Federal Budget Thread (Was: RNC to spend $10 million to reach minorities)

[Wallace108]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The head of the Republican National Committee says the party will spend $10 million this year to send hundreds of paid staffers into communities to talk with Hispanic, black and Asian voters.

RNC chairman Reince Priebus on Sunday said the party would send employees from coast to coast to build the party's credibility in racial and ethnic communities that supported President Barack Obama over GOP nominee Mitt Romney last year. Priebus says the party cannot "parachute" into communities in the months before an election and expect to have clout.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...03-17-11-07-00

Something so simple, and it took them this long to realize it.

It's funny that I just saw this story. Last night, I watched C.L. Bryant's documentary "Runaway Slave." It should be required viewing for everyone. I'm not sure how anyone, regardless of political views, can watch this documentary with an open mind and not agree with at least most of the message. I highly recommend watching it. If you have Netflix, it's on there. Here's a promo for it:

[st33lersguy]

That promo is 100% true

[steeldawg]

What are they going to tell them when they get there?

[X-Terminator]

What are they going to tell them when they get there?

My guess is they are going to try to dispel the notion among minorities that conservatives are racist, xenophobic and only care about rich, white people. That would be a good place to start. Minorities would actually be surprised how much they have in common with conservatives, and it's about time Republicans tried to get that message out to them.

[steeldawg]

My guess is they are going to try to dispel the notion among minorities that conservatives are racist, xenophobic and only care about rich, white people. That would be a good place to start. Minorities would actually be surprised how much they have in common with conservatives, and it's about time Republicans tried to get that message out to them.

Lol, got to love the republican party, no change in the faces, no change in their thinking, no change in their message, just spend some money to tell minorities they are for their benefit.

[fansince'76]

Lol, got to love the republican party, no change in the faces, no change in their thinking, no change in their message, just spend some money to tell minorities they are for their benefit.

Isn't that pretty much what the Democrats do as well?

[steeldawg]

Isn't that pretty much what the Democrats do as well?

Democrats dont have an image problem with minorities

[fansince'76]

Democrats dont have an image problem with minorities

Probably because the Democrats have very effectively built up the wealthy (and by proxy, Republicans) as this big bogeyman who is out to get them...

[steeldawg]

Probably because the Democrats have very effectively built up the wealthy (and by proxy, Republicans) as this big bogeyman who is out to get them...

you dont think minorities can look at at the 2 party's and make the decesion on who they want to vote for with out being told? YOu really believe that the reason the republican party has an image problem because the democrats told them the republicans where evil rich white people? This is the exact reason the republican party cant reach these people, they dont think hey maybe its our message, no they think its how we are delivering the message. They dont think hey maybe most of america doesnt agree with our message or the people who represent our party, they think well most of america agrees they are just to dumb to realize it and democrats have brainwashed them.

[st33lersguy]

I think that conservatives(forget liberal Rhinos who are probably a lost cause among minorities at this point) need to discuss how their values are similar to many values of minorities. Then we need the message from black conservatives how the Democratic party has hurt minority communities to be universally known. All this while contending with the black liberal establishment scare tactics discrediting any conservative attempts and the media trying to ridicule them

[X-Terminator]

Lol, got to love the republican party, no change in the faces, no change in their thinking, no change in their message, just spend some money to tell minorities they are for their benefit.

Why is that funny? Being a minority myself, I know for a fact that is the sentiment - that Republicans hate/do not care about them. I can't tell you how many times during the past 2 elections I've had black people tell me that "white people are pissed" because Obama is President and that they just hate him because he's black. And that is a major reason why they overwhelmingly support Democrats in every election. The fact that they realize they have an image problem with minorities and are taking steps to try to correct it is commendable on their part, because they could easily continue to be recalcitrant and never be able to gain their trust.

And if you really believe that minorities in general and blacks in particular do not share some core values with conservatives, then you are simply ignorant.

[steeldawg]

Why is that funny? Being a minority myself, I know for a fact that is the sentiment - that Republicans hate/do not care about them. I can't tell you how many times during the past 2 elections I've had black people tell me that "white people are pissed" because Obama is President and that they just hate him because he's black. And that is a major reason why they overwhelmingly support Democrats in every election. The fact that they realize they have an image problem with minorities and are taking steps to try to correct it is commendable on their part, because they could easily continue to be recalcitrant and never be able to gain their trust.

And if you really believe that minorities in general and blacks in particular do not share some core values with conservatives, then you are simply ignorant.

i didnt say they didnt share any values...the point is republicans are not changing anything, so why would minorities change their vote?

