Frameshop: A Picture of the GOP on Civil Rights

The one photo the GOP does not want anyone to see was snapped at yesterday's NAACP GOP Presidential Candidate Forum.  The NAACP invited all 9 Republican candidates to the forum, but only one showed up: Tom Tancredo.  All the Democratic Presidential hopefuls showed up for their forum. 

The excuses given by the Republican campaigns mostly had to do with scheduling conflicts--just too busy to make it.

The resulting photo of Tancredo--standing on a stage of empty podiums--sums up the Republican party's commitment to civil rights in America:  the only Republican interested is the guy running to deny immigrant workers their rights.

One has to wonder why this photo was not the lead on every morning show and on the front pages of every morning newspaper in America. 

The reason, most likely, is a coordinated effort by Republicans to pressure news agencies to downplay the obvious implications of having 8 out of 9 of their Presidential candidates as "no shows" for a debate at the NAACP. 

Please take my
Blog Reader
Project survey.

What is keeping the obvious story about Republicans and racism out of today's headlines?  David Beckham's arrival in Hollywood.

This is an ideal moment to stand up and demand the kind of news coverage we want in America.  Contact your local TV stations and newspapers.  Ask them to run this photo and to write an article about Republicans, civil rights and racism.

© 2007 Jeffrey Feldman, Frameshop

Comments

[gina]

wow. that is powerful

[kid oakland]

An empty commitment.

A powerful comment.

As a photographer I do wish the photo were less cluttered with flags and better composed. There had to be a better angle on this shot.

[TexMex]

another pervert exposed himself?
http://www.thesnaponline.com/local/local_story_194084456.html

[Angry One]

There's an old saying that a gaffe is what results when a politician inadvertently tells the truth. By that standard, then, the Republican Party must be confessing its deeply held beliefs when it comes to race. After all, racial bigotry is not the exception in the GOP, but perhaps the rule itself.

For the details of Republican race-baiting as an essential political strategy, see:
"The Amazing Race Card."

[Boudica]

Well let's face it, if Rudy showed there might be all those questions about Abner Louima and Amadou Diallo. There might also be questions about the harassment the black community suffered while he was mayor. No, nothing for Giuliani to gain that he hasn't already lost. So much for America's Mayor.

[g m anderson]

one line in story is so wrong, illegals do not have rights in this country, they can go home for their rights, not here.

[BigDuck]

I agree with Kid Oakland. The event is a powerful indictment of Republican attitudes toward race, but the photo is worthless. There must be another shot, say one taken from the side, with all the empty podiums stacked up against a less cluttered background.

[BigDuck]

I agree with Kid Oakland. The event is a powerful indictment of Republican attitudes toward race, but the photo is worthless. There must be another shot, say one taken from the side, with all the empty podiums stacked up against a less cluttered background.

[JF]

Not "worthless." Just not aesthetically well done.

[Len]

Clicking on the photo will enlarge it and make it quite a bit clearer. I think it's a great picture, myself.

Way to go, GOPpers!

[Eric]

Rudy McRomney knew full well that any of them who showed up would lose votes with the GOP base.

[Suspiciousmind]

I'd say the missing nine were playing to their base...the conservative base doesn't really want their candidate there, therefore......

[shergald]

The irony of it all is that Tancredo spreads Hispanophobia with his antiimmigrant rants. I suspect he was there doing the same thing, claiming that illegal Hispanics are taking jobs from unemployed Black innercity youth. Of course, when farmers claimed their crops were rotting in the fields for lack of workers, no one ran into our inner cities shouting jobs available.

[Stephen Salter]

I guess we can only speculate as to the reason so many didn't show up. But it's my hope that the level of public debate in this country reaches an historical peak. So far...nothing at all...Maybe people aren't sure how far they can go out on a limb and say what they want to say because maybe they forgot for a minute about the freedom of speech in this country.

[Chancellor Carlyle Roberts, II]

Perhaps the others didn't show up exactly because they did have scheduling conflicts. How much advance notice did they get? It could also be that some of the other candidates believe the NAACP is a racist organization in itself. Then, of course, there's always the concern that rioting would break out when some of the candidates give their answers. Imagine the reaction when Ron Paul starts talking about rights not being based on group identity (like he did when asked about gays in the military).

[JF]

Hmm. I hadn't thought about the NAACP being a "racist organization." I better check my Rush Limbaugh talking points to see if I forgot to echo anything else handed down from the great fuzz ball...

[John Daily]

A picture is still worth a thousand words.

This one is a keeper.

