Wednesday, September 01, 2004
Politics: Sixty Seconds With JC Watts
Spot On's Karol interviews my favorite Pachyderm, Julius Caesar Watts, about the GOP's progress with African-American voters.
Two things that I got out of it:
I was a little disappointed to see Watts give canned answers to honest questions, but I do understand that the atmosphere isn't conducive to lengthy interviews. Kudos to Karol, though, for going right after him with a straightforward question.
The interview cuts off before he responds to her question of "will you be running for anything?" I can't speak for his answer today, but I know what he told Matt and I at the 2002 Texas Exes New Year's Eve Party. I asked him point-blank if we might ever see him in the White House (in grand sycophant fashion, I told him I'd work to help put him there), and he said he hasn't ruled out gunning for it at some point.
|
Two things that I got out of it:
"Just because we don't see any African-Americans in Congress doesn't mean [the GOP isn't making progress]"Watts cited a growing number of public servants on the state, county and municipal levels. Perhaps that is accurate in some areas. It's not in mine.
"Diversity has to be a part of our lexicon. It's not a bad thing."I agree, but let's be honest: "Diversity" is a vague word. I think I understand Watts' connotation, and he's not talking about the same kind of diversity that Jesse Jackson promotes (i.e., Affirmative Action, and constantly using the race card to supplement personal responsibility). Watts' diversity is a diversity of ideas, one that supports the traditional planks of the GOP platform while adapting to change.
I was a little disappointed to see Watts give canned answers to honest questions, but I do understand that the atmosphere isn't conducive to lengthy interviews. Kudos to Karol, though, for going right after him with a straightforward question.
The interview cuts off before he responds to her question of "will you be running for anything?" I can't speak for his answer today, but I know what he told Matt and I at the 2002 Texas Exes New Year's Eve Party. I asked him point-blank if we might ever see him in the White House (in grand sycophant fashion, I told him I'd work to help put him there), and he said he hasn't ruled out gunning for it at some point.
Longhorn Sites
Astros Sites