[X-Terminator]

i didnt say they didnt share any values...the point is republicans are not changing anything, so why would minorities change their vote?

What part of "it's a start" do you not understand? They weren't even trying before! Rome wasn't built in a day, you know. Let's see what they actually say first before we jump to conclusions, shall we?

[fansince'76]

you dont think minorities can look at at the 2 party's and make the decesion on who they want to vote for with out being told? YOu really believe that the reason the republican party has an image problem because the democrats told them the republicans where evil rich white people? This is the exact reason the republican party cant reach these people, they dont think hey maybe its our message, no they think its how we are delivering the message. They dont think hey maybe most of america doesnt agree with our message or the people who represent our party, they think well most of america agrees they are just to dumb to realize it and democrats have brainwashed them.

No, what I'm saying is that considering the very conspicuous left-leaning slant in the media (sorry, but it's there), they aren't given both sides' agendas on an equal footing. However, and as X-T also pointed out, the Republicans are also at fault for targeting mainly majority voters in the midst of a shifting demographic. Couple that with the fact that the party as a whole has been very effectively hijacked by the religious Right and you get the marginalized party that the GOP is today.

[ALLD]

The Republicans would be better off cutting everybody a check.

[GBMelBlount]

Democrats dont have an image problem with minorities

Agreed.

Of course the reason is because they lie to minorities and tell them what they want to hear....that all of their problems are due to discrimination and then they throw money at them to make up for it.

The liberals of today are nothing more than race baiting poverty pimps.

Just sayin....

[steeldawg]

What part of "it's a start" do you not understand? They weren't even trying before! Rome wasn't built in a day, you know. Let's see what they actually say first before we jump to conclusions, shall we?

I get that its a start what im saying is its the wrong way to go about it, republicans need a change first you cant walk in to the homes of minorities with the same people in charge with the same ideas and expect to sway the minority vote with a simple "everything thats said about us is not true".

[steeldawg]

Agreed.

Of course the reason is because they lie to minorities and tell them what they want to hear....that all of their problems are due to discrimination and then they throw money at them to make up for it.

The liberals of today are nothing more than race baiting poverty pimps.

Just sayin....

And this type of attitude about minorities and the democratic party is a perfect example of whats wrong with the republican party. Minorities and democrats are not all poor or poverty stricken, also not all of them are brainwashed they more than capable of casting a vote based on their own research of whats best for them.

[zulater]

And this type of attitude about minorities and the democratic party is a perfect example of whats wrong with the republican party. Minorities and democrats are not all poor or poverty stricken, also not all of them are brainwashed they more than capable of casting a vote based on their own research of whats best for them.

Yeah that's why blacks voted over 90% for Obama despite a 40 year high in the unemployment rate amongst them.

[GoSlash27]

I get that its a start what im saying is its the wrong way to go about it, republicans need a change first you cant walk in to the homes of minorities with the same people in charge with the same ideas and expect to sway the minority vote with a simple "everything thats said about us is not true".

This much is true.
There's also the bizarre notion some people on the right have that if Republicans run more black and latino candidates, more minorities will vote for them.

I would be surprised if we agree on much else, tho'.

[GBMelBlount]

Yeah that's why blacks voted over 90% for Obama despite a 40 year high in the unemployment rate amongst them.

Exactly.

The have convinced the minorities that their situation is caused by the rich having too much freedom and liberty and they are going to regulate and tax the hell out of the rich and give them more free stuff.

In fact they have been so successful at brainwashing the minorities that they shun and ridicule other minorities who become successful. Only in America...

Nice racket.

[X-Terminator]

Yeah that's why blacks voted over 90% for Obama despite a 40 year high in the unemployment rate amongst them.

Yeah, they did, and it's disappointing because most of them admitted that they voted for him simply because he was black. No thought whatsoever. Some have even admitted that if the President was white, there would be a lot more outrage in the black community over the high unemployment. Troubling, to say the least.

Having said that, I believe they can still be swayed by the right message from Republicans, especially if they shun the "old guard" and embrace reformers like Rand Paul. The party needs an image overhaul without a doubt, and they can do that without sacrificing their core values. Understanding that minorities are not some brainless monolith would be a big step in the right direction. We do not all believe in or support the same things, most of us do not want handouts and we REALLY can't stand laziness, contrary to popular opinion.

[SteelerEmpire]

The same thing can actually be said about a lot of Republicans. Many Republicans are well entrenched and will not vote Dem even if you put a gun to their heads.

But the Republican party has been saying they plan to "reach out" to minority voters for decades but it hasn't happened/worked yet.

