Republicans COMPLETELY Absent from MLK 50th Anniversary Event

But it is just the Democrat's handouts that keep African Americans voting for the Democratic Party not the complete and total disregard for the black community that the Republicans always demonstrate? They must have all been busy that day? "Oh, THAT was the 50th Anniversary day"? I didn't know.

Republicans absent from March on Washington


View Photo Gallery — Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington: Thousands attended the event on the Mall, where President Obama and others spoke.
By Ed O’Keefe, Published: August 28
Not a single Republican elected official stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday with activists, actors, lawmakers and former presidents invited to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington — a notable absence for a party seeking to attract the support of minority voters.
Event organizers said Wednesday that they invited top Republicans, all of whom declined to attend because of scheduling conflicts or ill health.
Video

Martin Luther King III discusses the significance of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, and said he was disappointed by the lack of GOP participation in the day's events.

But aides to some GOP congressional leaders said they received formal invitations only in recent weeks, making it too late to alter their summer recess schedules.
The Rev. Leah D. Daughtry of the House of the Lord Church in the District, who served as executive producer of the commemoration, said the organizing committee began sending invitations to top leaders of both parties “on a rolling basis probably four or five weeks ago.”
“We had a very concerted effort, because this is not a political moment. This was about us coming together as a community, so we wanted to be sure that we had all political representations,” Daughtry said. “We attempted very vigorously to have someone from the GOP participate and unfortunately they were unable to find someone who was able to participate.”
King’s eldest son, Martin Luther King III, said Wednesday that he was disappointed “that we didn’t have bipartisanship.” He noted that his mother, Coretta Scott King, had maintained relationships with all the living former presidents. “It would have been great” to see, King said, “that around the banner of Martin Luther King everyone could come together, because Dad represented the interest of all who were mistreated.”
Health reasons kept former presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush from the event, family representatives said. Former Florida governor Jeb Bush also declined an invitation, Daughtry said.
George W. Bush, who is recovering from a recent heart procedure, issued a statement hailing President Obama’s appearance near the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial. “There on the National Mall our President, whose story reflects the promise of America, will help us honor the man who inspired millions to redeem that promise,” Bush said.
The absence of any top Republicans came two weeks after national GOP leaders used their annual summer meeting to begin a program to attract minority voters by highlighting the careers of younger “rising stars,” including minority state legislators from Oklahoma and New Hampshire. After a dismal showing among minorities in the 2012 election, many Republican leaders have said the party must do better amid rapidly changing demographics.
Michael Steele, the first black Republican lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former Republican National Committee chairman, said event organizers told him that they were having difficulty attracting Republican speakers. He faulted GOP leaders for not making time to attend.
“It’s part of a continuing narrative that the party finds itself in with these big deals for minority communities around the country and how they perceive our response to them,” he said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/polit...b807ac-1010-11e3-8cdd-bcdc09410972_story.html

 

Tue Aug 20, 2013 at 02:25 PM PDT
GOP does minority outreach. Again.

by Jed LewisonFollow for Daily Kos


Aug. 20, 2013:

Nine months after Barack Obama’s edge with young people, minority groups and women carried him to re-election, the Republican National Committee is beginning a new campaign to showcase the diversity in the GOP ranks.​

Well, this will surely change everything for the GOP. Just like every thing changed on Feb. 6, 2013:

Republicans are ramping up their recruitment of minority candidates in an effort to combat the demographic trends that helped hand them stinging losses in November.​

And just like everything changed on Jan. 17, 2013:

[The GOP's winter meeting] will be a three-day discussion focused primarily on how to grow the Republican Party by convincing black, Hispanic and Asian voters that the GOP better represents their values than the Democratic Party, according to a party official involved in the planning of the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.​

And April 24, 2012:

The Republican National Committee is planning to launch a "black Americans" outreach program as part of their "strategic partnerships" initiative aimed at courting groups that have traditionally leaned Democratic. Web platforms targeting women and Hispanics have already launched.​

And, of course, it will change everything just like Feb. 19, 2009:

Newly elected Republican National Committee Chairman Michael S. Steele plans an “off the hook” public relations offensive to attract younger voters, especially blacks and Hispanics, by applying the party’s principles to “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”​

That promise resulted in the unforgettably hilarious relaunchof GOP.com—complete not just with a picture of Frederick Douglass (to show the GOP's commitment to civil rights) but also with a new blog for Steele, titled "What Up."
Despite Steele's efforts, however, Republicans in 2010 failed to fundamentally diversify their party's racial and ethnic base—but at least they won. Of course, after winning that victory, Republicans took swift action to demonstrate their commitment to minority outreach ... by firing Steele.
And now, nearly three years later, the GOP's problems are worse than ever, so they are once again making big noise about minority outreach.

This time, however, they really mean it. Right?

 

Although several high-profile Republicans were invited to speak at Wednesday's 50th anniversary of the historic civil rights March on Washington, the lone sitting black U.S. senator, Tim Scott of South Carolina, was not.

Former GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain thinks he knows why: "Because he is a conservative Republican, pure and simple," he said Wednesday night on Fox News Channel's "On the Record with Greta Van Susteren."

