Hey folks – this is Lenny again. Thanks for tuning into the spot.
It’s been a very busy time for us – fun, but busy.
We have been talking to a LOT of media outlets today due to an article published that talks about the lack of diversity on the convention floor. Maybe it’s due to the economy – maybe it’s due to the candidate we have – maybe it’s due to the Obama factor, but there are not a lot of people of color here as delegates. Of course, it could be due to the fact that we as Republicans have not done a good job of reaching out to minorities over the past years. It’s not like the Democrats have done a great job, either, but heck, they haven’t had to do a great job. They only have had to wait for us to shoot ourselves in the foot, then swoop in as the alternate.
Today might be a chance to change that dynamic. It could be a chance to put a better image out there for us.
And where else to start but with the good ol’ HHRs?!?!
It looks as though one of our brethren had a little bit of a “tiff”...I mean, uh, blow-up...during a radio interview yesterday. It was a situation that, well, has become viral in the wonderful world of the internet. So, what better way to start changing the image (and overall inclusion) of the GOP than to start with the image of the HHR?
Well, heading over to Cenk and the Young Turks was one of several cool experiences that I had in the day. It appears that I had Sarah Palin on the brain, prepared to make a comment about her as the vice presidential candidate (after answering a lot of questions about her throughout the day due to her speech) and, unwittingly, mentioned that Senator Obama was the vice-presidential candidate, not the man at the top of the Democratic ticket. I’m sure that people that want to rail on me will rail on me for that one. Cenk didn’t catch it, and that’s probably because he knows where I was trying to go with the conversation.
Then again, I can imagine that being a Black conservative on a liberal talk show only will make me a target, so making that gaff puts a bigger target on my back. Oh well.
Aside from that, I enjoyed the conversation very much. We didn’t see eye-to-eye on the issues, but we were eye-to-eye as Americans engaged in the process. If more of us on opposite sides of the aisle could just do that more often, we could really rise above partisanship and do some great things in America. This was my most gratifying interview because of what happened the day before. It was a chance to show how to debate respectfully with the focus on coming together for solutions, not winning an argument. Thank you, Cenk, for allowing us this opportunity.
That interview was actually not the first interview of the day. I have been calling into Fox News Rising for the past few days, giving feedback on the Convention for those back in the Charlotte, North Carolina region. Of course, a 7 AM or so phone call makes for a 6 AM call in Minnesota. That, of course, is usually the second appointment of the day by that point of time.
We have had long days, but fun days. All of them. I wouldn’t change anything about my experience. I feel like there are things to build off of because of it.
One of the other interviews was a call-in for Cocoa Mode on The Power, XM Channel 169; (www.cocoamode.com) I got a chance to vibe with Shawna Renee for several minutes as well as take some calls. Of course, people are more fixated on the name “Hip Hop Republicans”, expecting folks to come out rhyming like Busta Rhymes saying something like, “Whoo-HA! I got Republicans in check!”
No. It’s not like that. The Hip Hop moniker speaks more to the age of the group (people between 20 and 45) and the diversity within the group (think of everything in hip-hop/rap from the Sugarhill Gang to Run DMC to Public Enemy to 3rd Bass to TLC to Biggie to P Diddy to Enimem and back to the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J with the original Def Jam) than anything else. For me, the “hip hop” speaks to innovation – how hip hop was innovative enough to become its own culture in a fashion that our application of Republican values will sprout a new line of conservatism. Just because we’re rocking coats and ties and speaking the language of the convention, some people are missing the message and our connection despite some political differences. I think that the XM radio interview went to highlight the similarities within the differences.
As always, I enjoyed it.
