Black Republican groups are airing ads in Maryland to convince African-Americans to vote for Steele over Ben Cardin--not because of any particular policy of Steele, or the Republican Party, but because, according to the ad, the Democratic party is the
party of the Ku Klux Klan.
Black Republican groups emerged from the political margins yesterday, launching a campaign to persuade African American voters to support Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele's bid for the U.S. Senate...The push was evident in a Baltimore radio advertisement targeting African American listeners that was sponsored by the Washington-based National Black Republican Association. The ad identifies Martin Luther King Jr. as a Republican and pins the founding of the Ku Klux Klan on Democrats.
ABC couldn't have written it better. More below the fold.
The ad contains a conversation between two women.
One woman says: "Democrats passed those black codes and Jim Crow laws. Democrats started the Ku Klux Klan.""The Klan?" her friend replies. "White hoods and sheets?"
First woman: "Democrats fought all civil rights legislation from the 1860s to the 1960s. Democrats released those vicious dogs and fire hoses on blacks."
Second woman: "Seriously?"
The ad says that "Democrats want to keep us poor while voting ONLY Democrat" and, "Democrats have bamboozled blacks."
Steele said he had not heard the 60-second spot but said he generally does not oppose Republican efforts to assert their "real place in history."
This is the type of attack that many folks unfortunately predicted would happen if Mfume lost to Cardin. But I don't think anyone would drag out the KKK.
And Steele is doing nothing to put out the fire.
Steele was asked about the ad yesterday as he walked through a shopping mall in Forestville, greeting clerks and shoppers. He said he would not address the radio spot directly, because he had not heard it.But, he said, "I think Republicans have allowed Democrats to control the debate on political opportunity for African Americans. . . . It's about time the Republicans speak to their real place in history...and to debunk the myths."
So I imagine we're going to be talking about the modern parties, then? Nixon's race strategy? Reagan's invented Welfare Queens? Katrina, anyone?
To their credit, the Post inverviewed a political scientist as well, who couldn't help but state the obvious:
Ronald Walters, a political scientist at the University of Maryland, said he heard the ad while driving yesterday and found the historical references to be distortions."It is a totally fallacious rendition of the platform of the parties because, in effect, what happened is, the two parties essentially switched ideology," Walters said.
Walters said he did not think it would help Steele win votes and could hurt him among those who are offended.
"You're not likely to find African Americans having historical amnesia about their own history," Walters said. "This is clearly a sales pitch, and not a very good one."
Gee, this race got ugly in a hurry, didn't it?
Updated with link to Washington Post story.