Never Forget the Rule

A couple of days back, in a joking post about Howard Dean, I dropped this little Dean nugget without comment. (And it was most definitely a nugget.)

He [Dean] surveys the crowd of 150 crammed into the room. "You think the RNC could get this many people of color into a single room?" he marvels. "Maybe if they got the hotel staff in there."

It’s good to see David Flanagan at BlogCritics and my blog sis La Shawn Barber pick up the gauntlet.

Says David:

So, does Howard Dean believe that members of the Black Community are disproportionately represented as hotel staff in this country?

It's demeaning, it's belittling, and I'm completely floored that he would level such an insulting remark upon this community. If ever members of the African American community in this country wanted evidence of how much they are taken for granted by the Democratic Party, this is a perfect example.

And says La Shawn:

I’ll bet those Black Caucus Negroes just sat there and laughed, totally unaware that their new white chairman had just insulted them (on so many levels). But they’d probably lynch me for publicly referring to them as “Negroes.”

Silly David and La Shawn! You forgot the rule. You can say anything about “Negroes” if you have a D behind your name.

(Thanks to RickinVA, who’s waiting for Dean to get the Trent Lott treatment from his party. Don’t hold your breath, dude.)

Comments

[BeckyJ]

Brit Hume on "Special Report" tonight, on his "Political Grapevine" section, mentioned that JC Watts and Mike Steele (Lt. Gov of MD) both called on the Dems for an apology from Dean. The reply was that they were overreacting to the comment and that the roomful of people found the comment quite amusing. Again, flip the parties and what would you have? Sheesh.

[Kathianne]

I'm still trying to figure out if it's ok for me, a 50 something white, conservative, teacher to comment on this?

[Anomalocaris]

My beloved country the United States of America has, regrettably, only one member the Senate of African ancestry, Barack Obama, a Democrat. There are 39 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, all of them Democrats. I believe that Dr. Dean's remarks were simply to say that the party of Abraham Lincoln has lost its way regarding the issues that matter to most Americans "of color." There are no, zero, Republicans among the African-ancestored members of the U.S. House and Senate. Equating "of color" with "African-American," if the Republican National Committee were to hold a hotel banquet for all Republican senators and members of Congress (and no guests), then all of the people "of color" in the room would be hotel staff. So, what is all the fuss about here? Shouldn't we be talking about what Republicans need to do to make the Grand Old Party more welcoming for persons "of color" and not criticizing the messenger, Dr. Dean, for observing that there should be more progress in this arena?

[baldilocks]

Is this all about some Tally of the Negroes between parties? Okay. The Democrats have never had a black Secretary of State; the Republicans have had two. Happy now? (sarcasm off)

No we should *not* be talking about how to make more blacks feel "welcome" in R. party, because we already are welcome.

The "feelings" you speak of aren't feelings, they're preconceived notions not grounded in demonstrable fact and fed to us by those who claim to be "our friends," but really want to feed into those preconceived notions in order to retain a chokehold on the vast majority of black votes. That would be the Democrats.

[Anomalocaris]

Dear baldilocks:

Thank you for engaging here. It is good that you feel welcome in the Grand Old Party. I believe that most Republicans sincerely oppose racism and welcome Blacks as members, party officials, and candidates for office. And I believe, or hope, that most Republicans vote in both primary and general elections for candidates based on issues, not based on race.

But the statistics speak for themselves. There is not a single Black Republican holding federal elected office. What do Republicans plan to do about this, if anything?

You know, it was quite telling to watch the Clinton impeachment hearings. The Republicans were all Christian White Men, except for Mary Bono, a Christian White Woman. The Democrats "looked like America." Christians and Jews, Men and Women, Whites and Blacks -- just like America.

It is sad that the Democratic party looks like America and the Republican party looks like a Christian White country club with very few Blacks. I hope that this will change. What are Republicans going to do to speed this change along? Criticizing Howard Dean for observing the truth isn't going to help.

[Phelps]

But the statistics speak for themselves. There is not a single Black Republican holding federal elected office. What do Republicans plan to do about this, if anything?

Actually, a better question would be, "What do blacks plan to do about this, if anything?"

[JSAllison]

I was thinking that in the Deaniac's swipe was a recognition that the RNC appealed more to folk that worked for a living. Unlike the professional protestoriat that seems to gravitate to the DNC. But then, iconoclast is one of the more polite things I've been called...

[wayne]

The two greatest lies ever believed...

1)That Satan doesn't exist.

2)The Democrats have been responsible for freeing and uplifting African Americans.

[BeckyJ]

IIRC, both JC Watts (R-OK) and Harold Ford (R-CT) were denied membership in the CBC because they were Republicans.

[baldilocks]

Not Ford. He's a Democrat (TN), albeit seemingly one of the more reasonable ones.

It's rumored that he was slapped down by the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) when he tried to compete against Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for the House Minority Leadership position.

[baldilocks]

BTW, Ford will run for the US Senate in 2006. Bill Frist is retiring.

[DarkStar]

J.C. Watts was not denied entry into the CBC. He didn't ask to join. When he first got to congress, he was encouraged by Republican leadership not to join.

When Watts left, a few CBC members spoke well of Watts. Charlie Rangel said that he wished there were more Black Republicans so that he could get more concessions from his party. He said this on Meet the Press IIRC.

Gary Franks, a Black Republican who was in the House before Watts, was a CBC member.

[DarkStar]

Baldi, I don't like the comments Dean made. I also believe that the CBC should be all over Dean like white on rice.

Now, having said that, I present a Black Republican in L.A., named Shannon Reeves.

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/4898492.htm?1c

"When I travel to speak at Republican conferences and events around the country, wandering through hotels, convention centers and social clubs, as I approach the rooms where I'm scheduled to speak, I am often told by Republicans that I must be in the wrong place," he wrote.

"As a Bush delegate at the 2000 convention in Philadelphia, I proudly wore my delegate's badge and (Republican National Committee) lapel pin as I worked the convention. Regardless of the fact that I was obviously a delegate prominently displaying my credentials, no less than six times did white delegates dismissively tell me (to) fetch them a taxi or carry their luggage."

Reeves praised President Bush for bringing diversity to his administration.

[DarkStar]

Oh, on Watts, I got the impression that he was working with the CBC behind the scenes.

But Watts has referenced some of his difficulties with the GOP as well.

[baldilocks]

Thanks, Darkstar. I couldn't remember former Represenative Gary Franks' (R-CT) name . He was indeed a member of the CBC, though not without difficulty between him and his fellow CBC members over expected differences in ideology and policy. The CBC even formed a Congressional Democratic Black Caucus in order to (continue) excluding him from CBC meetings.

[baldilocks]

Darkstar: more in a post (really, this time.) :-)

[Mitch]

I could be wrong, but I believe the last black senator was Edward Brooke of Massachusetts. He was the first black person elected to the senate since that position was made subject to popular vote by the 17th amendment, and a Republican. Despite never having drowned a female campaign worker while mistaking a dirt road for an interstate highway, he was defeated by Democrat Paul Tsongas in 1979. John Kerry now holds that seat.

[baldilocks]

The last black US Senator (before Barack Obama, D-IL) was Carol Moseley Braun (also D-IL). You may remember Senator Moseley Braun for her recent unsuccessful try at the Democratic presidential nomination.

[harry hale]

I find it interesting the reaction to this remark.
1. the implication that the staff of a hotel is some kind of under class.
2. In the Urban DC area quite alot of the ordinary jobs including the manager, accountant and head chef are all likely to be black people these are hardly meanial positions.