J. C. Watts warns party not to get comfortable...mentions Dean and values.

[madfloridian]

Of course he bashes the Dems on taxes and everything else. But then comes this warning. They are noticing what Howard Dean is doing.

http://www.pahrumpvalleytimes.com/2005/04/22/opinion/watts.html

SNIP.."But I caution my party against getting too comfortable with its position on values. Dean says his party needs to listen to red state people more and understand them better. I believe we could see a long-term political realignment if and when the GOP realizes that values go beyond matters of life and marriage. Race is a values issue. Economic opportunity is a values issue.

In terms of listening, both parties could do themselves a world of good by listening to hear, rather than listening to respond."

Watts is chairman of J.C. Watts Companies, a business consulting group. He is former chairman of the Republican Conference of the U.S. House, where he served as an Oklahoma representative from 1995 to 2002.

[Goldeneye]

1. Hot damn!

Did a republican just figure it out?

I actually wish they wouldn't pay attention to Howard Dean and the democrats. We need some catch up time.

[JI7]

2. well, he is black

he tried to get his party to support some things to bring more minorities and women into the party but Tom Delay shot his ideas down without any thought. i'm sure it's part of the reason he left congress.

[w13rd0]

3. He said...

...when he resigned, DeLay was a large part of the reason. I don't like him, but I congratulate him on his opportunity to gloat over the bugmans current problems. :)

[madfloridian]

4. I often wondered why he left.

Might have had something to do with it. This was a definite warning to his party. Good for him.

[CatWoman]

7. He didn't "leave"

he was chased out.

[madfloridian]

8. Out of congress?

I did not know that. Thanks.

[CatWoman]

10. The Republicans treated him like shit

House negro: Why J.C. Watts is Congress' last black Republican

The tragedy for Watts and his conservative allies is that their own defensiveness is their worst enemy. Certainly one can hold conservative principles and question America's historic relationship with African Americans. Just look at Louis Farrakhan. But the GOP's rigidity, and ultimately, its tendency to airbrush the reality of racism, past and present, out of its vision of America, prevents the party from matching even the nuanced perspective of a man as dogmatic as Farrakhan, who recently has found a receptive audience among middle-class blacks with his lectures on personal responsibility and traditional family values.

African Americans are acutely aware of this, and thus are acutely aware of the difference between being a conservative and being a Republican. While they don't advertise it, many blacks fall into the former category, but as things are, very few will ever fall into the latter. Which is why, when J.C. Watts leaves Congress, there won't be many people lining up to fill his shoes as that body's token black Republican.

http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1316/is_12_34/ai_95914097

[madfloridian]

11. Thanks for sharing that. I was not aware at the time.

We really became active in politcs early in 2003, the type of active where you really know what it going on. We had been active, but passively so. The story about the homecoming king and queen could play out today just that way. Interesting article.
:hi:

[Ksec]

5. Watts is your typical whore

He knows whats right and then goes wherever the party tells him to go.

[MADem]

6. He's hardly one to talk about values, with his "out of wedlock"

offspring! Supposedly, only Democrats have kids without the sanctity of marriage! Because they are "irresponsible" ya see....!

Watts left because they were making a fool of him. He got tired of being the Duty Black Guy, forced to show up to give the party a little color, because he was the ONLY one!

[madfloridian]

9. I did not post this to be critical of Watts or anyone.

I am not familiar with him at all. I just thought it was interesting.