Pennsylvania's next Governor.

[bounce]

www.swannforgovernor.com/news/Read.aspx?ID=51





Principle trumps color
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Salena Zito
Pittsburgh Tribune Review

By Salena Zito
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, February 5, 2006


Lynn Swann, Michael Steele, Condi Rice and Ken Blackwell face the same handicap every morning when they look in the mirror.
They're Republicans, but they're not supposed to be. Who made that rule? Democrats?

When they contemplate their reflections, they are looking into the eyes of card-carrying members of the party of home ownership and opportunity. That's content of character. Isn't that how Dr. King would judge them? Isn't that how you should judge them?

These are the new "A" team of the Republican Party. Not for the black of their skin, but for their values

Swann, the Hall of Fame wide receiver who played for the Steelers, is running for the party's nomination to be Pennsylvania's governor. Blackwell is running for governor in Ohio, where he is now the secretary of state. Steele, Maryland's lieutenant governor, is seeking that state's open U.S. Senate seat.

Then there's Condi. She's not running for anything. Yet. Right now she's too busy reshaping the Middle East.

Of the four, she and Swann are the politically untested candidates.

Although Rice has served the country in many intellectual and policy capacities, she has never sought elected office. Swann's only public service to date has been as chairman of President Bush's Council on Physical Fitness.

But don't let his lack of political pedigree make you squeamish. Think Jack Kemp, another former Steeler, who evolved into a highly regarded conservative thinker.

To an extent, Democrats have been blindsided by this growth of black Republicans running for high-profile offices. Many of them assert that Republicans are encouraging this new crop of candidates to run on "being black."

But how else can they run? They're black. Wouldn't be quite the problem, though, if they were running as Democrats loudly touting their "blackness."

As Republicans, are they pioneers? Not exactly. The first black Republican to become a U.S. senator was Hiram Rhodes Revels of Mississippi, who took office in 1870.

The gap, however, has been too long and too wide since then.

Only within the past 10 years has the GOP worked hard to build its black base -- up 2 percentage points in the 2004 election.

For Republicans, it's time to put a face on these efforts and attract black -- and female -- candidates. The stereotype of the GOP being the party of wealthy white males needs to be erased.

Interestingly, the cruelest critics of black candidates who take inspiration from Ronald Reagan are fellow blacks -- black Democrats. Think Harry Belafonte.

How does the GOP go about peeling off black votes from Democrats, whose party has taken black voters for granted for too long?

By offering them, as well as everyone else, the opportunity to improve themselves.

It isn't complicated for candidates, if they stay within the framework of the Republican Party's core principles: Entitlement leaves you empty; personal responsibility inspires growth and opportunity. Those principles always will trump color.

Indeed, if the GOP is true to its core, it is in a groovy position to render color less and less an issue. Democrats will not, cannot, do that because their race-based politics drives wedges between blacks and whites.

The success of these and other black Republican candidates should not be measured just on whether they win their seats but on how successful they are at invigorating the Republican base and attracting a new urban voting bloc.

Who knows? Maybe in 2006 a whole new crop of people, black and white, will look in their mirrors every morning, staring into the faces of card-carrying members of the "Party of Lincoln."



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PAID FOR BY LYNN SWANN FOR GOVERNOR | PO Box 3501 | Pittsburgh, PA 15230-3501
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[101ABN]

Go deep!

I hear he's polling some incredible numbers.

[dustdevil28]

I heard about that earlier this year.

Swanny was a great example of what a pro-athlete should be when he played. Lets hope that carries over for a big victory in PA.

I wonder if he can get Terry Bradshaw to help with the campaign.

[bounce]

This is a quote from the article:

Indeed, if the GOP is true to its core, it is in a groovy position to render color less and less an issue. Democrats will not, cannot, do that because their race-based politics drives wedges between blacks and whites.[/u]

I'm not sure where the author is going with the use of the word "groovy," but the way I see it COLOR and SEX have absolutely NOTHING to do with it. "Principles" is the only issue.

I have A LOT more in common with a black female conservative than a white male liberal. I'll work hard to help elect the former and work hard to defeat the latter.

I hope Swann takes it going away!

[cameron]

You are commenting on one of my pet meme's. There is only one demographic that still votes reliably for the Democratic party. That of course happens to be the Black community. They get something like 90%+ of the Black vote. Now of that vote, 36% of them are Black Baptists. When they are polled on social issues they consistently show that they have more in common with Republicans than they do with Democrats. This is the dirty little secret that the MSM never talks about. If the Republican party should ever succeed in making inroads to this constituency the Democratic party will cease to be a national party capable of winning elections. It is not inconceivable that it would lead to the complete collapse of the Democratic party.

[MARIO]

Wow, that would be great. I'm also a huge fan of Michael Steele's. But my favorite Black Conservative is still J.C. Watts. A really great guy.

Bob, as you know, most of my family lives in Pennsylvania and they can't stand Randell. The guy keeps speeding and keeps getting pulled over. I think you said Richardson also has his car speed in NM as well.

Pennsylvania deserves better than Randell, though.

Later.

[bounce]

Here's Richardson's "speeding" story. He speeds and doesn't stop for flashing lights and a siren. At the time, the story around here was that Richardson was going WELL IN EXCESS of 100 MPH. The guy is a hazard to other motorists.




By Steve Terrell | The New Mexican
June 21, 2005

Gov. Bill Richardson is at the center of another speeding controversy.

According to a report Monday by KRQE's Larry Barker, a state police driver for the governor refused to stop June 2 for an Albuquerque police officer who noticed the governor's white Cadillac sport-utility vehicle "speeding and driving erratically" on an interstate frontage road in Albuquerque.

Barker's report showed footage of the chase and a recording of the Albuquerque police officer. The report didn't say how fast the governor's driver was going.

A spokesman for Richardson referred questions about the incident to the state Public Safety Department, which called the incident "a simple misunderstanding," noting that the Albuquerque officer was in an unmarked car and not in uniform.

In a written statement, DPS spokesman Peter Olson said, "There was no procedure in place for the governor's driver to verify it was indeed an APD unit. Under those circumstances, state police are trained to take evasive action and not to stop. Likewise, there was no procedure in place for the APD officers to make contact with the Governor's vehicle."

"They had flashing lights and a siren, but that doesn't cut it," Olson told The New Mexican.

Because of the incident, there now is a direct phone line state police can use to instantly communicate with Albuquerque police dispatchers, Olson said.

The report comes at a time in which state Republicans are airing radio commercials blasting Richardson's "high roller" lifestyle, including his highway habits. One ad says Richardson "isn't bothered by speed limits."

The speeding first was picked up on the political radar in 2003, when a Washington Post reporter, traveling with Richardson on the way to a political function, noted that the governor ordered his driver to go faster when they already were in excess of 100 mph.

There have been similar reports of Richardson's speeding since then. Public Safety Secretary John Denko has defended Richardson's high speeds, calling the practice a security measure.

Olson's statement Monday says, "The state police officer driving correctly followed the procedures mandated to safely and securely transport the governor. ... The state police will continue to take every precaution and follow recognized procedures to ensure the safety of the governor ...".