We've been harsh on Florida Governor Charlie Crist in the past - he was single for an awfully long time, and then, once he suddenly decided to get married just as he was positioning himself for McCain's VP slot, he and his family said a lot of things about his new bride that were, well, just a bit odd for a straight guy. But, this time, Crist did a good thing - he criticized the RNC chair candidate who passed around a song calling Obama a "negro":
As the GOP Chairman in one of our nation’s most ethnically and culturally diverse states, I am especially disappointed by the inappropriate words and actions we’ve seen over the past few days. I am proud of those party leaders who have stood up in firm opposition to this type of behavior.Why does it matter? Because I can call myself a fag, you can't. Why? Because everyone knows I'm not anti-gay, but you, they're not so sure (unless you too are gay). When a Republican refers to a black man as a "negro," not only are we not sure that he's not a racist, the benefit of the doubt tends to the "he is a racist" side of things when the joke teller is GOP, and especially when he's white. Contrary to the in-very-poor-taste defense that GOP apologist Ken Blackwell gave for this racial epithet, the very white Charlie Crist (well, Crist is perpetually tan, so maybe we can call him brown) seems to get it. Perhaps he can give Blackwell some lessons in balancing being a Republican and selling your soul.
In Florida we have worked hard to reach out to ALL citizens to promote the Republican Party’s principles and values while ensuring that our commitment to African Americans, Hispanics, and other minority communities is sincere and credible. Actions such as the distribution of this CD, regardless of intent, only serves to promote divisiveness and distracts us from our common goal of building our party.
Today, the GOP has an unprecedented opportunity to embrace change and inclusion, and we are either going to welcome this opportunity fully or watch it slip through our fingers. We can only achieve success if Republican leaders reject racial or any other acts that divide us and instead embrace what unites us as a nation.
