Tell it to the party of exclusion:
GOP: The Party Of Exclusion
"It's embarrassing that in the same week our nation unveils a memorial to civil rights legend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., one of our major political parties aligns itself with the Old South by giving Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi a leadership position. Lott's supporters are quick to explain that hewon the battle for minority whip—the Republican Party's second highest post—because of his incomparable deal-making skills and knowledge of the inner workings of Capitol Hill. No matter; to most Americans Lott is known only for racist remarks he made in 2002 suggesting the nation would be better off if segregation were still legal. And the party's choice to bring Lott back to the national stage suggests they're not so bothered about the fact that he's considered a racist.
The Lott comeback combined with Republican dirty tricks during the recent election make me wonder whether the party's national leadership gives a damn if it is perceived as racist. After all, the 2006 campaign season featured numerous reports of Republican efforts to deceive voters into not voting at all or voting for the Republican candidate—cementing the Republican Party's reputation as the party that works hard to limit your right to vote. Especially if you're black or Latino. The GOP's aim to suppress the African-American vote has been an article of faith for decades, capped off with the 2000 election debacle in Florida and the unequal distribution of voting machines in Ohio in 2004. This year, Latino voters in Colorado and California were targeted by voter suppression efforts. Yet, I heard not a single high-profile Republican stand up and denounce these undemocratic activities. The Republican Party has a monopoly on campaign-season dirty tricks designed to suppress the vote of people of color. Where are the moderate Republicans, the "big-tent" Republicans, trying to change this reputation?
There has been one Republican voice of protest on the Lott issue that I know of. Jonah Goldberg spoke out against Lott's victory in today's Los Angeles Times, to his credit. Though Goldberg questioned Lott's reputation as a racist, hard to do given Lott's history, he wisely asked of the whole affair: "What are those senators smoking?"
Minority voters, particularly African-American and Latino voters, already view the Republican Party with suspicion. With its Dirty Campaign of 2006 and coronation of Trent Lott, the GOP just gave Americans who believe in a multicultural and tolerant nation two more reasons not to join it."
TomPaine.com - GOP: The Party Of Exclusion