And they say segregation is over. . .

I love National Review Magazine-- I never read it without coming away with something to think about. And post on the Beehive about. :-) So here is what caught The Great Fa-so-la-la's attention today :

"Howard Dean-- you know him: the former governor of Vermont who's now chairman of the Democratic National Commitee and who recently declared "I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for"-- met with the DNC's "black caucus." He said, "You think the Republican National Commitee could get this many people of color in a single room? Only if they had the hotel staff in here." Listening to Dean, and many others, you can't help getting the impression that they think of black people, not as people or Americans, but as blacks. The Republican party, blessedly, is different. What did Condoleezza Rice say at the 2000 convention? "I joined the party for different reasons. I found a party that sees me as an individual, not as part of a group. . ." Beautiful. Besides which-- should America have "black caucuses" and other such factions based on pigmentation alone?"

Amen! The Democrats always tout themselves as the party most receptive to minorities, but then they do stuff like this that shows what they really think.

For one thing, what Howard Dean said was a gross PR error-- HOTEL WORKERS? True or not, this is a dumb thing to say-- it is basically disrespectful and degrading to black people.

Another area in which the Democrats show themselves to be not quite so colorblind as they would wish us to believe is in their stance on affirmative action. Those who actively support affirmative action policies are essentially reflecting their belief that minority students are less competent and need special assistance.

I believe all Democrats would say that they feel minorities are no different from others, yet by pushing this policy they insult the intelligence and capabilities of these people. The irony of it is that while they are attempting to enable blacks to have a better life etc., they are really implying that minorities are not able to compete against others without assistance.

I once saw a political cartoon that showed two grungy people who looked like they probably voted for Nader (conveniently labeled 'affirmative activists') walking past a statue of Martin Luther King Jr. It was inscribed with one of his quotes-- said something like 'I dream of a time when they will be judged not by the color of their skin but by their real worth' or something along those lines. Anyway, one activist turns to the other and says, 'Who's the dude on the statue?' And the other one replies, 'Who knows--probably one of Bush's psycho right-wing lawyers.' This is a sad -- but I fear too true -- portrait of the demise of any *real* attempts at promoting equality.

Now, I'm not saying that Republicans are perfect and always think of blacks just as they should-- I undoubtedly have more than my fair share of bias. However, I do think that the Republicans on the whole have a more balanced viewpoint on this. As noted by Secretary Rice in the quote above, the Republican mindset is to leave each person free to be as successful as they can on their own merits.

Regardless, I think we should all be grateful to Howard Dean for the moment of smug pleasure he has afforded Republicans nationwide-- he has yet again proved himself to be every bit as obnoxious as we would like to believe him to be. :-)