[jake]

small correction: there are 10 GOP candidates total, not 9. i don't know why that picture only has 9 podiums.

[Wilbur Johnson]

Get real. The only racist folks are the democrats. The NAACP would have only booed.

Liberals amaze me.

[Reggie]

Finally----Someone tells it like it is. The NAACP is racist and has lost all credibility in the past few years.

[Michael Connolly]

Thanks, Chancellor Carlyle Roberts II, for the hilarious sendup of Southern racists. I loved the sly suggestion that those people in the NAACP might "riot." Reminds me of 1966, when Southern Democrats starting calling black people "nigras," rather than Negros, with a wind and a nod to their base.

The next step, of course, was to start calling Southern Democrats "Republicans" and "Christians."

Personally, I think the Flying Spaghetti Monster controls the Republican calendars and he made it impossible for them to attend.

[JF]

Welcome to all the dittoheads! Glad you all showed up to accuse civil rights organizations of being the really racist racists of racism.

[condoleaser]

Not all Republicans are racists - but all racists are Republican.

People who are not White and Christian sure know it, too...look at the stats.

Civil Rights = Democrats

Caging, voter suppression, exclusion = Repubes

[condoleaser]

Not all Republicans are racists - but all racists are Republican.

People who are not White and Christian sure know it, too...look at the stats.

Civil Rights = Democrats

Caging, voter suppression, exclusion = Repubes

[Mr. Joshua]

"All racists are Republican"

Dumb quote of the day.

I'll have to ask Sen. Byrd (D) from West Virginia about that.

As well as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

[wowser]

The new Klan rides again.

So if the candidates didn't show up for fear of causing a riot like in the old days, does that mean you white folks have some church bombings planned should Obama win the presidency? Or will you just commit terroristic acts on brown people this time?

That big Republican tent is going to look mighty small in 25 years. Not much more than a pillowcase with the eyes cut out.

[Tyldak]

Rethuglicans, Faux News, Wingnut Daily, etc. just love to whine about the evil, EVIL! NAACP and how boo-hoo they call them names and stuff, and then the pull crap like this. They, in all seriousness, hold up Colin Powell and Condelezza Rice as the reasons that Republicans do more for African-Americans then Democrats. Hint to all the Angry White Men out there: Nice try, but they're not that stupid. Here's a perfect chance to reach across the divide and win over some AA votes, and it's shunned because it might (Lord forbid) offend some prejudiced people in their base and it might be a leetle awkward for Fox News and friends to report on (after years of demonizing the NAACP). Goofs.

[seh]

I have recently joined this blog, so the Democratic presidential conversation hosted by Tavis Smiley at Howard University had long passed before I had discovered Jeffrey Feldman. But perhaps this picture provides an opportunity to re-visit that occasion and its coverage by the media as a means of unpacking the image of the empty stage at the NAACP convention.
I wonder how many of you who subscribe here watched that event in D. C.
The media reported that the candidates were asked mostly about domestic issues, and news commentators implied that because the war was not central to the discourse, because there were no angry disagreements among the candidates that this was really a non-event.
Let me posit that this gathering was as much about Black America as it was about the participants on stage.
The candidate conversation began with the pomp that is appropriate to major colloquia in the Black community: The university president welcomed candidates, the audience in the hall, and the PBS viewers; Tom Joyner introduced Smiley; Smiley introduced the candidates, and introduced important attendees (Cornel West and Marian Wright Edelman among many). The first question submitted by a viewer of the Smiley show set the agenda. She quoted W. E. B. DuBois, who stated that the twentieth century would be the era of the color-line; and she asked what place race would occupy in the agenda of this new century--especially given that day's Supreme Court Decision that had gutted Brown vs. the Board of Ed. The rest of the questions were asked by professional news people of color--African American and Latino. Among the topics were education, health care, Darfur, crime and unequal imprisonment, HIV/AIDS. The answers were clearly for all America, but directed especially to the audience of color.
So why do I say that this event was as much about Black America as about the candidates? I think it was our way of saying that we will be a force to be reckoned with, that our leaders, our spokespersons, our politicians are getting out the vote for the next elections. The Black community and our sisters and brothers of color will be active and responsible participants in our national politics.
The next Smiley-hosted conversation is scheduled for September at another HBCU, Morgan State. Will our Republican candidates continue to "dis" this historically important civil rights focused event as they have this convention; will they continue to show--if only symbolically--how little we (African Americans/people of color) count as voters? The absences on the podium reproduced on this blog surely seem to signify how insignificant is the issue of civil rights and an opportunity for a thoughtful discourse on race. This may be a mistaken strategy for the upcoming presidential election.

