Academic

A shock to one?s conscious

By Ann Bartow

The WaPo reports:

As the country rapidly diversifies, Republicans are presenting a convention that is almost entirely white.

Only 36 of the 2,380 delegates seated on the convention floor are black, the lowest number since the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies began tracking diversity at political conventions 40 years ago. Each night, the overwhelmingly white audience watches a series of white politicians step to the lectern — a visual reminder that no black Republican has served as a governor, U.S. senator or U.S. House member in the past six years.

“It’s hard to look around and not get frustrated,” said Michael S. Steele, a black Republican and former lieutenant governor of Maryland. “You almost have to think, ‘Wait. How did it come to this?’ “

The Republican convention has seemingly abandoned minorities with 2% Black delegates, 5% Hispanic delegates and 93% White delegates (historically low numbers of minorities). Moreover, with the selection of Governor Palin, the Republicans may have ostracized many independent women. Yet they are confident they will win the election with God, Guns and Drilling. Can a party with little to no minority participation win the presidency in 2008 with this very conservative agenda?

–Francine Lipman

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on September 05, 2008 (boomark / email).