J. Kenneth Blackwell

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GOP Base Sees Moderate Plot in Reform Group

Righties compalin that Cantor rebranding effort excludes them

(Newser) - With Eric Cantor's high-profile new group aimed at diagnosing what ails the GOP, members of the party base are worried that the answer might be them. Social conservatives from Steve King to Mike Huckabee are accusing the group of excluding them from the National Council for a New America, Politico...

Competition to Lead GOP 'Dirtiest Ever'

Anonymous e-mails accuse candidates of racism, incompetence

(Newser) - Things have gotten ugly in the race to chair the Republican National Committee, in which a vote is due tomorrow. Anonymous e-mails have thrown some hard elbows, the Washington Times reports—one this week featured a mock-up USA Today front page reading, “RNC members choose ‘whites only’ chairman,...

At RNC, Change Means Bashing Bush

Former loyalists lash out at ex-president in race for new chairman

(Newser) - In deciding on a new chairman, Republican National Committee members are wrestling with ambivalence about George W. Bush, the Washington Post reports. Incumbent Mike Duncan, appointed by the former president, faces something of a backlash. Duncan “never criticized Bush when the president was wrong,” says one member. “...

RNC Candidates Must Measure Up to Dems' Kaine
RNC Candidates Must Measure Up to Dems' Kaine
analysis
Jan 16, 2009 1:34 PM CST

RNC Candidates Must Measure Up to Dems' Kaine

Candidates look lightweight compared to Va. guv, DNC chair

(Newser) - Since Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine took over the Democratic National Committee last week, Republicans—in the midst of choosing Kaine’s RNC counterpart—are concerned that their contenders aren’t quite in Kaine’s weight class, reports Politico. Imagining the inevitable on-air debates, one Republican stresses the importance of choosing...

Blackwell Calls Homosexuality a 'Compulsion'

Would-be RNC chair says gays can just say no to rogue urges

(Newser) - Another candidate for the position of Republican National Committee chair may have put his foot in his mouth: Ken Blackwell, the former Ohio secretary of state, told gay radio host Michelangelo Signoreli that gays and lesbians suffer from a “compulsion” that they “can choose to restrain.” Blackwell...

At a Crossroads, Split RNC Has Diverse Choices

Two of 6 candidates are black; may offer needed image change

(Newser) - Having lost the presidency to a Democratic party making new demographic inroads, the GOP faces a revealing choice about whether to elect a black party chairman, reports the New York Times. As Republicans try to rebuild in the wake of the election, two black candidates, in a pool of six,...

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