[seh]

I have recently joined this blog, so the Democratic presidential conversation hosted by Tavis Smiley at Howard University had long passed before I had discovered Jeffrey Feldman. But perhaps this picture provides an opportunity to re-visit that occasion and its coverage by the media as a means of unpacking the image of the empty stage at the NAACP convention.
I wonder how many of you who subscribe here watched that event in D. C..
The media reported that the candidates were asked mostly about domestic issues, and news commentators implied that because the war was not central to the discourse, because there were no angry disagreements among the candidates that this was really a non-event.
Let me posit that this gathering was as much about Black America as it was about the participants on stage.
The candidate conversation began with the pomp that is appropriate to major colloquia in the Black community: The university president welcomed candidates, the audience in the hall, and the PBS viewers; Tom Joyner introduced Smiley, Smiley introduced the candidates, and introduced important attendees (Cornel West and Marian Wright Edelman among many). The first question submitted by a viewer of the Smiley show set the agenda. She quoted W. E. B. DuBois, who stated that the twentieth century would be the era of the color-line; and she asked what place race would occupy in the agenda of this new century--especially given that day's Supreme Court Decision that had gutted Brown vs. the Board of Ed. The rest of the questions were asked by professional news people of color--African American and Latino. Among the topics were education, health care, Darfur, crime and unequal imprisonment, HIV/AIDS. The answers were clearly for all America, but directed especially to the audience of color.
So why do I say that this event was as much about Black America as about the candidates? I think it was our way of saying that we will be a force to be reckoned with, that our leaders, our spokespersons, our politicians are getting out the vote for the next elections. The Black community and our sisters and brothers of color will be active and responsible participants in our national politics.
The next Smiley-hosted conversation is scheduled for September at another HBCU, Morgan State. Will our Republican candidates continue to "dis" this historically important civil rights focused event as they have this convention; will they continue to show--if only symbolically--how little we (African Americans/people of color) count as voters? The absences on the podium reproduced on this blog surely seem to signify how insignificant is the issue of civil rights and an opportunity for a thoughtful discourse on race. This may be a mistaken strategy for the upcoming presidential election.

[JF]

SEH: Thanks so much for that comment and welcome to Frameshop.

Through our own participation, each of us can make the subject of civil rights and race as important in this election as it should be.

[Erisian]

Hey JF just twitter'ed this:
http://twitter.com/erisian/statuses/148814542

Also on K5:
http://www.kuro5hin.org/story/2007/7/13/165123/916

Do you know what the Digg FP threshold is?

[JF]

Erisian: Thanks for the twitter and kuro%hin posts!

I'm not sure how many diggs it takes to get to the front page. I'll keep an eye out...

[Interested Litigant]

Whoa your horses dude. You have no idea what you are spewing forth. You will soon learn what 'moment of opportunity' meant, last year. Then you can scream and yell racism all you want. It won't do any good.

[TJ]

The media is nothing but a full time spin cycle for the Right Wing and this photo being kept from the public is the only proof you need.

[Daniel K]

Man, the next time all those guys are together in the same room, Tancredo's going to get it.

[Joe]

Deny immigrant workers their rights?

Why reinvent illegal Mexicans, working illegally as people having rights?

It's to Tancredo's credit that he showed
up because black workers are getting SCREWED
by Mexican illegals, not that any liberals
would care...

http://home.comcast.net/~plutarch/mexico.html

[craig]

"one line in story is so wrong, illegals do not have rights in this country, they can go home for their rights, not here."

"We hold these truths to be self-evident..."

[snitramc]

The next time some wingnut goes off about the D's not showing up on FAUX news, I'm gonna let them have it both barrels. Yessireebob!

[Doug Alston]

Why would any Republican show up? The RNC has been caging black voters, so why bother to appeal to people who won't be allowed to vote? Also, why would any black person vote Republican knowing the RNC doesn't want you to have the right to vote?

I guess Tancredo didn't get the memo.

[jbless]

That is a powerful statement by the republicans

the picture says it all

[Will]

There must be an election coming. All the lily-white Democrat candidates remember that there is an NAACP. They spend a day saying things like, "My third-grade teacher was black. I loved that woman so." Then they go on their merry way.

Who do you think you are fooling?

[allan]

how the hell do you link to this story?

[JF]

Allan:

Here's the link:
http://jeffrey-feldman.typepad.com/frameshop/2007/07/frameshop-a-p-1.html

[allan]

ah, thank you!

