More Irk: Democrats and “Diversity” – “Townsend’s Choice Irks Some Blacks,” reports the Washington Post, referring to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend’s choice of running mate in her campaign for governor of Maryland. Townsend chose Charles R. Larson, a white retired admiral who was a registered Republican until last June.
This year Rep. Robert Ehrlich, the Republican candidate for governor, picked Michael Steele, the only black chairman of a state Republican party in the country, as his running mate. Republicans hope and Democrats fear that these two running mate choices will dampen the enthusiasm for Democrats among African Americans.
When Republican candidates abandon their core voters and reach out to the center they are usually praised as moderates in the mainstream media. Here, however the general tone and content of the Post article suggested that Townsend made a big mistake in not appeasing the Democrats’ black base.
Instead of appealing to that large and loyal constitutency, Townsend turned to Larson…. The choice was praised by most Democratic leaders, who saw it as a wise appeal to independent voters, where Townsend’s support is weak. But many black Democrats viewed it as a slap in the face.
“There’s a lot of grumbling and disappointment about the selection, none of it personal to Mr. Larson, particularly,” said Albert Wynn, a black Congressman from Prince Georges County who refused to appear at a photo op for Townsend and Larson or at the opening of their headquarters in his district. But, Wynn noted, “there are a lot of people who are disappointed that there’s not more diversity on the statewide ticket.”
When and where I grew up George Wallace always talked about the “bloc vote.” Everyone knew “bloc” was simply a code word for “black.” Now “diversity” has come to be a code word that means pretty much the same thing.
