GOP: Response to Reid remark shows double standard

Republicans on Sunday accused Democrats of a double standard by accepting Sen. Harry Reid’s apology for racial remarks about Barack Obama instead of demanding Reid’s ouster as majority leader.

In a private conversation reported in a new book, Reid described Obama during the 2008 presidential campaign as a “light-skinned” African-American “with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one.”

Reid, D-Nev., apologized to Obama on Saturday, and the president issued a statement accepting the apology and saying the matter was closed.

GOP Chairman Michael Steele, in appearances on two Sunday news programs, compared Reid’s predicament with the circumstances that led Senate Republican leader Trent Lott to step down from that post in 2002. Lott had spoken favorably of the 1948 segregationist presidential campaign of Strom Thurmond, and in spite of apologies for those remarks at Thurmond’s 100th birthday, Lott was forced out as leader.

“There is this standard where the Democrats feel that they can say these things and they can apologize when it comes from the mouths of their own. But if it comes from anyone else, it’s racism,” said Steele, who is black. “It’s either racist or it’s not. And it’s inappropriate, absolutely.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, said in a statement that Reid should step down, calling his comments “embarrassing and racially insensitive.”

“It’s difficult to see this situation as anything other than a clear double standard on the part of Senate Democrats and others,” Cornyn said.

Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Jack Reed of Rhode Island joined other Democrats in saying Reid’s apology and Obama’s statement were enough. They also rejected comparisons to the Lott episode.

“I think that’s a totally different context. Harry Reid made a misstatement,” Reed said. “He owned up to it. He apologized. I think he is mortified by the statement he’s made. And I don’t think he should step down.”

Steele said Reid’s remarks reflect an “attitude” by the Nevada senator, and Steele cited the lawmaker’s comment last month about those who would want to go more slowly on overhauling health care: “You think you’ve heard these same excuses before? You’re right. In this country there were those who dug in their heels and said, ‘Slow down, it’s too early. Let’s wait. Things aren’t bad enough.’—about slavery.”

To Steele, “Clearly, he is out of touch not only with where America and his district are but where—how African-Americans generally feel about these issues.”

Reid, whose tenure as majority leader has drawn criticism from liberals and conservatives, faces a difficult reelection bid this fall.

Asked to respond to Steele’s remarks about Reid, the senator’s spokesman Jim Manley said: “Sen. Reid is absolutely running for reelection. Nevadans are facing challenging times and they need the majority leader fighting for them to create jobs and get the economy back on track.”

In their book “Game Change,” Time Magazine’s Mark Halperin and New York magazine’s John Heilemann report that Reid “was wowed by Obama’s oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama—a ‘light-skinned’ African American ‘with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one,’ as he later put it privately.”

The behind-the-scenes look at the 2008 campaign that elevated Obama to the White House is based on the writers’ interviews with more than 200 sources. Most of them were granted anonymity and thus much of the material could not be immediately corroborated.

Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said the remarks were inappropriate, but also contended that they came in the context of saying “positive things about his candidacy and why his candidacy would be strong.”

Steele responded: “All I know is that if (Senate Republican leader) Mitch McConnell had said those very words, that this chairman and this president would be calling for his head, and they would be labeling every Republican in the country as a racist for saying exactly what this chairman has just said.”

On Saturday, after his remarks appeared on the Web site of The Atlantic, Reid issued a statement apologizing for “using such a poor choice of words.” He added, “I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African-Americans for my improper comments.”

Obama quickly followed with a statement calling the remarks “unfortunate” and accepting the apology. “As far as I am concerned,” the president said, “the book is closed.”

Lott apologized for “a poor choice of words” four days after speaking at a birthday celebration for then-Sen. Thurmond, R-S.C. The Mississippi Republican had said the nation would have been better off if Thurmond had won the presidency in 1948. Thurmond was an ardent segregationist and the Democratic governor of South Carolina when he mounted his third-party campaign.

Calls for Lott to step down as Republican leader intensified, and he resigned as Senate leader less than two weeks later. Lott resigned from the Senate in 2007.

Steele and Kaine spoke on “Fox News Sunday” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Reed spoke on the Fox program, and Feinstein appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation.”

DOUGLASS K. DANIEL, AP

GOP chairman says he has no thoughts of resigning

The Republican Party’s national chairman says he’s had no thoughts of resigning despite criticism of his first-year performance and controversy about his recent book that takes shots at the GOP.

Michael Steele is apologizing for not alerting Republicans in advance about the book’s release. In the book, he accuses GOP leaders of abandoning conservative principles over the past decade.

Steele also is defending his record as party chairman, saying he’s “pushing the ball” for the GOP and helping the party win elections and raise money.

There have been recent reports that GOP leaders are unhappy with Steele. In response, Steele has said they either should fire him or “shut up.”

Steele appeared on “Fox News Sunday.”

AP

As GOP grumbles, race shields Steele

JONATHAN MARTIN, Politico

- Among top GOP operatives in Washington, there is overwhelming majority sentiment that the Republican National Committee blundered a year ago when it tapped Michael Steele as its chairman.

There is equally strong sentiment among members of the RNC about what Republicans can do it about it now: Nothing.

Steele’s status as a high-profile African-American at a time when Republicans are facing serious headwind because of their weakness among non-white voters was a big part of his appeal a year ago. And it is a part of the reason many GOP strategists lament that he is untouchable even though they think the party would be better off to make a change from someone they regard as an unfocused and gaffe-prone leader.

Click here for more…

GOP’s Steele: Obama terrorism policy inconsistent

Republican Party Chairman Michael Steele is accusing the Obama administration of pursuing an inconsistent policy toward terrorism.

Steele said in a nationally broadcast interview Tuesday that the administration is wrong in putting terrorism suspects on trial in civil courts, saying “the public doesn’t view them as having rights in the criminal system.”

The GOP chairman defended former Vice President Dick Cheney’s harsh criticism of President Barack Obama, saying that he, too, believes Obama tries to avoid directly acknowledging a war on terror. On NBC’s “Today” show, Steele said the administration has an image problem on this issue.

AP

Dems try to trim presidential primary calendar

Democratic Party leaders are trying again to shorten the presidential primary process, which lasted 11 months last year.

An advisory commission recommended Wednesday that 2012’s earliest voting, such as the Democratic Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, not occur before Feb. 1. All but a handful of party primaries would take place after the second Tuesday in March under the recommendations by the Democratic Change Commission.

Last year, the Iowa caucus was held on Jan. 3, and the New Hampshire primary on Jan. 8. Many party activists and ordinary voters say the presidential selection process starts too early, but states have resisted past efforts to limit their powers to pick primary dates.

The recommendations will be reviewed by the rules and bylaws committee of the Democratic National Committee, and later by the full DNC.

The advisory commission also recommended a system for converting unpledged Democratic delegates to a new category of pledged delegates called National Pledged Party Leader and Elected Officials. They would be allocated to presidential hopefuls based on statewide primary or caucus results.

The Democratic Change Commission has 34 members, including elected officials, state party and DNC members, academics and labor union leaders.

AP

« Previous Page — Next Page »