[JT]

Ah, Jake the Wingut Welfare troll has showed up...

[JT]

Q: Which journalist will have the courage to ask "If the GOP candidates cannot withstand questioning from the NAACP, how can we trust them to have the fortitude to handle Al Qaeda?

A: Not a damn one.

[joltcola]

Will the NAACP give grants to whites?
Will the Puertorican Action League give grants to blacks?
My point is that these groups are reverse racists. Rather than treating all people the same their exclusion of others perpetuates racism.

[bluseahorse]

What a Disgrace!!!! but since this is the Republican party of Reagan and G.W. Bush (and thus, not the Republican party of Abraham Lincoln - ) I
am NOT surprised! not surpised at all.
the GOP is all for the Have mores and the Have Everythings, ...everyone else can go to....the dickens.

[JF]

Jolt: My rabbi doesn't give bat mitzvah's to Methodists. Doesn't make her racist...

[bigal]

I wonder if Clarence Thomas was in the audience.

[Rob]

Hey, what about those Democrats who didn't want to attend the Congressional Black Caucus debate?

Are they racist too?

[jo6pac]

These aren't my the Rs of my child hood. They need to take the party back. I'm from the left and I'm sad that we can't talk any more.
jo6pac

[MarkPat]

Please explain to me WHAT rights immigrant workers have?
It's always been my understanding that "rights" are only afforded to citizens.

[joltcola]

The truth is that drawing attention to racism perpetuates racism. The basic flaw about any groups no matter how well intended is group pride (pride is negative) leading to group think. Progressives have the same problem. They have a common irrational pride even though the progressive movement is the training ground for communism and the daily 2 minutes hate.

Now the person that brought up "My rabbi doesn't give bat mitzvah's to Methodists. Doesn't make her racist..." no since people can convert to Judesiam and since the 1st Amendment says there can be no law.

In reality this is about affirmative action and that is law to force diversity rather than accept diversity!

Stop being idiotic!

[JF]

Jolt: Drawing attention to racism does not perpetuate racism. Affirmative action does not "force" diversity. It levels the playing field based on a reasonable understanding of past inequalities.

Jo6: All people have rights in America. The Bill of Rights refers to "people," not citizens. Not all privileges, rights and responsibilities befall everyone in this country, but the idea that someone has "no rights" is simply wrong. We may forfeit some rights in certain situations, earn some in others, but there is nobody in America who is without rights.

The Constitution is a neat document. Check it out...

[joltcola]

Posted by: JF | July 13, 2007 at 11:20 PM

Your wrong and pride is negative. Groups that exclude on the basis of race are in fact perpetuating race. In the case of the NAACP they have become exclusionary and hence have become what they attempted to draw attention to.

Affirmative action is Unconstitutional since it forces groups of people to be treated differently than others through inclusion or exclusion. The reason you can't grasp that is since your communistic programing is flawed!

Fly away!

[joltcola]

Posted by: JF | July 13, 2007 at 11:20 PM

Only American citizens are protected by the Constitution. Communists like you have for instance completely destroyed America by creating a culture that rewards illegal aliens with hospitalization, privileges, jobs and more while forcing the citizens to pay for it while the nation is quietly invaded.

Here is a short film and you can see that this man shares the same communistic view as you do...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_UidZjiEzYY

[JF]

Communist! Good one, but sorry: wrong century. No communists around here.

Pick up a copy of Tocqueville's Democracy in America (also not a communist). Great little book that explains what the NAACP is all about: not a group that excludes, but an organization of people bound together by common interests and shared promise. The basis of the entire American political system.

Or go read the Mayhflower compact--also a nice little document based on the same principle.

No Lenin in these woods.

And I fly nowhere--this non-communist owns the joint.

[NewsSophisticate]

That is horrendous...The Repugnacan...the Defenders of the Status Quo. A no show. Wow. This makes me speechless..and I can ramble. That is completely DISRESPECTFUL! Check my new blog all original articles..homegrown news

[joltcola]

Posted by: JF | July 13, 2007 at 11:40 PM

Yes, your a communist! Pride is always negative and group think always influences any group. The NAACP like the KKK or LaRaza all foster and covet racism. These groups are all dangerous!

[Jeffrey Henderson]

F*** the NAACP.

They think that black people deserve special treatment, which is silly.

No one deserves special anything.

[JF]

Jolt: Accuse anyone on this site again of "communism" and you'll be banned from posting comments.

Henderson: Comment edited for profanity.

[jurassicpork]

"Mitt and McCain just called. They got caught in traffic. What? I'm serious!"