But it's not just blacks that vote Dem. 70% Hispanic, 70% Jewish, and 73% Asian also voted Obama in 2012. That's a substantial majority as well. And this is "with" Obama deporting more Hispanics, issues about Israel vs. Obama in the media, and a drone strike hit list off the charts in Muslim countries. How high would the voter percentage be if these things were not going on ?

Long story short, I don't really see the GOP bringing in any sizable minority voting block anytime soon as long as the far right has something to say about it. It will take the Dems to screw up "royally" for this to happen. As far as the GOP simply "winning over" these voters without a major Dem screw up, not gonna happen. That's just reality on this particular issue.

[GBMelBlount]

Long story short, I don't really see the GOP bringing in any sizable minority voting block anytime soon as long as the far right has something to say about it. It will take the Dems to screw up "royally" for this to happen. As far as the GOP simply "winning over" these voters without a major Dem screw up, not gonna happen. That's just reality on this particular issue.

Sadly, I couldn't agree more.

While nothing would make me happier than seeing a true conservative or libertarian in office I just don't see it happening.

...especially with the rapid growth in the minority population.

[steeldawg]

Yeah that's why blacks voted over 90% for Obama despite a 40 year high in the unemployment rate amongst them.

clinton got 83% of the black vote in 94 and 84% in 96 so lets not pretend that republicans were swaying the black vote before obama came along.

[Count Steeler]

clinton got 83% of the black vote in 94 and 84% in 96 so lets not pretend that republicans were swaying the black vote before obama came along.

Well, Clinton was the first black president. Besides, policies of Clinton and Obama are not different.

[steeldawg]

Well, Clinton was the first black president. Besides, policies of Clinton and Obama are not different.

That is exactly my point besides clinton being first black prez!!!! So is it policy or race for black voters? If its policy then minorities will continue to vote dem unless repubs change their thinking, or is it race? If its race then republicans could have a quick fix and just run an african american candidate, because by repubs assessment of black voters they will overwhemingly vote for a guy because he is black.

[Count Steeler]

That is exactly my point besides clinton being first black prez!!!! So is it policy or race for black voters? If its policy then minorities will continue to vote dem unless repubs change their thinking, or is it race? If its race then republicans could have a quick fix and just run an african american candidate, because by repubs assessment of black voters they will overwhemingly vote for a guy because he is black.

Seems to me, too many Americans are 1 issue. "I vote for X because he is Pro Life". "I vote for Y because he is black." Most can't see the world beyond their noses, thus the problem with very few politicians giving a damn for the "good of the country". The greatest concern is "How do I get elected". The second greatest, "How do I get re-elected".

[Seven]

Democrats dont have an image problem with minorities

Of course they don't. A party that traditionally makes welfare-style help available and does things such as lowering tuition for illegals is obviously going to be popular amongst minorities. Does that make them superior? Quite the opposite, really. It's not racist to say that minorities - largely blacks and Mexicans - statistically gain much more from decisions such as these than your typical good ol' boy whites. Hell, if my family was stuck in Mexico and the US Government essentially started waving them on over the border I'd be all for Democrats taking charge, too. But as I said, in no way does that make the party superior. It's essentially just buying votes, whether they really believe it's the right thing to do or not. Fundamentally, Republicans aren't going to appeal to minorities as much as Democrats because traditional American values don't appeal to minorities as much as they do most whites.

[43Hitman]

Seems to me, too many Americans are 1 issue. "I vote for X because he is Pro Life". "I vote for Y because he is black." Most can't see the world beyond their noses, thus the problem with very few politicians giving a damn for the "good of the country". The greatest concern is "How do I get elected". The second greatest, "How do I get re-elected".

Sadly, with most American voters, this is the case. And with the current condition of our Dept. of Education, I doubt it gets rectified any time soon.

Of course they don't. A party that traditionally makes welfare-style help available and does things such as lowering tuition for illegals is obviously going to be popular amongst minorities. Does that make them superior? Quite the opposite, really. It's not racist to say that minorities - largely blacks and Mexicans - statistically gain much more from decisions such as these than your typical good ol' boy whites. Hell, if my family was stuck in Mexico and the US Government essentially started waving them on over the border I'd be all for Democrats taking charge, too. But as I said, in no way does that make the party superior. It's essentially just buying votes, whether they really believe it's the right thing to do or not. Fundamentally, Republicans aren't going to appeal to minorities as much as Democrats because traditional American values don't appeal to minorities as much as they do most whites.

I'm not so sure about your last sentence. I think their decisions may fall along the lines of peer pressure, because a majority of minorities pay very little attention to politics in general.