Oh for fuck's sake---GOP to go "off the hook"

[Earth Bound Misfit]

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2009/02/ah_jeez_michael.php

Oh for fuck's sake. The lede today in a Washington Times piece about Michael S. Steele, the new Republican National Committee Chairman, who also happens to be an African-American:

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."

Now, this comes as no surprise from a party that famously managed all of 26 total black delegates at the 2008 Republican National Convention, a figure that was good for slightly less than 2% of the total delegation. This, among other things, represented a 40-year-low: a flashback to 1968 for a party that was running against an African-African candidate in a country that's 15% black. Michael Steele was there of course, getting his credentials in order: we have him to thank for "Drill Baby Drill."

Add the murderous drubbing the Republicans took from so-called hip-hop voters (a demographic approximated by mashing up the African-American vote and the youth vote, which both swung overwhelming Democratic compared to 2004, to the tune of as many as 73 electoral votes), not to mention actual hip-hop stars, and Steele's coronation was probably inevitable. And not because Steele was likely to be more effective. The tokenistic-type magical thinking that the Republicans awkwardly flashed in Minneapolis basically prophesized the party's ensuing blind faith that a moderately qualified former Lieutenant Governor and current Fox News talking head would, by virtue of being black, somehow turn back the tide.

--snip--

Nevermind that "urban-surburban hip-hop settings" are fundamentally deaf to a message that involves enormous emphases on incarceration, draconian drug laws, regressive taxes, and the shredding of whatever meager social safety net still remains in this country. "Under Mr. Steele's helm," writes the piece's author, Ralph Z. Hallow, "the 'old' may seem inappropriate in the Grand Old Party's affectionate nickname. 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.'"

Hallow rightly asks him what the fuck he's talking about with that latter, malapropized bit of slang: "Does that mean cutting-edge?"

Probably not, Ralph--probably not.

[pepperbear]

1. this just in: GOP gets Jiggy with it....10 years too late. n/t

[Why Syzygy]

2. sumthin like this>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvHwtRdg_I

edit to change link

[Earth Bound Misfit]

4. ...

[Why Syzygy]

5. rofl

:rofl: 'saved'

[Earth Bound Misfit]

7. Here's one I found on another thread...

:rofl:

edit subject line

[Why Syzygy]

9. How long do you think he will survive?

I don't see the wingers going for this approach. Taking odds that he gets voted down.

[backscatter712]

6. Not bad. How about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXGMi7a53jA

[Why Syzygy]

8. "bling bling" Mittens. Pretty pitiful. nt

[Earth Bound Misfit]

11. Oh No he Di-int..

Who let the dogs out? BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA...

Yo, Phat Mittens be chillaxin' wit da homie peeps in da hood sumpin' off da chain, fo sh-izzle, yo!

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. Word...

[regnaD kciN]

10. "Off the hook?" Sounds to me like Steele's gone off the DEEP END...

:crazy:

[hatrack]

13. Or off the Depends . . .

Hard to say, but I can smell the pure unadulterated shit all the way from my desk.

:eyes:

[hootinholler]

12. Perfectly understandable...

In that meeting when they asked how do we get the party Off the Hook, Mikey simply misinterpreted.

-Hoot

[AndrewP]

14. This guy used to be Mike Tyson's brother in law

Would have loved to have seen that family gathering on stage at the next GOP convention.

[madokie]

I heard tweety say that the other day

I wish I could remember the context he said it in cause it was close to fall down funny

[Earth Bound Misfit]

22. I had to read the original report on CNN 3 times

before I realized it wasn't an "Onion" parody.

[alcibiades_mystery]

15. Off the hizzee, son

What what?

[Earth Bound Misfit]

23. Fo-shizzle yo.

[madokie]

16. They've got a ways to go before they'll ever be a threat to us Dems again

on factual issues they aren't even in the same game with us now. I'm not one to take glee from anyones fall but for these asshole :puke: liCONs I am loving it. I'm not liking that about me about that either.

[EmilyAnne]

17. "Off the hook" as in getting out of a Truth Commission? They may want use a different expression.

Many of Americans can't wait to see them "on the hook," so to speak.

[Chorophyll]

18. Cynical, patronizing crap...

...yo.

[grantcart]

19. This just in "GOP to start going to Discos to attract new blood" nt

[JohnnyRingo]

20. Repackaging the republican party to appeal to youthful voters is like

...selling Pat Boone's "heavy metal" discs at a Green Day concert.
I can't imagine the likes of Mitch McConnell and Newt Gingrich finding common ground in the MySpace or Twitter sphere.

"But look!... They have an African American leader, the GOP must be just like the Democrats!"

Hahahaha

[Juche]

21. So they are coming after the youth vote too

Uh oh. Just so the GOP knows, the reason youth abandoned the GOP (the abandonment started around 2004. In 2004 we went dem by a 10 pt margin. By 2006 it was 22 points. By 2008 it was 34 points) is because

1. They disagree with us on virtually every issue. Gun control, terrorism, healthcare, taxes, the role of government, women's rights, civil rights, international issues, energy, climate change, science, poverty, crime, gay rights, human rights, religion, etc. I can't find the poll now, but I saw a poll once that showed young voters agreeing with the dems over the GOP on every issue listed. Doesn't surprise me.

2. They are deeply incompetent and many of us (I am 29) have lived our formative political lives at a time when it was obvious that the GOP has no idea what they are doing and for the most part couldn't care less. The fact that after 8 years of Bush style ineptitude, a global economic crisis and 2 wars the GOP thought Sarah Palin was 'just what this country needs' has done a level of damage to the GOP brand that is going to last a generation.

I really think the GOP underestimates Katrina too. Katrina was a perfect example of GOP philosophy in action. Cut taxes by any means necessary (even if it means cutting infrastructure and emergency aid), government is the problem, etc. And next thing you know a levee collapses because it is underfunded and FEMA can't do its job because it is underfunded and run by cronies.

So have at it Steele.