The wheels are just coming off the GOP.
A CPAC session sponsored by Tea Party Patriots and billed as a primer on teaching activists how to court black voters devolved into a shouting match as some attendees demanded justice for white voters and others shouted down a black woman who reacted in horror.
They're not even bothering to hide it anymore.
Scott Terry of North Carolina, accompanied by a Confederate-flag-clad attendee, Matthew Heimbach, rose to say he took offense to the event’s take on slavery. (Heimbach founded the White Students Union at Towson University and is described as a “white nationalist” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.)“It seems to be that you’re reaching out to voters at the expense of young white Southern males,” Terry said, adding he “came to love my people and culture” who were “being systematically disenfranchised.”
Smith responded that Douglass forgave his slavemaster.
“For giving him food? And shelter” Terry said.
The reference to Douglass, i.e., Frederick Douglass, was by one K Carl Smith, who was trying to coach the audience on how to do outreach to the black community by deflecting criticism of the GOP's positions on issues of consequence to the black community by referencing the fact that the Democratic Party was an outgrowth of the KKK.
One of the audience members took somewhat of an offense at the idea that dragging up an association 150+ years old would be a meaningful way of deflecting criticism, and that implying that the Democratic Party of today, 2013, has any relation to the KKK might not go over well. She was shouted down.
Attendees interviewed by TPM afterwards expressed outrage at the way the event turned out. Not at the Terry and Heimbach — they were mad at Brown for her interruptions.Of course, Brown is . . . . you guessed it . . . . Black.
Brown, who took offense at the suggestion modern Democrats were descendants of the KKK, tried to ask a question later once things finally calmed down. She was booed and screamed at by audience members.“Let someone else speak!” one attendee in Revolutionary War garb shouted.
“You’re not welcome!” a white-haired older woman yelled.
Yeah. How's that whole "outreachy" and "messaging" thingy workin' out for ya, GOP?
** Can't figure out why the link to the story won't embed. It's from Benjy Sarlin at TPM. Here's the url.