This is going to be a lot of fun. Steele: GOP needs 'hip-hop' makeover Ralph Z. Hallow (Contact) NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party's principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.” The RNC's first black chairman will “surprise everyone” when updating the party's image using the Internet and advertisements on radio, on television and in print, he told The Washington Times. ... ”There was underlying concerns we had become too regionalized and the party needed to reach beyond our comfort” zones, he said, citing defeats in such states as Virginia and North Carolina. “We need messengers to really capture that region - young, Hispanic, black, a cross section ... We want to convey that the modern-day GOP looks like the conservative party that stands on principles. But we want to apply them to urban-surburban hip-hop settings.” But, he elaborated with a laugh, “we need to uptick our image with everyone, including one-armed midgets.” ... Under Mr. Steele's helm, the “old” may seem inappropriate in the Grand Old Party's affectionate nickname. He said he is putting a new public relations team into place to update the party's image. “It will be avant garde, technically,” he said. “It will come to table with things that will surprise everyone - off the hook.” Does that mean cutting-edge? “I don't do 'cutting-edge,' “ he said. “That's what Democrats are doing. We're going beyond cutting-edge.” ... http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/feb/19/steele-gop-needs-hip-hop-makeover/print/
I agree in principle that the Republicans are losing the popular culture image war to the Democrats, although not sure if this effort solves the problem. It's hard to compete with a media that is 90% pro-libs and it's further hard to compete with Obama giving handouts right and left to his traditional voting base (the unemployed, poor, minorities, etc). I do not want the hip-hop voters as a part of the Republican coalition, simply because I do not share their values. Republicans are not about handouts, freebies, lack of respect for women, and lack of personal accountability. The Republicans have a natural advantage with Hispanic voters that must be worked. That advantage is pro-life policies, pro-business policies, and free trade policies. I favor McCain/Bush's more moderate approach to immigration, an issue that murdered Hispanic support for the GOP in 2008. That stance must be moderated to regain these voters.
yeah because being a democrat is anti-business. your a real piece of work man. you are the type of person i WOULD NOT hang out with in real life. i bet you just have tons of friends and bunch of girlfriends you have dated. yeah i bet
I've thought all along Steele is just a more polished version of Alan Keyes. I don't draw that comparison because they both happen to black, I draw it because they both happen to be crazy. To recap, according to Mr. Steele, government only creates work, not jobs and what the Republican Party really needs is an advertising campaign aimed at people it has intentionally screwed over for the last 8 years. Yep, that should work... no need to rethink basic issues and reevaluate the values of the party.
Reality imitates art.... <embed FlashVars="videoId=215929" src='http://www.comedycentral.com/sitewide/video_player/view/default/swf.jhtml' quality='high' bgcolor='#cccccc' width='332' height='316' name='comedy_central_player' align='middle' allowScriptAccess='always' allownetworking='external' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' pluginspage='http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer'></embed>
no, this is : [rquoter]Analysis: Democrats self-destructing over ethics By LARRY MARGASAK – 7 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration and the new Congress are quickly handing over to Republicans the same "culture of corruption" issue that Democrats used so effectively against the GOP before coming to power. Freshman Sen. Roland Burris, D-Ill., is only the latest embarrassment. Senate Democrats accepted Burris because they believed what he told them: He was clean. Burris now admits he tried to raise money for Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who authorities say sought to sell President Barack Obama's former Senate seat. "The story seems to be changing day by day," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said Wednesday. The political mess for the Democratic Party, however, isn't Burris' conduct alone; it's the pattern that has developed so quickly over the past few months. _The chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is the subject of a House ethics investigation. It's partly focused on his fundraising practices for a college center in his name, his ownership financing of a resort property in the Dominican Republic and his financial disclosure reports. _Federal agents raided two Pennsylvania defense contractors that were provided millions of dollars in federal funding by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee. _Blagojevich was arrested Dec. 9 on federal charges, including allegations he schemed to sell the Senate seat to the highest bidder. _Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader