Ifill: The GOP Does Not Have Any ‘Breakthrough’ Candidates, They ‘Seem To Have Gone Backwards’
Ifill: The GOP Does Not Have Any ‘Breakthrough’ Candidates, They ‘Seem To Have Gone Backwards’
Last night, the Center for American Progress hosted a discussion between PBS’s Gwen Ifill and CAP President John Podesta about Ifill’s new book, “The Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” After the event, Ifill sat down for an interview with ThinkProgress, where we asked her about the Republican party’s efforts to reach out to African-American voters.
During her talk with Podesta, Ifill said that she didn’t believe that RNC Chairman Michael Steele’s race was the motivating factor behind why Republicans elected him. In the interview, Ifill said that “they weren’t so caught up with the idea of Barack Obama being black that they were going to sacrifice their need to come back just to elect a black guy.”
“They needed someone that could articulate what the Republican brand still is,” said Ifill. “And he did that better than the other guys running for office.” Asked if she saw any “breakthrough” candidates in the Republican party, Ifill responded bluntly, “not yet”:
IFILL: In fact, we seem to have gone backwards. I mean, we used to have J.C. Watts in the House, but now there are no black Republicans in Congress. At all. That’s a step back. In order to change that direction, there has to be recruiting going on. I think there is recruiting going on at some lower levels, but they’ve got some ground to make up.
Watch it:
Former Oklahoma representative J.C. Watts, whom Ifill mentioned, retired from Congress in 2002. Since then, no African-Americans have been elected to Congress on the Republican ticket. According to Pew Research in March 2008, the share of African-Americans identifying themselves as Republican has stayed steady this past decade at around 4 percent.
Transcript:
THINK PROGRESS: Well, first of all, I was just wondering if you could follow up a little bit on your comments that you were talking about, brought up Michael Steele and you said you didn’t think he was necessarily elected because he was African-American and I was just wondering if you could follow up a little bit on that more.IFILL: I think the Republican Party is at a point where they have to, they just lost the presidency, they lost seats in the House and the Senate, they had to figure a way to comeback. And so, they weren’t so caught up with the idea of Barack Obama being black that they were going to sacrifice their need to come back just to elect a black guy. They needed somebody that could speak for them. They needed someone that could articulate what the Republican brand still is. And he did that better than the other guys running for office. He knew how to do that. He has been reliable and he knows how to play the politics of getting elected. So I think all of that had much more to do with it than race — his race — or the party’s desire to reach out to black voters.
THINK PROGRESS: And do you see a breakthrough candidate in the GOP right now?
IFILL: Not Yet. In fact, we seem to have gone backwards. I mean, we used to have J.C. Watts in the House, but now there are no black Republicans in Congress. At all. That’s a step back. In order to change that direction, there has to be recruiting going on. I think there is recruiting going on at some lower levels, but they’ve got some ground to make up.
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No progress?
A. Alan Keyes
B. Michael Steele
I rest my case.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:09 pmThat’s what embracing your ‘base’ will get you… it tends to debase your party and alienate any potential new members…
That being said, it’s a strategy I whole heartedly support in regards to the Republicans!
Palin/Rush 2012!!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:11 pmTwo names
That’s progress
Wow, set the bar high!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:11 pmWait a minute! Isn’t this the hack who gave softball questions to Obama and made John McCain cry?
/snark
February 18th, 2009 at 5:12 pmCF,
February 18th, 2009 at 5:13 pmUmm, these two are not NEW to the repugs. And I SERIOSLY doubt we will ever see any person of color from that side of the isle put forth as a presidential hopeful.
seriously
cerial
February 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pmWhoops! I guess she made Sarah Palin cry (it was the VP debate.)
February 18th, 2009 at 5:15 pmRandom Chaos said at #5 “CF,
Umm, these two are not NEW to the repugs. And I SERIOSLY doubt we will ever see any person of color from that side of the isle put forth as a presidential hopeful.”
Yeah, that is what I meant. No progress? Yep, no progress.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:20 pmA FRESH BOLD….. Says:
——————————————————————————–
belac Says:
Palin/Rush 2012!!
Finally, some sense from the belac man.
You, Sir, are the PATRIOT OF THE DAY!!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:16 pm
Because that ticket is sure to insure a Democratic landslide ………..
February 18th, 2009 at 5:21 pmThe GOP has gone backwards, especially since they listen to Rush Limbaugh, hold Gov. Palin in high esteem and have Cantor releasing all kinds of foolish, divisive ads. What non-white American would want to be a part of the GOP/Rethuglican party with their rascist supporters?!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:23 pmThey’ve been backwards ever since Regean. I hope they continue in that direction perpetually.
Hey guys, check out my new blog at http://plunditry.com
February 18th, 2009 at 5:24 pmI wonder if that “lower level recruiting” is using this as an incentive:
http://www.pe.com/imagesdaily/2008/10-16/racist16_400.jpg
Just saying . . .
February 18th, 2009 at 5:25 pmPalinienation will be laughed off the campaign trail in 2011.
Bobby Jindal will be revealed as a religious kook light weight, you know, another Huckster…
They’ll have to come up with some fresh new turds to show off.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:27 pmGreat idea about Palin/Rush, but somehows I don’t see him running under a female…Too much of a mysoginist.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:28 pmAnd Cantor is starting to feel a little full of himself. He thinks he is Newtie, Jr. Anytime a GOP guy starts making noise about being the future, you can bet an indictment is close behind. The GOP. Your ever shrinking minority, sure to be microscopic very soon.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:30 pmI don’t believe in quotas, but I do think that the extent to which our representation mirrors our demographics is a good indicator of how color blind our nation is becoming. By that standard, the 43 current black Senators and House members is a shadow of the 72 members our national demographics would suggest.
