Soledad Tells Former RNC Chair: Minorities Know You and They Don't Like You
CNN host Soledad O'Brien on Friday advised former Republican National
Committee Chairman Mel Martinez that Republicans would need to do more
that just encourage African-Americans and Hispanics to get to know them
better because "they know you and they decided they don't like you."
Speaking with Martinez before the the Republican Party's winter
meeting continued in North Carolina on Friday, she noted that the party
had launched a website asking for suggestions but wondered how it would be turned into "real change."
"Well, I think first of all, it's a great reassessment taking place
within the party and I think it's very, very healthy," Martinez
explained. "I'm really quite encouraged, not only by the website and the
fact we're reaching out to people to input because I think we've lost
the ability to communicate well and I think that's a beginning."
O'Brien pointed out that South Carolina committeeman Glenn McCall,
who is part of a task force charge with moving the party forward, had suggested to The Wall Street Journal that the problem was that minorities "simply don't know us."
"In many ways, we're at square one," McCall said. "There are large
portions of the population -- African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians,
young voters -- who simply don't know us. We have to change that."
"Is it that they don't know you? Meaning you as the GOP," O'Brien
asked Martinez. "Or is that they know you and they decided they don't
like you?"
"Look, I think there's a communication gap and I think that our party
has done a poor job reaching out to these particular groups," the
former U.S. senator insisted. "And I think this is about communicating
our message."
"But on some other things you might say are core to the GOP message, I
think you're going to have a challenge," the CNN host explained,
pointing to the Republican Party's policy of keeping taxes low for
wealthy Americans while cutting government programs that help the poor.
"Does that mean that you take the assessment and then you change policy potentially?" she wondered.
"No, I don't think you change principles, but I think you change the
conversation," Martinez declared. "We shouldn't be talking about
protecting the wealthy from raising taxes. We should be talking about a
tax code that promotes economic growth, and that lifts all boats."
"So, the bottom line is that it's about taxes, it's about an
overbearing government but it's really about how we communicate it. Are
we really protecting a certain segment of taxpayers or are we looking to
have a tax code that really promotes economic growth?
I wonder how many more qualified and better white news anchors had to get shelved so that this puerto rican could help CNN meet their minority quota.
