Meacham's Diversity Double Standard

Last night, when asked to comment on the victories of Nikki Haley and Tim Scott in the South Carolina GOP primary, the best Newsweek's Jon Meacham could muster on these milestones was to ask if they would bring ideological diversity to the Republican Party.

Rarely am I compelled to rewind the news, but this morning Jon Meacham forced my hand.

When asked to comment on the remarkable victories of Nikki Haley and Tim Scott in South Carolina, the best he could muster on these milestones in America’s sorry racial history was that the interesting question was whether they would bring ideological diversity to the Republican Party.

Do we have to create an annual Meacham Award for the least self-aware comment from a pundit?   According to the left, the country’s racist party, in the most racist of states, has just nominated the daughter of Indian Sikh immigrants for governor.  The Republicans of the state’s first congressional district picked a black man, over the children of Carroll Campbell and Strom Thurmond, to represent them.  And for Meacham the interesting question is whether they will drive the party left.

Never mind that the Democrats in the Congressional Black Caucus are among Nancy Pelosi’s most loyal lieutenants.  No need for ideological diversity there.  These black members of Congress can provide the votes for Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi, and for Meacham ideological diversity takes a backseat to the progressive agenda.  Only someone so comfortable in the invariable rightness and common sense of his liberal ideas could observe these elections and determine that their real interest lies in whether these candidates will move the GOP left.

Arguably, the Congressional Black Caucus does provide some diversity to the House Democratic Caucus.  If not for their gerrymandered elections, the House Democrats would likely be a more centrist group.  Perhaps the election of these conservative-supported minority candidates will provide the GOP with some ideological diversity, and move the party to the right.  But I don’t think this is what Meacham had in mind.