Largely White Audience Turns Out To Hear Rand Paul Speak At African-American Outreach Event

[marmar]

WASHINGTON -- The Michigan Republican Party is seeking to increase its visibility in Democratic- and minority-heavy Detroit, and last week, it brought Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) to the city to open the party's African-American Engagement Office. But if anything, the launch event put into stark relief just how much work the GOP has to do, when a largely white audience turned out to hear the senator speak.

Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus has said that attracting more minorities to the GOP is crucial for the party's future. He visited Michigan last month, hired radio personality Wayne Bradley to head the African-American Engagement effort in the state and launched the Michigan Black Advisory Council.

In the 2012 election, President Barack Obama earned the support of 90 percent of the black voters who turned out at the polls.

Paul initially spoke at the new African-American Engagement Office on Livernois Avenue in Detroit for about four minutes on Friday. According to the progressive site Electablog, "The seats in the tiny space were filled with well-dressed supporters, most of whom were African-American." .......................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/09/rand-paul-african-american_n_4409356.html?ncid=txtlnkushpmg00000037

[tanyev]

1. "I was born a poor black child...."

[Xipe Totec]

4. And then I turned "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

[Blue_Tires]

2. Is it me, or was it not too long ago that

it was considered kind of a faux pas for elected officials (who aren't campaigning for a larger office) to do so much frequent whoring in states/cities far away from their own??

I remember Sarah Palin being the one who really set the 'new' standard, back when she was spending more time per month in the lower 48 doing interviews, speeches and fundraisers than she was in the Governor's office, but this wasn't that common before she came along, right?

[Tom Ripley]

3. Maybe they will have GOP operatives cork up for future such events