"The entire commemoration had a very liberal flavor to it," Cain said.

Republicans such as former President George W. Bush, House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Eric Cantor were invited to speak at the event marking Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech, but did not attend for various reasons.

Bush is still recovering from heart surgery, and Boehner and Cantor had other commitments.

Boehner spoke at an event in the Capitol Rotunda last month marking the anniversary and is out of town this week for the August recess, and Cantor, who was traveling Wednesday, had walked the civil rights trail of the 1965 march from Birmingham to Selma, Ala., earlier this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Asked by Van Susteren if Scott didn't get an invitation to the King commemoration because it might just have been an oversight, Cain said, "They were meticulous enough to invite all of the Hollywood stars."

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 removed the "civil liberties no-fly zone," Cain said.

"We now have a responsibility to take advantage of that by pursuing our dreams, based upon what [King] talked about and, ultimately, what he died for, which was equal justice and treatment for all," Cain said. "That's what this commemoration, I believe, really should have been about."

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmax.com/US/cain-scott-van-susteren/2013/08/29/id/522811#ixzz2dMkHpQOn
Urgent: Should Obamacare Be Repealed? Vote Here Now!​

 

Maybe, just maybe one day Republicans will finally realize that the real problem isn't a matter of getting minorities to buy into their bad policies but rather the real problem is changing their bad policies in order to attract more minorities.
Not a single Republican! This speaks volumes to minorities of all stripes.

 

The fact Tim Scott, the only black member of the Senate, was excluded speaks volumes about the "race relations" issue in this country.

 

I think what Republicans aren't willing to do is start attending events like this and getting booed at least initially until they figure out that it is their policies that need to change and then, and only then, will they begin to connect with minorities. If they don't take the first tough steps, they'll never ever attract minority voters at the same time old white people are decreasing every election cycle. Change or die GOP.

 

Why would Tim Scott be invited in the first place? Because he is black? That's kind of racist. What about Mo Cowan? How come every single Republican Senator, House Rep, and GOP Party leader happened to be busy? Hum?

 

Maybe because the GOP's leadership is booked for more than 2 weeks ahead which is how long ago they were invited. Sounds to me like this black convention is racist against conservatism.

 

Joe, let's take a look at this. President George W. Bush didn't attend because he's recovering from a heart procedure. But, you fault him for that? Then, as RLM mentioned, a Republican Senator wasn't even invited, yet you put the blame on the Republicans? Then, you try to fault Republicans for not being able to change their schedule since they didn't receive the invite in time? Just what kind of low-life partisan hack are you?

I see many, many Republicans in the photo in your OP. I'm proud of so many Republicans turning out for the event.

 

Well, that's a helleva rationalization. I understand if certain people were unable to make the event. That always happens with any event. But ZERO Republican leaders? It pretty much telegraphs loud and clear that the party itself has no interest in participating in in the 50th Anniversary of one of the most pivotal events in civil rights history. And I am cool with that because 1) It says who they really are loud and clear, 2) It only hurts them, and 3) Given the GOP's zeal in restricting voter rights for blacks, this slight will cement their vote for the Democrats for generations. Keep up the good work.

 

Yes, because who could have anticipated the 50th Anniversary of this event? It would be interesting to find out what exactly was so important for EVERY SINGLE GOP leader that prevented them from attending. They didn't have to speak, they just could have attended the event. They didn't bother but rationalize your party's bigotry anyway you feel that you need to. Whatever lets you sleep at night. This is just so funny watching you guys twist yourselves into knots rationalizing what is pretty clearly a slight to the entire African American community. Keep going please.

 

Now, that's rather racist, Joe. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke for ALL people, not just African-Americans.

 

View attachment 1951

 

This all sounds rather convenient for the dims...but typical. Unless the idea was to score political points (using racism), why wouldn't Tim Scott be invited? Boehner was invited but not Scott? Hmmm

 

And why was Boehner not invited until the week before last? I guess since Teddy works for the government, he cannot understand how real workers have things to do for weeks/months in advance.

 

The totality of the absence of any GOP leaders is all that matters not specific examples. There is no way you guys could go through and make excuses for every single GOP leader even though I'm sure you'd try. Keep twisting and turning in the wind. I know how it infuriates Jack.

 

Big deal. The Republicans who were invited were either ill or had prior commitments. If the organizers had invited them earlier, most could probably have scheduled it. You probably scheduled your recent vacation months ago and planned your trip down to the last hotel, tour, historical site, etc. And that's just a little peon like you. If you were someone important like the Speaker of the House, your schedule would be planned much more meticulously than just a summer vacation. Shame on the organizers for not inviting the Republicans sooner.

 

Ahhhh ah aha ha ah ha ha ha aha ha ah aha aha h ***catches breath**** ha ha ha ha ha ha ah....

Now you get testy and personal when the rationalizations for your own party come off as nothing but pathetic. Jack is going to be so pissed at you.

 

Republican autopsy results are in....

They just don't give a damn about minorities in this country.

 

Former U.S. Representative Joe Walsh shared his own dream:

This is how republicans think they can convince people to join their party? Oy!