David Brooks’ op-ed with what was essentially “Don’t you know who I am? Don’t you wish your column was hot like me?“) and Glenn Beck becoming the de facto mouthpieces of the movement. What the Republicans need are smart, talented leadership that can work with real issues instead of relying on the bully pulpits of talk radio to stir up animosity that they can play into. Republicans need to sell ideas, not rage.

To conclude, Republican party needs to add Kelli Goff’s book Party Crashing: How the Hip Hop Generation Declared Political Independence to the general reading list. (Hey, strategists: Put down The Bell Curve and read something that might actually help you. And stop reinforcing the racism, it’s strong enough in the party.) Guess what – young black people are dying to leave the Democrats! We are ready to go! There are lots of conservatives and moderates of all backgrounds currently with the Dems who would love to cross the aisle. After all, it gets really easy to be taken advantage of if a political party thinks your constituency is on lock. So come on people, work with us. As soon as the GOP starts seeing us as a little more than macacas, border jumpers, dangerous/stupid foreigners, and ingrates who should be thankful for the white man’s salvation, we’re totally over there. And guys – which I say because there is little to no female leadership – you may want to start fast. It’s going to take a while before we start to believe you.

I had to hit <pause> when I saw the part about young black people dying to leave the Democrats. Maybe, but I actually think the Republicans have a better chance with older black folks who roll conservative. You know, the Bill Cosby and church lady types who are just slightly uncomfortable with certain societal shifts, y’know like gay marriage and the internet, etc. Heck, one of my own baby boomer aged cousins was super-turned on by Sarah Palin when she first came on the scene. Just in admiration of Palin as a spunky working mom until she and I had a serious talk about Palin’s actual political positions.

Yes, there was some bitch-slapping yet, I caution the Dems in what’s likely to be a widespread assumption that blacks will permanently vote lockstep in the post-Obama era. African-Americans may roll our eyes at the current self-serving & stunted stooges that the right puts forward as messengers to our community, including and especially Michael Steele. But what happens when the Grand Old Party finally rolls back into relevance and finds an Obama of their own? Be afraid. Be very afraid.