Anonymous Attack On GOP Chair Candidate Uses Fake Newspaper Cover
Uh oh — it looks like viral email dirty tricks (okay, parodies) are now entering into the race for Republican National Committee chair.
This image of a parodied USA Today cover is being anonymously blasted around among Republicans — it imagines what the front page of the paper will look like if South Carolina GOP chair Katon Dawson, who was a member of a whites only club, wins the RNC chairmanship:
The image was pasted in an email circulated to undisclosed repicients that bore the subject line: “USA Today Headline.” The email said: “Please make sure to take a look at the USA Today image attached regarding the RNC Chair race.”
The email and image, another sign of how bitter the RNC chair’s race has gotten as Friday’s election day approaches, was forwarded to me by a Republican operative who says that its making the rounds among Republicans involved in the race.
“RNC Chooses Whites Only Chairman,” the headline blares.
The subheds: “White House Rejoices With GOP Selection.”
And: “GOP Leaders and Independent Voters Upset.”
The “front page” does specify that it’s a “parody.” The idea, obviously, is to hit Dawson by pointing out that electing someone who was a member of a whites only club as the new public face of the GOP won’t exactly help the party counter charges that it’s become a southern regional party that’s been hijacked by intolerants.
Dawson has defended himself by saying that he pushed for the club to change its ways, but that hasn’t stopped his opponents from doing their best to make it a big issue.
No word on who’s behind the image.
Update: South Carolina GOP spokesperson Rob Godfrey emails over this response:
Members of the national committee have come to disregard these anonymous attacks as sad attempts by cynical political insiders to manipulate the outcome of the chairman’s race. These attacks have proven to be as ineffective as they are uncreative. Those responsible for these attacks are clearly not interested in a Republican renewal and appear ready to embrace the failed political playbooks of the past. I hope candidates for chairman continue to hold their campaigns teams to higher standards than to circulate this material.
Repbulicans seem to have turned their own methods back on themselves, like a snake devouring its own tail.
there is an odd tidy symmetry at play here…
And why would anyone want these folks to be in charge of anything in this country. They are all racists.
Now, now grf67. All of them? In all fairness, I’m sure that there are some of “them” who are, in fact, not particularly racist.
Why is he still a member of a club like that if things are still the same. I think he should denounce the club by getting out!
wrote “Repbulicans seem to have turned their own methods back on themselves…”
This is nothing now. They actually start leaning to do these type of things (and far worse) on themselves — read any of the stories about various campaigns for Young Republicans. Atwater, Rove, and many other popular GOP smear-merchants got their start in Young Repubs.
Its what they do to their political enemies. Usually that is a Dem, but occasionally, like now, it’s other Republicans.
The fake headline is a little dirty, but isn’t that part of politics. Also, I disagree with Mr.. Godfrey’s statement that it is “ineffective…uncreative.” While “sad…cynical” might be true, the parody is very effective and creative. Makes you think twice about the “white’s only guy” vying for the RNC chairmanship.
“Its what they do to their political enemies. Usually that is a Dem, but occasionally, like now, it’s other Republicans.”
My view: It was what they did to all Americans, not to mention the world, which I have never seen, so doesn’t really exist until they send 4 hijacked planes to us.
I remember receiving a letter from the new administration, when Bush and Rove first appeared. It said, much like a car salesman would say, “You have been declared eligible for a tax credit provided by President Bush’s strong abhorence of taxes, and if you let us ‘roger you roundly’ without whining for 7 more years, we’ll allow you to eat more govenment cheese, but make sure you remember this: We are giving this to you. Keep your mouth shut, and no one gets hurt.”
Or something akin to that.
I am serious. I crumpled it. Then I said, “Wait…you have a History degree….you’re supposed to save this kinda ****.”
And now we have a pillsbury-esque Rove on TV, acting nearly human. It is the theme of evil: a certain banality, like Eichman. No horns, just an accountant of evil.
They cremated Eichman and buried his ashes at sea, so no monument could ever be made to him. I hope Rove goes briney someday.
As a liberal Black Democrat (lifelong liberal….also lifelong black too
I would take issue with anyone saying all Republicans are racist. However, I will say that Republican policies are, however well intentioned, are disasterous for lower income people of all races in this country. That’s why I could never be a Republican. There’s no compassion in their policies.
The GOP
Sometimes Politics Really is Black (Latino/Hispanic, Asian, Native) and (Southern) WHITE!
The funniest thing about it is, there is a punctuation error in the HEADLINE that my 8th grader would have caught. Was Sarah Palin the proofreader?
That “de-segregation” is misspelled also says a lot about the author.
“…there is a punctuation error in the HEADLINE that my 8th grader would have caught. Was Sarah Palin the proofreader?
That “de-segregation” is misspelled also says a lot about the author.”
heh. I didn’t catch that. That doesn’t speak well about me, but it IS telling, and I am telling you while I am telling my 88 year old former teacher, a republican for whom I caregive…(is that a verb?) about your perception fo the non-needed possessive.
hah. He asked me what I am typing on…so you can see that I am up to my ears in dementia, and it is contagious.
Whee!
Republicans actually seem to take much more glee in using such tactics on each other than on Democrats- anybody recall why W beat McCain in the SC primary in 99?
after shooting yourself in the foot over and over, why not reload?
brianmac..great bloggg
it is contagious..be wary
The only thing funnier than the repTublicans eating their young is if someone put out a parody USA Today that said Ken Blackwell was a member of a whites-only club! ;^)
I love it when republicans eat their own.
So I guess later in the week they’ll break out his illegitimate ethnic baby? Or maybe they’ll go right to hookers?
Seems to me that no matter which one of these idiots they choose – they are still totally screwed. They’ve got no plan or vision and anyone left who had half a braincell is banished because they reject the moose queen.
It’s pretty obvious this is Steele’s work. Steele’s Hannity’s best friend. There’s no bully he wouldn’t use nor any fact he wouldn’t twist to get his point across.
There is ONE sad fact outside the Fascist South for Republican’s. YOU have lost all support. When you look up and find not ONE member of your party in the House of Representatives from the entire Northeast you should know how much trouble you are in and know action is necessary. When the party took on the Southern Racist and Religious Right to gain power, I’m sure they never visioned the party being taken over by those people but that is exactly what happened. The Republican Party is now faced with the same problem the Democrats faced in the late 50’s and early 60’s. Either ditch the fascist or become a regional party, it’s just that simple.
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This (membership in an exclusive all white club) is just the tip of the iceburg of Katon Dawson’s questionable racist world view.
While Dawson was Chairman of the State Party he set about to destroy, and was quite successful, the work that had been done to build a robust outreach committee. As someone that was involved with it told me, Dawson stopped funding the outreach committee and then systematically dismantled the group. Dawson then went out of his way to work against the remaining members of the committee and block them from ever trying to do real minority outreach in South Carolina.
But we should also not forget that Dawson refused to close or put on holiday the state party staff on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s day.
Don’t get me wrong, Dawson knows how to place the race card and does it well. I would not be at all surprised that this parody came directly from his own camp. They have done it before and will obviously continue to do it again.
And this is the best the Republican Party can do? Sad.
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