RNC acknowledges, apologizes for Southern Strategy?

DJPoopypants · Jul 15, 2005

http://www.slate.com/id/2121923/

Today, RNC chair Ken Mehlman will apologize for the Republicans' divisive, racist Southern strategy: "Some Republicans gave up on winning the African American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here today as the Republican chairman to tell you we were wrong."

Polarization 2.0: The reason Republicans are abandoning the race card isn't that they've changed their mind on civil rights or affirmative action. Mehlman and Rove have just made a business decision that in an increasingly diverse nation, they can no longer build a majority on racial wedge issues. In his speech, Mehlman comes right out and says as much

Thanks to Mehlman and Karl Rove, the firewall for Bush's 2004 campaign was the most divisive issue of our time – same-sex marriage. For Republicans, same-sex marriage is the perfect wedge issue, because it divides African-Americans and Latinos as well as whites, and it works in every part of the country, not just the South.

Of course, most Democrats oppose same-sex marriage, just as they opposed racial quotas. And George W. Bush has no more intention of ever actually passing a Constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage than his father did of reforming welfare or signing a crime bill. But the key is staying true to your principles: win first, apologize later
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I thought this would be out there already.

Revolt · Jul 15, 2005

In true spin-meisterism, Melman essentially apologized to the NAACP, but on subsequent radio interviews backtracked from the apology big-time. Hideous. Heard on NPR.

superdave · Jul 15, 2005

Limbaugh blasted Mehlman for the apology.

Revolt · Jul 15, 2005

superdave said:

Limbaugh blasted Mehlman for the apology.
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That probably helps explain the furious back-tracking.

I was thinking during the first part of the segment - a republican is apologizing; strange.