from South Dakota, abandoned his bid to become health and human services secretary and the administration's point man on reforming health care; and Nancy Killefer stepped down from a newly created position charged with eliminating inefficient government programs. Both Daschle and Killefer had tax problems, and Daschle also faced potential conflicts of interest related to working with health care interests. _Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner was confirmed after revealing he had tax troubles. _Obama's initial choice for commerce secretary, Bill Richardson, stepped aside due to a grand jury investigation into a state contract awarded to his political donors. _While the Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm William Lynn as deputy defense secretary, Obama had to waive his ethics regulations to place the former defense lobbyist in charge of day-to-day operations at the Pentagon. The No. 2 Senate Democrat, Richard Durbin of Illinois, expressed his anger about the Burris case Wednesday while he was on an official visit to Greece. "I do believe that the public statements made by Mr. Burris to this point have raised questions ... as to the nature of his relationship with the former governor and the circumstances surrounding his appointment," Durbin said. Reid said in Nevada, "Now there's some question as to whether or not he told the truth." Where to go next? Reid had no answer. "What I think we have to do is just wait and see," the Senate leader said. Senate Democrats now may be trapped in their own ethics system. Disciplinary action against a senator usually requires a long investigation by the Senate's ethics committee. While a preliminary inquiry on Burris is under way, that's only the first early step. And, with ongoing criminal investigations in Illinois, the committee probably would have to postpone any action — as it usually does — to avoid interference. In 2006, Republicans lost control of the House after Democrats effectively used a "culture of corruption" theme against them. The final scandal broke shortly before the election, when it was revealed that then-Rep. Mark Foley, a Florida Republican, sent sexually suggestive e-mails and explicit instant messages to teenage boys who had served as House pages. Republicans were further harmed when it was disclosed that several of their members were aware of the problem and failed to take action. Democrats, who've been in control of both Congress and the White House less than two months now, are lucky on one point. The next congressional election is nearly two years away.[/rquoter]
someone quick, post the rove video. hmm, I think george P. is still the most dangerous man alive. He has all the tools, the look, and speaks just like us, only he is not like us. The left must stop him by passing a law that prohibits any person with that last name from ever running. Although, The dood from hollywood access is cool though.
It is hard to over state the pure joy I feel when I contemplate the fact that tj has to watch his party being driven into a ditch by an empty suit who speaks in stale hip hop lingo ("bling bling, off the hook"). Given his long history of race baiting, the irony is too exquisite.
Is it just me, or does Michael Steele look like the un-hippest guy ever in this pic. Someone else needs to be figuring out how to be hip. Michael Steele needs to stick to puppies and cute.
This is going to be incredible to watch. If Michael Steele is really serious, he's is going to burn himself twice over. First, the notion that all the national Republican party needs to do is remake it's image is pure cocaine. It's self-delusional nonsense to the nth degree. As long as Republicans believe this, they are no threat at all to Dems, no matter how good/bad things get from here on. The "all government is bad" & "less government is always best" club has declining membership among voters. As economic conditions worsen, club membership will continue falling. Second, I want to see what happens from here. Most of the right wing surely thinks this is a nutty idea. They don't want young black & Hispanic "hip-hop", urban voters in their party. My guess is Steele will back down and his comments today will turn out to be empty air. Even though the GOP is decapitated (for now) and there is a vacuum at the top, that doesn't necessarily mean Steele will be able to step in and do anything he wants. If he goes forward in a substantive way with these plans, my guess is they will fail miserably. (See above on message vs. image). This will give a lot of ticked off people in the GOP an excuse to chop Steele down to size.
It is truly awesome, but on a smaller scale check out zantabak11's post where he claims that people who made good choices like going to college and getting a masters are less likely to vote for Obama or Democrats. Also check out the thread where basso is trying to claim Rham is crooked, and somehow infers that we should deal with the mortgage crisis while ignoring the nation's largest mortgage maker. Those are hilarious as well.
I think this means that Hank Williams Jr. and Lee Greenwood are both going to come out with rap albums soon...