If about 13 percent of America is black and 4 percent of black people are Republicans, you could still reasonably expect there to be at least one black Republican in the House or Senate. Minorities are under represented in the Republican party even for their relatively small membership in the party.
However, the situation for women is truly bizarre. Demographics would suggest that as many as 268 Congress people might be women, but there are only 92 currently serving. Only 22 of those are Republicans!
February 18th, 2009 at 5:30 pmWhere was this Gwen Ifill during the Biden – Palin debate?
February 18th, 2009 at 5:31 pmAllow me to repeat the Malcolm X statement (to paraphrase): “You can’t stab a man in the back, pull the knife half-way out and call it ‘progress.’” The GOP have nothing for America today and they had nothing before.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:32 pmPerhaps we could trade Roland Burris for Olympia Snowe.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:38 pmWAAAAYYYYYYYYYY Backwards.
“Reverse” is what the “R” stands for.
“D” stands for Dollars. And Drive.
Thanks Righties!!!
(cha-ching)
February 18th, 2009 at 5:41 pmWe? Who’s we? Ifill’s a Republican?
She always seemed to let an awful lot of talking points go by unchallenged during her Friday night talking-heads schmooze. I thought I was imagining it.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:43 pmOh, and while we’re on it, I don’t remember JC Watts being any big prize. Didn’t he call Democratic blacks race-hustling poverty pimps, or some such delightful thing?
Seems like a jerk to me.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:46 pmC’mon, everybody knows Gwen Ifill’s a shill for the Dems.
-AF
February 18th, 2009 at 5:51 pmAndrew Sullivan Is A Fraud
Chuck Feney Says:
No progress?
A. Alan Keyes
B. Michael Steele
I rest my case.
Uh, tell us what offices these gentlemen were ELECTED to as Republicans and for how long?
Case closed, like your mind apparently, eh?
February 18th, 2009 at 5:53 pmApologize if I missed your sarcasm, Chuck. LOL
February 18th, 2009 at 5:55 pmRepublicans had better hire a better recruiting coordinator. I don’t see ANY new african americans moving their way anytime soon.
February 18th, 2009 at 5:57 pmOT – but the headlines at googlenews caught my interest…
it’s back, again:
White House: Obama Opposes ‘Fairness Doctrine’ Revival
FOXNews – 3 hours ago
A White House spokesman tells FOXNews.com President Obama opposes any move to bring back the so-called Fairness Doctrine. President Obama opposes any move …
Obama Restates Opposition to Return of Fairness Doctrine
Broadcasting & Cable, NY – 43 minutes ago
By John Eggerton — Broadcasting & Cable, 2/18/2009 2:49:01 PM MT A White House spokesperson, in an e-mail to B&C, said Wednesday: “As the President stated …
http://news.google.com/?ncl=1304253416&hl=en&topic=h
check out all the FOX links… they are really worried…
February 18th, 2009 at 6:01 pmwoke wrote “Apologize if I missed your sarcasm, Chuck. LOL”
Apology accepted. My bad for not making the sarcasm more clear.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:08 pmA FRESH BOLD:
February 18th, 2009 at 6:08 pmDrudge’s hat is stupid…
The party of pointy white hats need a lot more than black candidates to win a black constituency.
February 18th, 2009 at 6:21 pm“…They needed somebody that could speak for them. They needed someone that could articulate what the Republican brand still is. And he did that better than the other guys running for office. He knew how to do that. He has been reliable and he knows how to play the politics of getting elected.”
Um, the guys that says, “You have no reason – absolutely none – to trust us, to believe anything we say” is the best they could come up with?
February 18th, 2009 at 7:23 pmwhat no olby?
*
“poat”
:)
February 18th, 2009 at 8:19 pmThis obvious. The reason is they have no breakthrough candidate is because they have no new blood. This younger generation is not buying into the RNC. You may not like their clothes, their music, or lifestyle but give them credit for seeing through the RNC nonsense.
February 18th, 2009 at 10:50 pmreminds me . . . so how many chickens on the KFC Board?
February 19th, 2009 at 2:13 amEric Cantor in the House, Bob Corker in the Senate.
February 19th, 2009 at 3:34 amMe thinks Gwen has finally revealed her political bias. Another nail in the “liberal media bias myth” coffin. Seems to me I recall reading something some years back about how during the Reagan “revolution” the media moguls began firing reporters with humanites degrees and replacing them with MBA degree holders. So the environmental beat, human interest beat, labor news, all the left or center left social topics were covered by right wing pro-business reporters.
February 19th, 2009 at 7:49 amAt least one of the fired reporters ended up killing himself. He was essentially blacklisted for being too left.
It seems like the African-American’s that sign on the the Republican philosophy are either there by preferential treatment (Clarence Thomas), or get locked out when they attempt to influence policy (JC Watt, Colin Powell). I’m still trying to figure out Condi Rice. She was outwardly qualified but inept and ineffective as both National Security Advisor and Secretary of State. I don’t yet know enough about Steele but have been unimpressed thus far.
February 19th, 2009 at 11:49 amI can’t watch gwen awful; she is such a repug shill. My wife and I gave up watching week in review because the people she gets to be on are also such repug shills: LIEasson, juan o’reilly, et. al. In fact, we don’t watch the newshour because of these same people. awful’s handling of the VP debate was totally without merit.
steele’s ability to articulate the repug “brand” is so good that he had to lable himself a Dem to run for his last office. Just biz as usual for repugs, I guess.
February 19th, 2009 at 12:27 pm